I have the Bernina 440 QE and I hate their bobbin. My Janome has the drop-in that you can see and I love that feature. I complained once to my Bernina dealer and they strongly suggested I write Corporate...said they don't listen to retailers but they do listen to their customers. I agree that if you pay a small fortune for a machine, you shouldn't have to worry that your bobbin is going to run out in the middle of a decorative stitch. I'm too cheap to refill a bobbin every time I start to sew...wouldn't won't to have to pull thread off a bobbin to refill it even though I have dozens of bobbins.

A woman who teaches quilting at a fabric store said that if you wind the thread two times around the bobbin tension guide when getting ready to fill the bobbin that you will be able to get much more thread on the bobbin. I have tried this and it seems to work. I have never calculated it however, but you might want to give it a try as the bobbins last longer as they hold more thread.

I have a Janome New home & it lets me know when I am close to the end and also my husqvarna designer 1 does the same thing it has a thread cutter no more cutting bobbin thread 2 things I know i cant live with out now .How spoil we get. I am looking for a new machine Maybe another Husqvarna they are coming out with a new machine,

I have 2 Pfaffs 1475 and 7570 which I don't use anymore and 2 Berninas 200E and last the 830 I love this one and the bobbins are X-Large and the screen starts telling me when I have 20% left!

I'm surprised that the Sapphire doesn't have it. I've got a 2004 Viking and I'd have thought they'd have that on all of their machines, especially up the line a bit.

--Heidi

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32113973@N05/

I sew tell I find myself having to do it again. God bless. Penny

I have a Baby Lock Decorator Pro which I love. It has a drop in bobbin with a clear window. Helps, IF I remember to look at it in time. What I would REALLY like is a bigger bobbin that won't run out so quickly! Couldn't they make one the size of a spool of thread, or at least bigger than they do make?

Once upon a time, maybe almost a century ago, there was a sewing machine design that had an "endless bobbin" where the bobbin was also fed from a spool. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Wonder why it didn't survive.

--Heidi

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32113973@N05/

I don't have that bobbin 'alarm' feature but my friend has a new Bernina and says that her alarm goes off right as the thread runs out. Maybe it needs to be 'calibrated' or something.

warm quilt hugs, sue in CA

My Brother 8500 dings at me and flashes me on the screen when it is low. The only problem it starts dinging and flashing at 1/3 empty. So I have a long way to go or waste thread. It dings every time I stop or start. It is annoying but I've learned to live with it. I like the machine otherwise.