Originally Posted by
katsparrow
I think a Janome I tried had an quick change snap into place magnetic straight stitch plate- so you still had to switch out the whole plate, but it was much easier than my NQ900.
Janome briefly had the dual-function single needle plate, the APC plate, on the 7700. I don't know if it's the same design as Juki has on the NX7, but it involved a delicate spring system on the backside of the needle plate, and a small rectangular piece with the single hole that the spring system moved in and out of position. If you attempted to remove the needle plate (to clean the bobbin area) with the plate in single hole mode, you risked permanently damaging the needle plate (a $45 replacement.) Janome abandoned it in favor of the quick-change snap in scheme.
I have a 7700 and keep a spare needle plate on hand. You can definitely see the wear on the spring system increase with use.
I'd look closely at the back of the needle plate (and look for any warnings in the owner's manual) for the NX7 regarding special care when removing the needle plate.