Here is what was told to me from two different dealers: the tension discs were made to work in the one direction, which is coming down to the needle. When we (I used to do this) pull the thread out from the top rather than from the needle, we are going in the opposite direction the discs were made to work. Therefore, in the long run it will create tension problems in the future. They also stated it is the number one reason a machine needs repaired, because of the tension. So, I clip my thread up by the take up lever and pull the cut strand thru the needle, I save those pieces in a jar and use for hand sewing bindings etc. Hope this helped explain it......