I just tossed almost an entire box of dull basting pins. They wouldn't go thru all the layers. I think some just come that way. The yellow headed pins have a thicker shaft and that seems to dull faster to me. Try the glass headed pins, they bend and have to be tossed every once and a while but they do seem sharper.

Me too! Only mine were long and so very sharp. I've had them for years and never seen them again--anywhere. They may not make them anymore. I don't remember one of them going dull.

Lady in my guild shared her tip: every year for Christmas she buys a new box of pins for herself. She tosses the old ones (sharp or not) and says it has saved her sanity! Don't know about the tossing out of ALL of them, but I would be much more inclined to toss a handful if I had a backup!

For sharpness and quality, I always buy Clover brand pins...the flower topped ones and the tinier red/white topped ones.
https://www.amazon.com/Clover-Flower...er+sewing+pins

https://www.amazon.com/Clover-Silk-P...er+sewing+pins

But even those will rust with time and improper storage. You can't even really see that; you just know when you try to pin with them and they don't slide smoothly. I found that not much will help that situation, had to toss several packages of Clover flower-head pins when the shop closed many years ago. it nearly killed me to throw out those expensive pins, but nothing worked to improve them and my nerves were worth the pitch.

I use the longer, heavier yellow-ball-topped pins to stick blocks/sections/borders to my design wall, so some less quality is okay there. These get bent or dulled and are more frequently tossed.

I keep most all of my pins in a "Ewesful" pincushion made of wool which contains some lanolin.
http://www.ewesful.com/ewesful.html

Jan in VA

Oh gosh, I thought it was just me! I bought a Huge box of yellow topped ones, and I swear they were thicker and duller than the ones I threw out!

I really need to get some new pins. I have several varieties but suddenly they all seem dull. I haven't bought any in a long time so I guess it's time.
I bought one of those new pincushions (forget the name) but the pins just stick to it. I love that thing!

I find that pins corrode, esp. if the pincushion is made of the "wrong" stuff. I made one with crushed walnut shells and it ruined my pins....had the throw all the ones in that cushion away. The wool one, or even plain stuffing are good, and any that get a little dull, I push through an emery pincushion a few times. I ordered the emery...somewhere....can't recall now.

I love the Clover pins, too. A few years ago I got some that were great, sharp and smooth, they came in a little box, glass tops blue on one side, yellow on the other. I few months ago I ordered what I thought were the same, well they LOOK the same, but they are much thinner and bend easily. Unfortunately I threw the package away, so I don't know if they were produced to be thinner, or they are just made cheaper now, as many things are. The new ones are usable, and great for fine materials, but I do have to be careful when pinning quilt blocks with them.

A bit off topic but when I read the title of this thread, I read it as "When Quilting Pins Go Bad" :D

I have that same one but I worry about putting it too close to my sewing machine.

Me too! I can't find them either.