I'm thinking about asking for a Side Winder Bobbin Machine for Christmas, but am wondering how practical they really are.

Do you use one?

Michelle

No, but only because they don't work on featherweights and I use pre-wounds on my Janome.

i have one and wind all my bobbins with it. i have singer and janome machines and it works well for all of them. since i got the side winder i don't fill any bobbins on the machine. there is a newer version out now - more expensive and is supposed to be compatable with all makes.

I bought the Dritz Better Bobbin Winder and I use it all the time. It's easy to wind bobbins on it, and it fits all sizes of bobbins, even the ones for my Featherweight. I don't know how I did without it.

I have a Janome 6500 machine. What kind of Side Winder should I get???

Thanks,
Michelle

My Janome has a separate motor for the built-in bobbin winder so I don't need one. If I didn't have this machine I probably would get one. My sister has one and uses it all the time.

In another post I told how my DGD loves it. I have plenty of wound bobbins. It's a great buy if you have lots of little hands to help in the sewing room.

I just got one last week! I am Loving it! and, it's cute, too.

I use the Better Bobbin winder too. I like that it has the telescopic thread lift for winding from cones. I got mine at Joannes with a 50% off coupon. I like it and use it to wind my Pfaff and Juki bobbins..

I've just started to see these advertised. Haven't used one but could see the benefit. They can't be used with all bobbins?

My bobbins don't work in it.

I think on the box they have a list of machines that it won't work on, but I use it for my featherweight and my Singer Futura. I love it.

Side Winder..I have one and love it. I have it to one side of which ever machine I'm using at the moment, and generally find that I'm out of bobbin thread about 5 inches from the end of the project. So I wind several bobbins with one color. I usually buy an extra roll of thread so I can have a lot of colors already wound up. Irritates the heck out of me to have to stop sewing and wind a bobbin. Should it break I would run out and get another one.

Compatible with? Don't understand that. I use the bobbins that fits my machines, different kinds, have to keep them separated in different containers. No contact with the machines at all. Perhaps I have an older kind, but I like it.

My mom has one and she seems pretty pleased with it

I did use mine, can only use it for regular spools. I'm back to using but, haven't gotten out the side winder, maybe tomorrow.

I love mine. I'm winding bobbins while I sew. Saves me so much time.

I have one and use it a lot. I was able to get it in pink at JoAnn's with a coupon. I think it would be a great gift to ask for since they're not that expensive. I wind my Janome bobbins on it, but the Bernina bobbin got stuck on it, so I may not use it for Bernina bobbins in the future.

I'll have to check into the Better Bobbin winder because my Husqvarna Sapphire 870 bobbins are some of the ones that the side winder says it's not compatible with. My older Husqvarna Lily will wind bobbins just fine, but this Sapphire just makes me grit my teeth...it takes forever to "grab" the thread & then it stops 1/2 way through.....

I think it is a waste of money. I wouldn't buy one. My cousin has one and I used it when I was at her house in California and didn't like it.
I would rather use the money for fabric. lol

I don't understand the point for having one. I wind as I go and the 2 minutes it takes me to wind one let's me stretch my back or pop some chocolate! I'd rather spend the money on fabric, too!

I will send you mine. It doesn't work with my bobbins.

PM me if you would like it. I am gone from tomorrow till Sunday so I can send it out next week (as long as I can find it :)!

Don't use it as I can wind bobbins on my machine without rethreading. I usually wind about 5 of them & once they are gone I clean & oil my machine & wind 5 more. That's my way of keeping track

Before I got my Janome 6600 which has a separate motor for winding the bobbin, I used the Singer Sidewinder for my Singer and Brother machines and loved it!

I have one and use it to wind serger thread onto bobbins. I use bobbins in a special holder on my serger, and this saves me from having to buy 4 or 5 cones of a color.
Sorcha

I saw the pink breast cancer version on sale recently and it is soooo cute! Gotta love the pink!

I haven't used one, but my girls have and really liked it. I know one of them lent theirs to my mother in law, because her old Kenmore would not work for winding a bobbin. She thought it was quite cool.

I was skeptical at first as to whether it was worth it, but now I use my sidewinder all the time - it save me having to interrupt what I am doing..and my family can wind for me while I sew...it is a fun gadget if you like gadgets and i got it on sale so it was worth it...

My sister said not to bother, so I haven't, but it is tempting!

I like mine. I use it all the time. It was worth the money.

Love my bobbin winder, use it all the time. My daughter now wants one for christmas.

I have wondered about them. I have a Janome that can wind the bobbin without unthreading. But I have heard that the bobbin winder saves wear and tear on your machine, so I have thought about getting one. Since most of you like yours I might just do it. Maybe they will have them at the Quilt Show.

I have wondered about them. I have a Janome that can wind the bobbin without unthreading. But I have heard that the bobbin winder saves wear and tear on your machine, so I have thought about getting one. Since most of you like yours I might just do it. Maybe they will have them at the Quilt Show.

Thanks for the info folks! I have been thinking about one of these if they will fill my 'stretch' machine bobbins.

I have two of them and use them both.

I don't know because I buy the prewound bobbins and use few of the other colors so I just wind them on the machine. (singer).

Eleanor Burns (eleanorburns.com) has the Side Winder on mark-down sale now for $10.71. There are only two left, so you might want Santa to do some early Christmas shopping.

Would'nt take a farm in GA. for it!

I use my sidewinder all the time. My machine is supposed to wind bobbins w/o unthreading machine but I have trouble with that. I have both Bernina and Pfaff bobbins and both fit mine and wind just fine.

I have the Side Winder & I cannot get it to wind bobbins evenly or without a mess wound up on the bobbin. It used to wind them just fine. Don't know what the heck has happened. Am not going to replace it though.

I bought a side winder and it did not work well for me. The bobbins did not wind very tightly, nor evenly. I tried it several times but no luck. I gave it away. Hope the new owner is having better luck with it. So I guess I cannot recommend it. I'm sure it's possible I was doing something wrong but it did not work.