I have had three Berninas I have had a lot of experience with the bobbins. And yes, the generic bobbins for European machines work fine. However, I don't have many of them because I don't see the need for more than a dozen bobbins and do not have one to match every color or weight of thread-I would never be able to keep them sorted. I did have a Bernina technician who services my machines tell me not to use the bobbin Genies that are widely sold to people who FMQ. Even that small bit of teflon in the bobbin case can cause wear. So I promptly took it our and have not used one since. I do spend money to keep my machines maintained by a certified technician-it pays off.