Thread: Questions about top of the line machines purchased in last five years -

I have a Janome 6500 bought in 2004 & have never had any issues with it. I love it & would purchase again. I also have a Brother Quattro that I bought in 2009. Other than standard maintenance, I've only had it in for repair once - wouldn't recognize snowman (which is my most favorite feature), and auto threader wouldn't thread any needle. And wouldn't you know these issues manifested themselves a few weeks before Christmas! I did an awful lot of gifts without the benefit of the above two things. Took it in right after Christmas & had it back before New Years. Love both machines. I would definitely buy a Janome or Brother machine again. I also have a Bernina Bernette that's only a few years old that I take to classes & to SIL's when we get together. For the $150 I spent on it, it's also been a good little machine. Never had to have it serviced. Even tho I like this machine, I probably wouldn't buy another Bernina just because I saw how much trouble my SIL had with her Bernina 830 & how often in was in the shop. She has since traded it in for the newest TOL Babylock. Sorry, I know my 2 favorite machines are WAY older than 5 years, but just wanted to stick my 2 cents worth in about brands.

I recently purchased a Bernina 580. No, I wouldn't do it again. I do a lot of machine embroidery with this machine.

It's pinicky about threads. The way it is designed, it is easy to get thread caught up in the thread uptake bar. You have to take the machine cover off of the machine to get the thread out. It must be a common problem as they have the topic on getting the threads caught in there out in the manual. Mine had to go in for repairs the first week I had it. The thread can get caught inside the bobbin case. The thread sensors tell me I'm out of thread or broken thread messages when the thread is not broken or I still have a ton of thread on the bobbin or top thread. So it constantly stops sewing.

The thing that actually drives me buggy is that you have to go through several screens to get to the function you want.

My Bernina 180 is fantastic.

My Bernina 1090 alsos fantastic and is the one I use for patchwork and quilting and is still going strong after too many years to count.

When the Baby Lock Crescendo came out I was convinced that I HAD to have the laser and the digitizer pen. BUT I already had the Baby Lock Espire and couldn't justify the price difference. So I set a price of what it was worth to me and IF I were to find the Crescendo somewhere for THAT price, I would get it. One day in Reno .....luck was on my side and I got the machine for the price I set.

She has some nice features but the ones I thought I just HAD TO HAVE - - - don't really use them. lol

Would I buy it again? Probably. There is nothing wrong with the machine or stitch quality and she runs like a work horse. She is also reliable.

Both Baby Lock machines WILL NOT run with regular C&C Dual Duty but they will work with Star and Connecting Threads. (Those are what I use also).

The large harp makes quilting a breeze. So I guess it was a WIN-WIN for me.

She weighs about 50 pounds so having a lighter back-up machine is great for classes.

Bernina 880

Love the integrated walking foot.

Great support from my store for classes. Service dept offers yearly clean and update with perks offered in fabric discounts etc to make it worth our while.

I have the top of the line Viking, I love it ! It is the Epic ,it has built in tablet and WiFi. I am glad I bought it but it is a lot to learn. New to embroidery and didn't realize how expensive that is to do. I really could have done without learning a new hobby, even how additive it can be. Just make sure to go where you can take classes.