jmoore

Welcome from Maine...love having a thread cutter but depending on the project, there are times I pull and cut my threads too. The needle up/down is nifty to have too.

coopah

Oh, my! I use the machine with the thread cutter more than the others because there are no loose ends to deal with or threads to tie. When FMQ, the cutter is great. Or when piecing or when paper piecing...it cuts close but doesn't cut the fabric and leaves a nice finish. Whether it's worth $4oo or not might depend on how much you'll use the machine and how you will use it. Welcome to QB.

Fizzle

Have a Bernina. Love the knee lift and the threader. I like the thread cutter but it does a funny pull on the thread spool when it cuts and then has a tendency to wrap around the spool.

JENNR8R

The thread cutter is nice, and I use it sometimes. Most of the time I would rather use a leader/ender. I would not pay extra for that feature.

Like others have said... the threader is wonderful and I would never consider a machine that did not have a knee lift. I'd pay more for those features.

bljackson58

I love my thread cutter! It saves all sorts of time...I don't have to keep looking for my scissors. I also think I save 3-5 inches of thread every time I use it (might save a spool of thread every 7 years LOL). Since all I had was a basic Singer machine, I bought my current machine without anything on my must have list. Although my machine has lots of cool features, I Love the thread cutter and the needle threader...they get used multiple times every time the machine is turned on.

mjpEncinitas

Yes, that and needle threader and needle up and down. I use all three a lot!

KalamaQuilts

I find it difficult to believe a thread cutter adds 400 dollars to the price of a machine. A whole lot of features together, perhaps.
I don't use mine on the one machine that has it because I use leaders and enders.

danydany

Greetings.
I have several machines, and have thread cutter, needle up/down, needle threader on some. I love them all and use them all. But I too have had some issues with the thread getting into a nest when starting the next seam after cutting. This is especially common when starting on a point (triangles, not squares). I know that people use leaders/enders for this reason, but I tend to forget.

One thing I saw at a quilt show vendor booth and bought on impulse, and it turned out to be a lot more helpful than I expected, was a little thread cutter "button" that you attached to your sewing machine. After finishing a seam, pull the sewn piece out from under the presser foot, and up and over the button to cut the threads. That way, you can put the cut where you want (as close to the end of the seam as desired), and you'll be holding the next set of thread tails to keep them from getting sucked into the machine when starting the next seam. You can use the same "cutter button" on the longer tails after you have sewn enough of the next seam for the long threads to reach the cutter button. Voila, all threads neatly trimmed as you go, no need to go trimming after the quilt is pieced.

I attached the adhesive-backed thread cutter button to the side of my machine, about half-way up the side. This gives me two choices for how to cut the threads--automatically via machine, or manually via add-on button. I liked the arrangement so well I bought a couple more of these thread cutter buttons for all my machines.

Here's a link to a place that sells them. (I did not get mine from them, I have not done business with them, but it was one of the few places online I found that had a good picture. No affiliation, yada yada.)

https://www.jukeboxquilts.com/shop/N...-x24853865.htm

...dany

PS--Re your original question, I would definitely recommend as many of the bells and whistles (needle up/down, needle threader, and auto cutter, in that order) as you can find in your price range. Good luck in the hunt.

petthefabric

You've got lot's of input. I love the needle threader, thread cutter and knee lift. What really sold me on the cutter is trying to cut threads manually when there's a lot of material from the stopping point to the edge of the fabric. This happen often when quilting. It also happens when sewing garments. I don't have to find the edge of the fabric and lift it all up so I cab blindly cut the bottom thread with scissors. And it's always in the same location where as my scissors have legs.

Jakers1

I have a thread cutter and threader. I have a Janome, and use it a lot. I just started using the cutter, but can thread a needle without help so don't use the threader. I would get both, they aren't options you can add later.