aktbone Posted January 1, 2012 Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 I would some like input regarding tension gauges: Do you like or use them? Are they worth the investment. Do you need both? Anything else..... TOWA Bobbin tension Gauge Top Thread Tenison Gauge Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted January 1, 2012 Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 Hi. Some people have the TOWA gauges and they love them. I have not owned a TOWA I just use what I call the "spider drop" test to adjust my bobbin tension. I've been doing it this way for 4 years. Works good for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoriasews Posted January 1, 2012 Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 I'm with Shana. The drop test works for me. The price has kept me from giving them a try and since I don't have tension problems, I'd rather use the money for more fabric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisquilter Posted January 1, 2012 Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 I have to jump on the drop test too! I am techno challenged so old fashioned hands on works for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DL Semmens Posted January 1, 2012 Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 I was fine as long as I was using the same kind of thread all the time. But when I started experimenting I got frustrated. Hubby bought me both gauges. I really like bobbin gauge, especially since my sidewinder doesn't seem to alway wind the same....use it every bobbin. Top thread gauge is a little less friendly, guess I use it about once a quilt, which I guess makes sense. If I could only have one......I would get the bobbin gauge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted January 1, 2012 Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 Oh and I wanted to also add that I don't have the top tension guage. I think that our Meggy has one and she likes it. For me, I use Linda Rech's "old fashioned" method. I thread the machine, including needle and then I start slowly pulling the top through and looking at my top tension spring. If it's hitting around 8:00 on the clock then that's about right. i can tweak slightly tighter or looser depending on the need. Works good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anniquilter Posted January 1, 2012 Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 I have the Towa bobbin gauge and wouldn't be without it. I never could get the drop test to work for me. If the bobbin case dropped at all, the stitches looked terrible and half the time the bobbin fell out sending thread everywhere! I don't have the top thread tension gauge and don't feel a need for it. I don't usually have too much trouble finding the sweet spot. I've never noticed where the tension spring is on the top tensioner tho'. Shana, thanks for the tip. I'll check it out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cblevins Posted January 1, 2012 Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 LOVE the Towa!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted January 1, 2012 Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 I use the Towa gauge with every bobbin--and sometimes adjust halfway through a bobbin as I notice it tightening up. I also wouldn't be without it! Top tension I figured out years ago so I don't have a need for a top tension gauge. It's really all about you finding what works on your own machine and if you are a newbie, a Towa gauge will help you advance the tension learning curve in a short time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimerickson Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 I have a TOWA bobbin tension guage, and wouldn't be without it. I don't use it so much for simply adjusting the bobbin tension, although I do use it for that, but for checking out problems I encounter. For instance whenever I buy a lot of bobbins I wind some thread on each, and run them through the TOWA to check to see if they are round and square. If I get an even reading as I pull thread through them, they are good. Any that don't give a steady reading go into the trash. You can check your bobbin winder the same way. A while back I had an awful problem with a bobbin case backlash spring. Without the TOWA, I would have probably never found the problem and still be cursing poor Zelda (that the name of my Ult2) The TOWA is expensive, but in the long run will pay for itself in saved repairs and frustration. Buy one! Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 I don't have a towa, in fact sold the one I had. didn't like it at all.. drop works well for me. Jim. don't throw those bobbins out, they can be used for piecing and you don't need to fiddle with tension. I use left overs on the bobbins this way.. I do put felt under and on the bobbin.. to keep it from spinning thread. works quite well. If you still won't use them, lol, ;) send them to me as I can use them for working on Quilts of Valor and Community Service quilts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 hi tonilyn i've been on the road alot lately and been reading the forum but unable to post. shana is correct that i have both the towa and top tension gauge. i use the towa on every bobbin change - for me, just a quick double check is worth not having to frog. and i use the top tension gauge when i am using troublesome threads, like king tut and sometimes rainbows. and it really works! the top gauge only comes with a list of superior threads and the correct adjustments for them. if you use mostly another brand, perhaps it would not be worth it for you. good luck deciding what is best for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimerickson Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Rita: I throw just the bobbin away. I wind 1 bobbin, check it, wind the next from the thread on the first and so on. (I have a stand alone bobbin winder) I throw the bad bobbins away so they don't get mixed up with my good ones. I'm too thrifty to throw the thread away. LOL. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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