I have knit with bamboo, nickel, plastic, and cheap aluminum. And maybe it’s cuz that’s that I got used to when I started but I really prefer the cheap aluminum ones. I won’t knit with plastic or nickel. The plastic is too sticky and nickel too slick and I just don’t enjoy knitting with them.
Bamboo is ok with double points although I still prefer aluminum ones. They are hard to find though in small sizes.
The wooden harmony ones are they closer to bamboo are are they slicker?
I love my bamboo needles but I have a few pairs of my old aluminum ones that I really like using for mittens. I find them to be nice and sturdy for working with Worsted weight wool.
I HATE PLASTIC!
I’ll knit with whatever I can put my hands on when I need them…
:knitting:
I like them, though I think I prefer the old nylon ones the best. They’re neither too sticky or too slick; unfortunately, I only have them in sizes I don’t use too often.
I will only use aluminum needles unless forced to use something else. I have literally broke plastic ones in half. Strange thing is that I don knit tight at all. So I stick with the aluminum ones, the yarn seems to slide nicely and I haven’t broken any yet.
I prefer nickel but don’t mind aluminum until it gets scratched up.
I personally prefer my Options Harmony wood (they are more slick than bamboo), but my mom has been knitting for almost 40 years and will use nothing but aluminum.
I’ve only used plastic and wood knitting needles and I prefer the wood over plastic. I’ve been thinking about trying aluminium (I always crochet with aluminum) but I’m so happy with my Harmony needles that I haven’t even looked for a set to try. 
I like the nickel, but will use aluminum. I think it’s because the metal needles tend to slide easier for me. I am a tight knitter. I LOVE the feel of my bamboo, rosewood, and birch needles, but I prefer to knit with my Addis or my Options because I AM such a tight knitter.
I say… use what you prefer and KNIT ON! 
I like ALL kinds of needles …well, except plastic-ick! And I don’t mean Denise’s interchangeables ( I love those too!) I really like having lots of choices so I can pick the best needle for the project.
I just bought 5 sets of Inox coated aluminum DPNs, in addition to the Harmony sock DPNs (which I haven’t received yet, hopefully today 
). So yes, I like my aluminums too! They are nice and light and slick enough, but not really slippery like nickle. I do have some old colorful aluminum DPNs that I haven’t tried, because they come in sets of 4 and I prefer five. Also they seem very slick and (face it) I’m just a Chicken :teehee:
I also like the price :mrgreen: Very inexpensive compared to the other choices! I almost bought a size 8 (16") bamboo circular at Michaels the other day, but it was $9! Ouch. Not in my budget right now! So maybe I’ll spring for it if I can get a 50% off coupon. Until then I’ll do without!
I use Aero, the old-fashioned, long, aluminium needles, if I’m working with straights.
Otherwise, I prefer stainless steel for circs. I think sometimes as well, that it depends on what I want to knit - I really enjoy using bamboo for chunkier yarn, for some reason
A friend of mine sent me some Options, which are slick and are fine for endless stocking stitch but I prefer something that doesn’t chase the stitch off the end of the needle so quickly when I’m doing twists or cables in Aran patterns.
Ellie
I like aluminum needles.
hate wood and bamboo.
can tolerate plastic most of the time.
I tend to knit tightly, so I LOVE my nickel-plated. I never liked wood at all til I got a few Harmonies. I love them too. I always used aluminum before I found Knit Picks. Now I rarely use them. Actually I hardly use straight needles at all anymore. I use my circulars for everything.
I don’t use straights at all any more… have my Boye Interchangeables and I use double points and that’s it.
I use my ancient (30+ years old?) Boye Needlemaster (I think these are aluminum)and Quicksilvers (I think these are coated aluminum) for everything I can. For the things I can’t use them for, I use Crystal Palace Bamboo.
Now that I’ve used the Options I don’t want to go back to the aluminum needles., maybe because I knit pretty tightly. I have yet to try the few Harmony needles I have so no opinion of wooden ones. No more straights either since I have been using the circulars. They, to me, are so much more user-friendly.
While I covet my bamboo, I’m a working adult who is underpaid (at the moment, anyway). Bamboo, in my mind, costs a goddamn arm and a leg. I do a lot of “in-the-round” projects, so I’m often forced to use DPNs which I can’t find in the sizes I need too often, so I’m forced to get something of a wooden quality.
But if I had my way? Aluminum. They’re cheap, easy to find, at any store, chain or LYS, and for god sake, they do not snap in half if you accidentally sit on your knitting bag. Or on them yourself. You don’t have to think when one of them looks like a broken twig, “Well. Bye bye $2 and change. It was nice to have you.”
And if you have a slipping problem? Knit a little tighter. It’ll prevent the snow-slope sliding that the stitches will do (I am convinced they go, “WEE!” off aluminum).
I use Harmony needles and love them- but I prefer aluminum when I am working with 100% cotton.
Harmonies are much slicker than bamboo (at least the ones I tried). I was so aggravated with the sticky cheap bamboo circs (Clover- maybe?) I had that I broke them and threw them away.
…and I am usually very zen and non-violent. Except when wielding sharp pointy things the yarn is sticking to, apparently.
I have used Al needles in the past but never really liked them(too “clicky” and their scraping together set my teeth on edge). There used to be stainless steel needles which worked very well; but right now I just love the options.