Sheluma

This is the best idea. But I'm too lazy to move the lever. I have reverse, just too lazy to use it. When I was learning in the 70s, no one backstitched. Or maybe I was lazy even then and didn't go along. But my method of hand sewing the thread tails is not indicative of laziness. But that's only when I don't want the thread ends to show at all. And I knot the thread, which is harder than reverse. Maybe it's this -- I don't like to take my eyes off the work to fiddle with the lever, so when I do reverse I end up pushing the lever all the way up and get teeny tiny reverse stitches. I have screw stops on the end of the levers to prevent this, but I don't want to jam that screw into my perfect-looking vintage stitch regulator plates. (Vanity, laziness -- none of it is good!)

actually I think my main problem with reverse is I feel that on light to medium fabrics it's not good to stitch 3 times (forward, back, then forward again). Too much stress on the fabric or too many holes or something. I don't know -- this could be a lame justification for laziness and vanity.