I just placed my order for the Connecting Threads sale and ordered black, white, gray, and a few other neutrals in quantities of 3 - 5. All of my piecing is done in neutrals so I load up about 5 bobbins at a time. By then I'll be ready for another shade and reload when they are empty. Not sure how many bobbins I actually have - when I need to change color for quilting, it never seems to be enough.