Rim weighted whorls do have their uses. This compact spindle was make for producing 6,000 ypp singles while out and about.
The shaft is rosewood, the hook is steel, and the whorl is a steel machine nut threaded on a piece of rose wood. The shaft weight is 3 g, and the whorl weight is 15 g for a total weight of 18 grams
An evening's spinning, just over a hundred yards - not much because I had managed to get some epoxy under the skin of a finger and it hurt.
In contrast, here is my current production spindle for 9,000 ypp singles:
The whorl weight is 15 g, and the shaft weight is 5 g for a total weight of 20 g.
Yes, the production spindle is faster. The rim weighting of the compact spindle slows it down. Despite being heavier, the center weighted spindle spins faster, and transfers twist to the yarn faster.
These spindles do not push the limits. They could be used upside down as bottom whorl spindles. 9,000 ypp singles are plenty strong enough to withstand a half-hitch. Problems with the strength of half-hitches do not show up until higher grists.
Where were such tools when I was learning to spin? Nobody was talking about them and nobody was selling them.
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