I am looking to buy a small - few frills- light weight sewing machine. There are way too many choices out there! I sort of like the Janome Jem which sells at my local shop for $599. Does anyone have this machine? any drawbacks? does this price seem reasonable? Thanks for any suggestions or avoidances -

I have a Jem Janome and love taking it on retreats or anywhere I have to carry a machine. The price seems a little high, but I have had mine for awhile so I am sure prices have gone up. I do believe you will like it and it is very easy to tote.

I have the BabyLock Audrey for traveling and I LOVE IT!! It retails for $599 but last April a dealer in Syracuse had them on sale for $299!! 5 of us bought them!! When we are at a workshop or class together it looks like a BabyLock demo! LOL It is a fantastic lil machine!!

I'd try brother's, I have had 2, they sew well, they are lightweight, and extremely user friendly. The only issue i had was probably with my first one i had tension issues, but most of it was user error, and i used wrong thread for the machine, brothers do not really like coats and clarks. I got a second one with more features, and i love the way it sews, better than my first one which was real basic for beginners. I also have a babylock too that i love. Don't have a small one though, but if the quality is the same I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one. 500 just seems like a lot of money for something you will probably just use for class, unless it will be your main machine. I only paid 130 for my brother XL-3500i and have never regretted it. Had it for 5 years, and still going strong, only had it serviced/cleaned once. Never had any issues with it

I like the ability to move the needle more than the Janome Gem's allow. So, you might want to look at that and what you want your machine to do. ?zig-zag or fancy stitches???

However, I have a FW and then found a way to make it work for me using a seam guide and that orange Q-strip stuff. It only cost me a bit over $200! I can always 'borrow' a machine from the LQS if I need fancier stuff.

ali

I recently got the Janome Magnolia 7330--I think it is a bit larger than the Gem, but also a bit less than your price above--I paid $399. For the difference you could get a nice rolling tote and still have the flexibility of the larger throat (assuming I am remembering that difference correctly.)

Most of my quilting life I have only had a Bernina 910 (now 25 years old and VERY heavy). I also recently bought a cabinet for it, so taking it out of the cabinet, and it's weight, are both drawbacks for using it for a class. I really wanted a featherweight, but money has been very tight. Started spreading the word that I was looking for one, while asking my MIL if any of her older quilting friends, who don't quilt anymore, might have one they want to get rid of. My SIL was listening and said that I was describing one that sounded like the one she had ( she is not a sewer). She was sure I wouldn't want this "old stinky thing". She had to hunt for it, and sure enough, it was a featherweight. I had it cleaned up, oiled, etc... it works great and it was a gift. I love it.

I read a post that ladies liked the green hello kitty machine by janome - it is only about 115.oo if I remember correct.

Is the Janome Gem you are looking at the Platinum 760? If so, you have more movement for the needle. The price seems right compared to previous models. I love the 760!

I just bought a new Janome Jem Gold on Amazon for $199. It's the bottom of the Jem line but I just bought a 6600 a few months ago so I didn't want to push the luck with the hubby. Also, you can get a new Magnolia 7330 on Amazon for about $200. I considered it, but wanted a smaller machine to share the quilt space with my 6600. Good luck.