My Janome 6600 has a thread cutter that I wouldn't be without. My machine rarely, if ever, eats fabric. The nests are too small to be a problem. The thread is never cut so short that it unthreads from the needle. And, there is a stitch option that will put a few "in place" stitches at the start and finish if you choose. I really miss the cutter when I'm working with my little Janome Jem that doesn't have that feature.