Well, after much research and hesitancy, I finally bought a ball winder. Even though I do love a good Zen session of hand winding, this ball winder will help me wind faster, and spend more time knitting and less time thinking about knitting -- even though, thinking about knitting is pretty good, too.
This is a Stanwood Large Metal Ball Winder. I ordered through Amazon, because I get free shipping. You can order directly from Stanwood, and the price is lower, but add shipping and tax and it costs about the same as Amazon. The large size will hold about 10 ounces of yarn. I like that it's a little larger and more heavy-duty than smaller plastic ball winders.
Setting up took about five minutes, with easy instructions that were included. I've found that it's not very noisy, like some metal winders, due to the nylon gears.
More on this as I get some experience using it.
