Shopping Guide To The Best Quality Embroidery Hoops

ByAmanda Updated on

I’m sure you’ve gone to the craft store before and felt a little bit disappointed at the options that are available. A lot of embroidery hoops are made of cheap wood or bamboo. The bamboo ones are prone to warping. This makes them grip the fabric unevenly and causes it to loosen or slip out. The cheap wood hoops that are made of pressed wood aren’t much better; they are flimsy and tend to break easily.

Lucky for you, I’ve tried numerous kinds of hoops and I’ll be sharing the best ones with you today.

Whether you’re looking to display your embroidery work, or you’re looking for a hoop that is great quality and easy to use, this shopping guide is full of some of the best quality embroidery hoops out there.

the best embroidery hoops for stitching and displaying

Rating Criteria

For each option, I have rated it by grip, display, style + size, and price.

Grip

Grip focuses around how well each hoop grips the fabric while you are stitching on it. The hoops with the highest grip rating are the most ideal to embroider with.

  • 1/3: Does not grip the fabric evenly or well at all
  • 2/3: Grips the fabric evenly but requires occasional adjusting of the fabric
  • 3/3: Grips the fabric evenly but requires little to no adjusting of the fabric

Display

Display rating focuses around how nice the embroidery hoop looks for displaying finished embroidery work in.

  • 1/3: Not a great hoop for display; unfinished or odd color
  • 2/3: Has a smooth appearance, not ideal for display but has a more finished look
  • 3/3: Has a polished, finished appearance

Style + Size

Style + size options include the variety of sizes, shapes, and colors that the embroidery hoop is available in.

  • 1/3: Comes in very limited sizes, hard to find other shapes and/or colors
  • 2/3: Comes in a large variety of sizes, has a few options for other shapes and/or colors
  • 3/3: Comes in a large variety of sizes, has many different shape options and colors

Best Quality Embroidery Hoops

Best Budget Friendly Option

best embroidery hoops

Darice

These hoops are made of a nicer quality wood and are one of the most affordable options for a nice embroidery hoop.

  • The wood is nicely sanded down.
  • The rings are slightly thicker and less flimsy than most embroidery hoops you can find at the craft store.

These are the most budget friendly option when they are bought in 6-packs.

  • Grip: 2/3
  • Display: 2/3
  • Style + Size: 2/3
  • Price: $

Available on Amazon.

Best Quality Wooden Embroidery Hoops

best quality wood embroidery hoops

Beechwood Hoops

From my experience, these are some of the best wood embroidery hoops out there. They are made of beechwood, which is a higher quality wood than most hoops you can find at the craft store.

  • The inner and outer rings are thicker and more rigid.
  • The surface of the wood is nicely sanded and finished with a light stain and seal.
  • The hardware is much nicer and adds a nice finishing touch to them.
  • The fabric stays secure, making them great to embroider with.
  • Grip: 3/3
  • Display: 3/3
  • Style + Size: 3/3
  • Price: $$ – $$$

Pricing can vary on these depending on where you get them and the brand you choose to buy, but I’ve included a few different options below:

Most affordable, generic option: Etsy and Amazon

Then there are name brand hoops made of similar materials that come in a few additional shapes and hoop thicknesses.

Nurge (8-24mm hoop depth) – Find on Amazon or their website

Maker Susan (square hoop with rounded edges) – Find on Amazon

Best Non-Slip Embroidery Hoop

embroidery of a woman holding a cat in a lime green Susan Bates no-slip hoop

Susan Bates

Susan Bates non-slip hoops are the best to work with, but not so much to display. If you’re having trouble with the fabric slipping when you are stitching, these are a great option.

  • The lip on the inner ring grips the fabric to keep it secure and tight.
  • A great option to use when you need a larger size – wood embroidery hoops at larger sizes tend to slip more, but even at 10-12 inch sizes, these hoops definitely do the job of keeping your fabric taut.

These can be found at most craft stores or on Amazon.

Grip: 3/3

Display: 1/3

Style + Size: 2/3

Price: $

Best Option For Displaying Embroidery

best quality embroidery hoops

Flexi Hoops

These flexi hoops are great if you’re wanting a darker hoop to display finished work in. They are also great because they come in several different shapes and a wide variety of sizes and colors.

You can choose from solid colors or imitation wood, and each hoop has a decorative hanger instead of a metal clasp on the top.

Pricing on these can vary, but they are very affordable when you buy them in packs.

Purchase on Amazon.

Grip: 2/3

Display: 3/3

Style + Size: 3/3

Price: $-$$

I hope this guide to the best quality embroidery hoops was helpful. I personally use all of these different kinds of hoops depending on what I am doing and what I need to use them for.

If you’re new to embroidery and you’re looking to learn even more about how to use embroidery hoops as well as some tips for choosing the right one, check out my guide to embroidery hoops and how to use them.

You may also enjoy this post all about storing embroidery hoops.

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