Prism99

In my opinion, if you LOVE the Aria, then that is the machine you should get. Price does not make up for the pleasure of looking at the machine you love every day for many years. I know when I bought my Bernina 1230 I felt very guilty for spending so much money on a sewing machine. That was at the time I bought it. Now, 15 years later, I not only don't feel guilty; I'm HAPPY that I got the machine I really wanted. It was worth every penny.

And honestly, at these price points, a difference of 25% more in price (or whatever the difference is) should not be the deciding factor. This machine will be with you for a long, long time. Get the one that sings to you!

Edit: Oh, and this website offers some interesting insight into Babylock, Brother, and the Aria machine you like.
http://www.sewinginsight.com/the-10-...hines-of-2013/

Cari-in-Oly

Brother is not the poorer version of Babylock, it's just the opposite. Babylock is the more expensive version of Brother. I have a Babylock machine and it sits in it's case. I have at last count 14 Brother machines and they get used. That being said, when shopping for a new machine you really have to test drive them without previous prejudice like what you read. When I was loking at new machines a couple years ago I narrowed one of my choices down from Babylock to Brother because I could get the same features and quality in a Brother for considerably less $$. But I ended up buying a Janome because I was so unimpressed with how I was treated by the Brother dealer and the Janome dealer was so much nicer, I felt at the time they listened to what I wanted rather than try to sell me what they thought I should buy. I haven't regretted my purchase for a second.

Cari

Cari-in-Oly

Again, this is one persons opinion, if we all got to use and test all the new machines we would all have different opinions. I agree that the OP should buy the machine that sings to her, but she should choose according to her own experience with trying them out.

Cari

lyndaj

As I said, I didn't want to offend with my comments about Brother. I have read in more than one place that the metal components in a Babylock are plastic in Brother. Just what I have read.

Unfortunately, these are my must haves which have put me into a higher pricepoint:

-Large throat space 10" or higher
-Needle down
-Needle threader
-Automatic thread cutter
-Free motion ability

Having a great dealer close by is not a deal breaker for me. There is a Babylock dealer in town who I would rather not deal with. I am more than happy to drive for this.

I don't know. This will be my third machine and I really just don't want to make another mistake. As for the Aria, it is a TON of money which is what is pushing me away. I followed up with the Bernina dealer today who told me that the machine I would be getting is a current floor model which has only been sewn on for 13 minutes (apparently, Berninas have a counter inside which can tell you this).

My brain says to go with Janome because it is less expensive, but I'm not sure.

Thanks everyone

MadQuilter

This is what I was going to say too.

sewNso

is the janome 8900 a embrod machine? just wondering. is it steps more advanced than my 6600?

lyndaj

The Janome 8900 is not an embroidery machine. I'm not familiar with the 6600, so I can't answer your question.

Sheddah

Lyndaj: I understand what you are going through and am glad I came across your post. I'm so sorry that you have come across so much misinformation about Baby Lock vs. Brother. Truth be told they are the same machines, made with the same parts, in the same plant--manufactured by BROTHER. Yup, Babylock (Tacony) doesn't manufacture machines; they simply market and sell other manufacturers machines under their own "brand" name. I have read the hype also. In fact, sewists looking for machines have heard this garbage at some Baby Lock dealers. There is no justification for the Brother twin models under the Baby Lock brand name to cost so much more money. But Tacony has to purchase those machines from Brother and then mark them up to make a profit. So the "perception" of better quality is advantageous to the company. Without this perception why would anyone pay those high Baby Lock prices? I wondered about Brother vs. Baby Lock also when I was looking for a machine a year-and-a-half ago. So I did the research myself, and am sharing some of that with you. Brother not only manufactures Baby Lock, but they withhold exclusive features that are only available on their own brand machines.

For example, when comparing the current TOL Brother with the TOL Baby Lock, i.e. THE Dream Machine and Destiny, you will find that the Baby Lock is missing the stitch designer function. Brother keeps this feature for their machines exclusively as well as the Disney designs. If you doubt me about the machines being identical in build quality, call Tacony yourself and ask them. Other machine shoppers have and reported that Tacony told them the truth about the identical build between the two brands. It seems to be some dealers and buyers who are perpetuating this myth about the "superiority" of Baby Lock machines.

You can purchase the Brother twin machine for a lot less than the Baby Lock Aria--the same machine that sings to you. It is the same machine, same build, same quality for less money (and the Baby Lock version will likely be missing some exclusive Brother feature).

Disclosure: I bought a Brother DreamWeaver after considering a Bernina 7 Series, a Pfaff Creative Sensation and Baby Lock Unity. I could have bought any of these machines with cash. I chose the DreamWeaver for reliability, the ability to sew over multiple layers and intersecting seams with ease, and the simplicity of the embroidery features. I didn't want Disney, but personally I found the whole "gold" painted plastic thing with BAby Lock unappealing and phony. Plus it cost a lot more.

I LOVE this machine. It does anything I ask of it and hasn't skipped a beat. I got a GREAT price and am glad I didn't fall prey to all the hype. Did I say I LOVE this machine? ;-) My suggestion, buy the machine you love. But find out the truth about these machines--don't be mislead or duped by selling tactics or by buyers who feel the need to justify the high price they paid.

lyndaj

One last thing, I didn't mean for this thread to turn into the Babylock and Brother thread.

My dealings with 2 different Bernina dealers today were interesting to say the least. I'm not sure where I'm going with this. I almost got excited when I found an older Babylock listed on Kijiji today for a very reasonable price until I realized that the throat was too small and the seller was located 4 1/2 hours away by car. :-(

At any rate, I want to thank everyone for their thoughts. I will post whenever I end up with a new machine.

Thanks again,

Lynda

love to sew

I totally agree with everything above. I too am a Bernina girl now too! But the store is very close to me and I love going there. I bought the 440 because at the time it is the lowest price one that had the stitch regulator attachment and I was hooked. The sales person was so nice and no pressure. I have since met both of the owners and they are gems, they also have machine techs there at the store for maintenance and cleaning also repairs. ( I have never had to have any repairs but I do bring it in for regular maintenance/cleaning. ) I had just started to free motion quilting and loved it so much that I decided to get a long arm so now I don't use the stitch regulator attachment which at the time was $900. Wish I could sell it. It was very easy to learn to use and like I said it got me hooked on quilting. Besides piecing for quilting, I do a lot of clothing construction and I am very happy with the Bernina.