"You learn something new everyday!" I have owned a Bernina 930 for 27 years. Mine has the needle down option, and until now, I did not know there were machines out there that did not let you tap the peddle to have the needle go down. In fact, that was one of the features that made me decide on a Bernina instead of a Phaff, that and the knee lift, and the perfect tension. The newer Bernina machines, have a button to make it stop in either position.