Superior Threads needle sale

[doodlebug]

just a heads up- Superior Threads has APQS needles on sale....click here for the link

[GrandmaLKB]

Thanks for the heads up!   I just placed an order.  That's a really good deal !

[witha'K'quilting]

I have 4.0 and 3.5's, but have been wanting 3.0's. Thanks for sharing.

[Anne from Guam]

I usually use the 4.0 and the 4.5, when would you use the 3.0 ?

[witha'K'quilting]

so fine #50 thread and bottomline weights. i usually use 3.5, but 3.0 would be better i think. 

[K. Szymaszek]

Thanks so much for sharing. I've been getting low on needles and some thread. Ordered both and am a happy quilter!

[jimerickson]

The sale price is pretty good, but Quilt Tech's regular price is almost as low.  Ray sells the chrome ones (yellow pack) for $4/10, and $37/100, and the titanium ones for $41/100.  I always buy the titanium ones since they stay sharp much longer than the chrome ones.  Jim

[LisaC]

Thanks, Jim; I didn't know about Quilt Tech! Lisa

[witha'K'quilting]

thought i would update...i decided against the 3.0 needles after talking to Dawn. I do not wish to retime my machines for the smaller needles...so will stick with the 3.5 as the smallest needle I will use. 

[SandyK]

I called to inquire about the titanium needles from Quilt Tech, and Jim said that APQS doesn't recommend them. Just wondering if other than Jim above, you all are using them anyway? He said instead of bending when they break, they break apart. Newbie wanting to know what to order.

 

Thanks,

Sandy

[jimerickson]

The titanium needles do break.  I broke one last week.  The chrome ones bend.  I use 4.0 almost exclusssively, on rare occassion a 5.0.  I like the stiffness of the larger needles.

 

The biggest problem I have with needles, is burring the point.  When I quilt a quilt with a lot of bulky seams (most of my clients are not expert piecers) the needle will occassionally deflect and hit the hook.  This puts a burr on the needle point.  Sewing with a burred point increases the likelyhood of bearding.  I usually replace the needle when the point gets burred.  The quilt I broke the needle on last week, was so bad at this that instead of replacing each needle that got burred, I began resharpening them.  I used 3 needles and rotated them probably a half dozen times each.  It saved me a lot of needles.

 

I have an "M" size hook on my Ult2, so maybe it's that the L hooks don't like titanium needles.  I've used both titanium and chrome  and I've noticed no difference in sewing performance.  I think I would prefer to have the needle break than bend.  If it bent only slightly I might not notice, and it could cause more problems.  I don't do a lot of ruler work, and most of the ones I use, I've made myself out of wood.  Wood is more forgiving that acrylic.  I free hand SID except diagonally, and freehand or Quiltazoid most of the rest of my work, so I almost never hit a ruler with my needle.

 

Dawn can probably speak to the titanium/chrome issue.  She would probably know what performance difference there is between the two.  I don't want to tell anyone to do some thing that's bad for their machine, so I'd appreciate learning what APQS knows about functioning of the two different type needles.  Jim

[DawnCavanaugh]

Hi Everyone,

 

Here's the lowdown on APQS's stand on titanium needles. First, know that some APQS owners use the titanium needle with little or no problems. However, we also have many quilters who have encountered lots of stitch quality issues using the titanium needles. The problem does relate to what Jim's said above. Titanium needles are coated up to three times during their processing...the first "dip" goes clear up the shaft. The second dip is about half way up the needle, and the third dip is just at the tip, where the needle receives the most wear. All that extra longevity at the tip of the needle unfortunately leads to another issue regarding needle flex.

 

When a titanium needle flexes from the machine's movement and the needle drag on the fabric, it doesn't flex down near the tip since it's so strong. Instead, it flexes much higher up the shaft where the titanium coating is thinnest. Instead of the needle tip wiggling just a little as the hook passes behind, the entire needle shaft moves as the fabric pulls it. This can cause tension issues, looping and thread breakage (all depending on how tightly your machine was timed in the first place.) Since timing is done by human eye, even slight variances in needle deflection can make a big difference when the needle is very stiff.

 

The other potential danger is the damage that can happen to a hook assembly if and when a titanium needle breaks. Since its weakest point is so high up the shaft, it doesn't break near the tip like steel needles do. This leaves a very, very long piece of needle to fly around inside the bobbin area and possibly get caught in the hook. While it's possible for a steel needle to jam a hook, it's much more common for the tip to get sheared off and the hook keeps going (albeit with a dandy scratch that needs attention:)). But a titanium needle tip more often gets caught in the hook and causes a jam, increasing the risk of permanent damage to the hook. If the jam is particularly bad, it's also possible to strip the gears in the gearbox before the machine's fuse blows from the motor binding under the needle jam.

 

Because of these possible risks, we recommend steel needles instead of titanium needles. In Jim's case, since he's got an M (oversized) hook assembly in his Ultimate II, it's possible that its larger size reduces the risk of needle jamming as compared to an L (SmartBobbin) size hook. I guess we're just overly cautious when it comes to the damage that could happen in the event of a needle jam, and because we've had so many customers with stitch quality and tension issues after trying them, we steer people toward the steel needles for best results.

[jimerickson]

Thanks Dawn.  I was sure you all had a reason for not recommending the titanium needles.  It sounds like a real good reason.  I might revisit my needle point burring issue and try the chrome needles again to see if the deflection is different enough from the titanium to eliminate, or significantly reduce the problem.  Again thanks for the info.  It helps us make informed decisions.  Jim

[SandyK]

Thanks for the quick response!! 

[Fastquilts]

I placed my order for needles and received them today.  I got 100 since the price was so good and will share with a couple of my longarm friends when they need them.  Thanks for letting us know about this sale.  I love this forum.