Not so hip to be square

I started using the square circular needles from Kollage a couple of days ago, hoping they would help decrease my hand and wrist pain. I had high hopes for them; the cables do not kink (very fluid), the metal that the needle tips are made from are almost warm to the touch and very comfortable to hold. The needle tips put less stress on my fingers; I knit in a way that puts lots of stress on my right ring finger - very uncomfortable. I've noticed that I don't feel pressure on my ring finger with the flat surface of the square needles at all, so in this way, they are nice to work with. However, there are some major problems with the needles.

To put it simply, they are a major PITA to use, and they make my knitting slower. I am using Madeline Tosh Worsted for my current project. If anyone has used this yarn, you will agree (I hope) that this is one of the best yarns ever. Very soft, not splitty...and absolute dream to use (not to mention the deep, rich colors, that truly are eye candy--yum yum yum). I do not have any trouble using this yarn with my Addis or my Knitpicks Harmonies. None at all. I can knit pretty quickly with these needles and apart from the minor annoyance with the cables sometimes curling up if I choose one that is too long for my project, they are great to use. The yarn moves easily from cable to needle, but not too easily that I drop stitches.

In total contrast, I have a ton of trouble knitting this yarn with the Kollage Square Needles. The major irritation comes from the TERRIBLE transition between the cable and the needles. Let me put it this way, the yarn always gets stuck at the join. Always. Okay, I'm being nice - it DOESN'T TRANSITION!! And it's not me; I don't knit tight. I knit loose. The yarn just gets stuck! Could it be because the yarn is so soft and is superwash merino that the fibers stick to the cable?? Sorry that is not a good enough reason to start knitting with acrylic that will slip better! Could it just be the needles that I bought??? But they all have the same join, same cable. How could that be??

I have to give this needle a C+. Despite the great needle tips and the fact that they are easier on my hands, they are not easy to use. I switched my project back to my Harmonies, and it's the difference between driving in traffic during rush hour, and a nice Sunday drive to the neighborhood park.