I have a Schacht Sidekick spinning wheel that I bought in the summer of 2024, when Schacht was in the process of changing the wheel color from teal green to black. I like the teal better, but backstock was really the only way to get one. I admit that a little FOMO got the best of me. I searched dozens of websites and finally found a little LYS in Portland, Maine that had one (one!) in stock in teal. I was super excited to receive it and start spinning.

I still enjoy this wheel. I hardly ever fold it up; in fact the only time I have was when we recently moved. Breaking it down was no problem, and re-setting it back up was fine too. It’s a very unique style for a castle wheel, because the drive wheel is parallel to the treadles. I took it to a spin-in once and it was a bit bulky to carry but not as bad as my bigger, heavier wheels.

So what’s the problem? Two things, really.

1. After we moved, the space that I now have for my fiber/art studio is a small bedroom. It’s smaller than my previous space, so I have room for fewer wheels than I did (the Sidekick is my 4th).
2. The bedroom is carpeted, so the small back footprint of the wheel is a bit wobbly. It’s fine on hard surfaces, but with the carpet, that wobble is pretty fucking annoying.

My other wheels are super solid, even on carpet. They include a limited-edition cherry Schacht Matchless, which is my ride-or-die BFF spinning wheel. There’s also a Majacraft Rose, which I got specifically to learn longdraw spinning on and it is perfect for that. It’s also great for plying because the jumbo flyer/bobbin holds a ton of yarn, and in fact the accessories like the jumbo flyer are significantly cheaper than the Matchless’s. Its probably the most versatile wheel I have, and a bit smaller than the Matchless so a a little easier to move around. I also have a Daedalus Starling V3FP e-spinner, which was kind of an impulse buy at the Estes Park Wool Market last year. Daedalus is a small mom n’ pop business and each one is made by hand, so normally there’s about a 6-month wait for these. Being able to get one in person, right then and there, was a no-brainer. This little piece of engineering is fantastic for small spaces or traveling, and even breaks down to flatpack size in case I need to ship it. It also great for plying due to the big bobbins. I’ve only spun one project on this in the last 10 months, but at least I can store it in a smallish bin when I’m not using it without having to take it apart. I can carry it around in a shoulder tote and still have room for power cables, bobbins and fiber. Batteries are available too, which make it truly portable.

So where does that leave the Sidekick? It’s kind of in a weird place, sizewise. It’s a lot smaller than the Matchless, a little smaller than the Rose, and much bigger than the Starling. It uses the same bobbins and flyers as the Matchless, which is super convenient. Overall, it is a very cute, fun little wheel but I definitely do not need it. On the other hand, I like the teal green wheel much better than the black, and they’re no longer made so if I want one of those, I pretty much need to keep it. On the other other hand, if it doesn’t fulfill a specific need, takes up space in my small studio, and wobbles a bit in that designated space… is it worth keeping?

I haven’t investigated selling it yet. I don’t have Facebook, so FB Marketplace is not an option. There are forums on Ravelry that might work. If nothing else, I could donate it to my local guild for their lending library, but I would rather get some $$ for it. I need some more think time on this.