Louet David vs Louet Spring

[Ed Chapman]

Greetings!

I and on the cusp of acquiring my first honest-to-goodness floor loom. I LOVE my Ashford 8 table loom- it’s taught me exactly what happens with each weave structure I have worked with – I can see each thread move in relation to the selected heddles- and also to switch lift plans instantly to experiment. But I want treadles.

That said, I have two limitations that need accommodation: (1) No studio space- so the smaller the better for fitting the loom into our existing library. (2)Quiet operation- so that pretty much rules out metal heddles.

After watching myriad Youtube videos, flying to Kansas City (Yarn Barn) and driving to Northampton(Webs) to actually weave on some looms, I’ve narrowed my choices down to either the wider Louet David or the narrower Louet Spring. Jane’s videos have reinforced my choices- I love the built in raddles.

My only focused concern is the beater on the David. I’ve thrown some picks on two Davids and both seemed to have a beater that just did not slide as easily as I wanted it to. I had to pull it forward and push it back. I miss the free swing of ordinary beaters. I also noted on one of the demonstration Davids that the reed dislodged repeatedly from the turnbuckles holding it in place, almost like it was too wide to properly find its seat. Some research revealed that Louet may be redesigning the David beater again in 1-2 years- perhaps because the European market just does not like the sliding beater. I’m wondering why they don’t just run the steel bar that carries the beater through 2 ball bearing rings-kinda like those what’s inside those fidget spinners you see everywhere to make it actually glide virtually effortlessly. Other than that, the few inches in footprint size and the lower expense the David has over the Spring would make it my first choice.

Any thoughts? Am I missing another loom out there that is quiet and about 46W 37D  that can handle a wide range of weaving tasks?

[Jane]

Hi Ed,
It sounds like you were working on older versions of the David. Louet has addressed the beater and it works well when adjusted properly. My favourite loom is the Spring though 🙂
I have heard rumours about a newer version of the David but I have no idea when it will be available. Both the SPring and David are very quiet looms and extremely easy to weave on. They are so easy on the body. Hope this helps,
Cheers,
Jane

[Sandra]

I just have to pop in with a comment on the David.  I have a David 90 and I love it.  My David came with the overhead beater but I was happy to see the new sliding beater when it came on the market because of the shuttle race.  Probably increasing my tension on the warp would have solved my diving shuttle problem with the overhead beater 😉  The original sliding beaters seemed to be designed for the Louet reeds and getting a NA built reed to sit in it was a problem.  As Jane has said, that problem has been solved on any beaters that have been produced in quite a while.  Another suggestion from Jane is to oil the rods in the beater – I use spinning wheel oil but any fine oil will do.  I also know that Jane also uses candle wax to get things to slide nicely.  Oiling those rods occasionally makes a world of difference.

I love my David for ease of tie-ups and it’s small footprint (I used to have a Leclerc Colonial in the same space that I now have my David AND a nice big IKEA desk 😉

[Ed Chapman]

Great advice! Its very nice to be talking with such expert folks. I won’t be buying until the spring of 2018, so all comments are appreciated. The David’s smaller footprint and easier tie-up are attractive to me, but the more I watch Springs in action the more I am liking that constant tension via the moving breast beam. The Spring also just looks beefier/stronger.

Thanks again folks! I am so glad I found this site.

[Author]

Posts