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    Old 01-22-2011, 04:05 PM
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    Grammie Sharon's Avatar
     
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    My hubby took me out to look at new machines. I have an Elna that's 35 years old. We looked at the Elna 7200, Janome Horizon, Janome Memory Craft 6600, and the Laura Ashley by Brother. I would appreciate any pros/cons, comments to any of these listed. It is sew confusing. Thanks for your help.
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    Old 01-22-2011, 04:22 PM
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    I have 2 Janomes. My first one is the Janome Quilter's Choice 6260 that is 3 years old. It doesn't have a very big harp space *6 1/2"* for a 'quilters' machine, but it is a work horse. I use it with a walking foot for piecing but also do some freemotion on it and it works well.
    I added the Janome Horizon this summer. I love it. It was very easy to learn, probably because I'm familiar with Janome. She is big! The 11" harp will take anything you throw at her. But, she is a computerized machine, and they can be divas. If I ask her to go through a very thick seam, it balks as if to say "ooh, I don't want to do that." But if you use the wheel to get through the tough areas then it takes off again no prob. I even use her on my quilting frame.
    The only thing I would change on the Horizon would be where the knee lifter is. Because she has such a long base, the knee lifter is way over to the right - so far that even with my long legs, I don't use it. If it were closer to the needle I would use it.
    I looked at the Pfaff HQ but decided against it mainly because the harp is only 9" and because I 'know' the Janome brand. I did follow a Pfaff Yahoo group for a while and there was a lot of complaining going on. So I stayed with Janome, and I would highly recommend them.
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    Old 01-22-2011, 04:23 PM
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    Have fun! Interview the dealers, preferably near you. Inquire about instruction, maintenance, repairs, etc. Also, TRY EACH MACHINE before you make a decision. I could be free, but I wouldn't want it if it's difficult to work with. Is the dealer close enough in case you need something that nobody else sells. I once worked in a store that sold Viking and Singer. Ladies frequently asked for parts for an odd brand machine they had purchased umpteen years ago in a small town about 75 miles from here. Duhh? Also, don't be overly impressed with an unbelievable number of built-in stitches. Most people don't use many of them anyway. If you haven't needed that stitch so far, you probably won't ever use it.
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    Old 01-22-2011, 04:33 PM
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    Honestly, all good choices. My understanding is that Janome makes Elna now. So the Elna 7300 is like the Janome 6600 and the Elna eXcellence 740 is like the Horizon with a few features +/- . All the machines you mention have great reputations. So go sew and choose, remembering how critical dealer support is with high-end machines. But there are no bad choices in what you mentioned, IMO.
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    Old 01-22-2011, 04:36 PM
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    Ooohhhhh...how exciting!! The only comment I can offer is that I heard the Brother's aren't up to the same quality standards as they had been in the past.

    I can't 100% remember where I heard that though I think it might have had something to do with my sewing machine dealer having dropped them from the lineup.

    Enjoy your search!
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    Old 01-22-2011, 04:39 PM
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    Be sure to pick on close to you if they offer classes.
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    Old 01-22-2011, 04:43 PM
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    I've heard lovely things about Janome's Horizon machine. Since your Elna served you well, I'd check that one out too. Test drive them and let us know what you think. I bet you're excited to have a new toy! Lots of fun in store for you!
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    Old 01-22-2011, 04:44 PM
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    Absolutely use patternreview.com to read reviews on the machines. I have only heard good things about the Brother Laura Ashley NX-2000. There's a new Brother Laura Ashley NX-800 also. Brother has got a great rep for embroidery. They make a lot of cheaper models, including some for big box stores and Internet sales, that might be hurting their rep, but I wouldn't worry about these ones. Actually, I have a $200 Brother HS 2000 for my kids and it's great too. I think Brother makes Babylock. The BL Symphony seems quite similar to the LA NX-2000. One nice thing about that model is all the included accessories.
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    Old 01-22-2011, 06:05 PM
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    If I were in the market for a new machine (I'm not) I'd be seriously test driving the Horizon.
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