coffeecozy

Having seen Darcyshannon's questions about the sweet 16 I discovered that there is a tension kit that I could have added to my machine. I always thought they should have added one to the machine and although I have managed fine without it, it seems like it would make things easier.
Does anyone have one of the tension kits on a sweet 16? do you like it? I would love to hear about someones experiences with it before I run to the dealers to grab one.

rjwilder

I'd like to know about this also. My machine is older and it does not have it but I think the new ones come with it. I have a heck of a time with my tensions. Every time I change threads or put in a new bobbin I have to adjust the tensions. It would be nice to have the kit so I could write down the thread type and weight and what tension I used and keep a log. It would make life easier.

UFOs Galore

I have used the HQ avante and amara with the tension gauge. I have also used it he Avante before they started including a tension gauge. It was not the one you add to it, it was built in. But— the tension guage made a big difference in ease of quilting and time spent adjusting tension. Combined with a TOWA guage, I can usually get my tension set in a couple minutes. I would recommend it.

rryder

My Sweet16 is an older one that the previous owner updated by adding the tension kit to it. At first I thought it was just an unnecessary gadget since I was used to adjusting my bobbin and top tension to suit whatever thread or combination of threads I was using at any given time and I was reluctant to take the time to record what the reading was after I got my top tension set. However, after using it for a while (and diligently recording the number shown on the screen when the tension is perfect) I have found the upgrade to be worthwhile. Now, once the bobbin case tension is correctly set for the bobbin thread, I can look in my notebook for any given top and bottom thread combo and see what top tension number gave me the best result- this is a starting point that you may or may not need to fine tune for the specific quilt, but it saves you the initial step by starting out in the right ballpark.

Rob

Terry in the ADK

Is there such a thing for the tiara one?

coffeecozy

Thanks for your input UFOsgalore, it does sound like it will be very helpful.
rryder, especially helpful to know that the add on kit also functions well. I can see where it would take some time and patience to create a chart to use for your threads but knowing where to start for a thread would really save some fuss.
Next is to track down a Canadian price and see if it still seems worthwhile.
Terry in the ADK, I have not found any tiara related info for it but it does seem likely that it would work. hopefully someone else has it and can let you know.

Macybaby

I added it to my Fusion, that and my TOWA guage were significant in helping me get past my tension issues. Some of the HQ machines come standard with it now.

I could never remember which way to turn the tension, and most often I would not turn it enough. Now I get the digital readout and know I'm going the correct way and how much. With use, I know about where I need to set it for different threads and that helps. You can't really go by anyone else's settings, you need to learn what it is on your machine, mine runs in the 500-700 range, and I've heard some people it reads in the 300-400 range.

I set my bobbins all around 180-200 and then adjust the top to balance.

For me, it was well worth the money and if I bought a new machine, I'd want that digital readout from the start.