I must admit to my skepticism when I first heard about the new Magna-Glide bobbins from Fil-Tec, Inc. I couldn’t image them being sufficiently superior to the regular cardboard sided bobbins we had been using to warrant the additional cost. For the most part I had put them out of my mind until one day we were contacted by a Fil-Tec representative who asked if we would be interested in testing some of their newest bobbin products.
Since we are always interested in testing and evaluating new products we immediately said yes. Shortly after the Magna-Glide samples arrived I began preparations to test them in our PR600 and EMP6 machines.
Before we begin, let me point out one very important fact. The Magna-Glide bobbins are designed to work only in commercial machines with vertical rotary hook bobbins and metal bobbin cases. The magnetic core will serve no useful purpose in home embroidery machines with horizontal drop in bobbins and plastic bobbin cases.
Fil-Tec is proud to introduce our magnetic core embroidery bobbins. The only bobbin specifically designed to sew without tension variation throughout the entire bobbin. The magnetic core, combined with advanced EB "cross-link" technology optimizes dynamic thread delivery to create consistent tension from beginning to end of each bobbin.
- Uniform Tension Control - Our patented magnetic core creates consistent delivery throughout the entire bobbin. No more interruptions for tension adjustments as your bobbin gets smaller. Magnetic core prevents backlash or over spin and eliminates the need for check springs.
- Fewer Bobbin Changes - Our magnetic core bobbin offers significantly more stitches per bobbin reducing defects and increasing productivity.
- Clean Running - Advanced EB cross-link technology reduces lint and residual build-up in the bobbin case and tension spring. The result is a more trouble-free bobbin.
- High Quality Yarn - Fil-Tec uses only the finest quality, high tenacity polyester yarns to make it patented magnetic core embroidery bobbin.
What you just read sounds like a lot of advertising hype doesn’t it? Fil-Tec makes a lot of impressive claims about the Magna-Glide bobbin and their patented magnetic core. Let’s take a closer look to see if any of it is true.
As always with a new bobbin brand, the first thing I did was put one of the Magna-Glide bobbins in our tension gauge to see if the tension was right for our machines. I immediately noticed the Magna-Glide bobbins had inherently more tension than the regular paper-sided bobbins we had been using. Due to the Magna-Glide’s magnetic core this really didn’t surprise me. To balance the tension correctly I had to decrease my bobbin case tension by 4 to 5 grams. Once that was complete I installed the Magna-Glide in the machine and got ready to put it through its paces.
The first actual embroidery I did with the Magna-Glide bobbin was to run a couple of the built-in test patterns to make certain my tension was set correctly. As I carefully reviewed the results of each test pattern I noticed the satin columns were pretty uniform from top to bottom. The lines where top and bottom thread met were fairly straight and not particularly jagged or wavy. This was a good sign that tension with the Magna-Glide bobbin was steady, but since I started with a full bobbin I was expecting good results. Satisfied my tension settings were correct, I began test sewing a few of our designs.
The first design I tested was a 15,000 stitch design. I watched as it sewed and can confirm that it ran smoothly and evenly from start to finish. Once complete I checked the back side and saw that the Magna-Glide had performed quite well. The tension was as it should be, uniform throughout the design. I removed the bobbin from the machine and saw that less than 1/3 of the thread had been used.
I reinstalled the same bobbin and sewed out two more 15,000 stitch designs without removing the bobbin between them. They both sewed out beautifully and close examination of the finished designs indicated no noticeable change in the tension throughout either of them. I again removed the bobbin and saw that there was still some thread left. I again reinstalled the same bobbin and began sewing a fourth design. There was not enough bobbin thread to complete the fourth design, so I installed a new Magna-Glide bobbin to finish the sew out. Ultimately I got more than 50,000 stitches out of that first bobbin.
I went on to test several more Magna-Glide bobbins. Each and every one of them performed exactly the same way. There was no noticeable tension variation between bobbins as I went through my supply of samples. The magnetic core in the Magna-Glide bobbin really does what it’s supposed to do.
The most important thing to note was how even the tension remained from the very first stitch to the last inch of thread on the bobbin. During testing I experienced no bobbin related problems what-so-ever. No changes in tension, no backlash, no excess lint buildup in my bobbin case, no over spin, no nothing – just smooth running from full to empty.
As you probably know, paper-sided bobbins are not nearly as reliable. Erratic tension is common as the spool nears empty. In fact, many commercial embroiderers throw out a lot of bobbin thread as they tend to replace nearly empty bobbins with new ones to avoid serious tension problems that could bring disastrous results. Doing this is a lot easier and faster than adjusting bobbin case tension when nearing the end of a bobbin spool.
The last thing to touch on is cost. As I mentioned earlier, I initially thought the Magna-Glide bobbins were a bit too costly. I have since had to rethink my position. Considering the fact that Magna-Glide bobbins contain more thread than most other brands on the market today, the cost really isn’t significantly different. I can sew more stitches with Magna-Glide bobbins without tension worries right down to the last few inches of thread. If there is a slightly higher cost, it is far outweighed by performance and the results you’ll see in your completed designs.
The results of my testing conclude that the Magna-Glide bobbin is worthy of your consideration. I highly recommend you try a few to see the difference for yourself. I’m confident you’ll like the results. For those of you who don’t have commercial machines, Fil-Tec does have plans to introduce a new line of bobbins for home machines. We are currently working with Fil-Tec in testing some of these new products as well. We’ll keep you posted.
© 2006 R & M Crafts - All Rights Reserved