I am thinking of purchasing a new sewing machine. I keep hearing about the Bernina's. Any suggestions as which Bernina model to get. Am also interested in hearing about other possible makes and models to get. Thanks

check out a Janome 6500 or 6600..i have the 6000,i love her..
the most important thing is customer service where you buy it. and you should test drive the ones you are thinking about..bring a small sandwich..like 20 x 20..with you..see how it handles the "quilt".

Watterside,

Great idea! I never thought of bringing a quilt sandwich to test!

Welcome to the board. What is your budget?

Maria

Hello, and welcome from Missouri! Good info about finding a local dealer who will service your machine after the sale!

I have a pretty lenient budget and I would be using my Brother's q1000 as a trade-in. After I bought the Brother I realized I really want a machine that does everything--including embroidery. Most quilters in my area have the Bernina but the store I go to recommended the Janome. I did receive one comment recommending it but when I reviewed it on line--there were concerns that the parts were plastic. I am in no rush to buy the machine and I want to be thorough in my research.

I have an older Janome that does embroidery and have been very happy with it. My service guy retired and i have found a new one, so I am still very pleased with my machine! It needs regular servicing, but has not given me other problems.

I would go and try out the different models. That way you get a good explanation of what each can and cannot do...and how the machine actually feels while you are using it.

I have 4 Berninas and a featherweight. I prefer that each machine has it's own speciality. I have a Deco 650 which is a machine that does only embroidery. It only makes a 4 inch motif but I can have it running while I am doing regular sewing or quilting on my Sewing machine. I also have a serger. My main machine is an older model a 1260 and I have had it for almost 15 years. I had to replace the computer a while back but I love that machine. It is rather heavy as it is mainly made of metal. This past year I purchased a lower model Bernina a 220. It is lighter weight so it is easier to take to retreats and workshops etc. It still has as many built in decorative stitches as my older machine but I had to pay extra for the knee lift and I intend to trade up on my foot pedal. I discovered at the retreat that while that machine has the needle down feature the standard foot pedal for it does not allow you to kick it to raise the needle. I personally am lazy in some ways. I dont' want to have to disasemble and reasemble parts of my machine to make it do other things. I purchased the more expensive serger because it changed from regular serging to a rolled hem with the flick of a switch. For some reason changing throat plates etc. bugs me. I also am not crazy about the selfthreading feature on all of the newer machines. To each his own. I would purchase the most expensive machine I could buy with the features I truly wanted. It will give you pleasure for years to come. I highly recommend the knee lift feature. At this point I couldn't sew without it. Have fun shopping.

Plastic? the only thing plastic on my 6600 is the extended table i got with it..it is heavy, 25 pounds i think, not something you want to drag to class with you at all. I got the janome jem platinum, weighs 10/11 pounds..it is a work horse also.
here are some older reviews.
http://artisanssquare.com/sg/index.php/topic,3453.0.html

I would say the big difference in this machine and say a bernia,or phaff (although i am not sure of this)..

is it does not have a free arm. and that was not a draw back or issue for me. Cost was a concern for me..i was not going to plunk down $3000.00+ for a sewing machine. if i was to win an expensive machine, i would sell it and get a
janome 1600 lol! I think most folks are brand loyal. I have a juki 98Q and i love her too.She is one tough machine...but she is on a frame.
check out message boards for the different machines out there also..get a feel for what people say about them ,that are owners. janome has one for 6500/6600 owners.
www.patternreview.com
has a sewing machine review page.
so nice to not be in a hurry too,i didn't have any machine,never sewed before i started quilting..! i spent about 3 weeks looking and test driving! my sew and vac dealer was the big deciding factor in the end..they sell all the different machines..Good Luck! and keep us posted!