Pennyhal

I bought the Bernina 580, but had taken a class on the 880. Everyone I talked to has said that the 880 really does have a lot of features...but everything has to be just "right." It is "sensitive" machine (which I interpret as picky)." In the class they showed how to use a lot of things like painting on china and of course, and you need to purchase the different feet you need to take full advantage of the things it is capable of. Most of what they showed were features I'd never use. And it is heavy. I needed a machine that I could lift and carry and actually use.

So I picked the 580 that had everything I needed and I could carry it by myself. Unfortunately, I was very unhappy with it. I ended up returning it and bought a Babylock Journey. The problems with the 580 were both machine problems...like the motor started clacking the first week and when I finally returned it it would not center in the hoop...and problems of what I was doing wrong. It is very computer based and you have to scroll through a number of windows to get to where you need to go. Some icons appear on more than one screen, but do different functions. The hoops are a weird size. For example, to stitch a 5x7 design you have to use the 5.7x10 hoop which results in a lot of wasted stabilizer. The user manual is not as helpful as it should have been.

Having said that, people who do own the 580 seem to love the machine and when I took the 580 class, and the people in the 880 class either loved it or were frustated. Frankly, Iloved the 580 machine's stitch, but not enough to overlook the hassle of flipping through all those screens and the headaches it gave me. So I exchanged it for the Babylock. It is much more user friendly and it has this threading system to die for.

89a677

I've had an 880 for two years and I absolutely "LOVE" it.

Fizzle

I just got the 770QE and love it! Have not gone to class yet so there are many things I have not done but i did research prior and am happy with my decision.

tildiemae

I have had my 880 for about 2 years. I've had a couple problems but they could've been operator induced!!!! Overall, I'm quite happy with it and it sews beautifully whether I do regular piecing, quilting or embroidery. My favorite is appliqué and its a wonderful stitch. The only drawback is its weight...quite heavy so seldom take it to classes or retreats. If you are able, take as many classes as you can as you will learn so much. Enjoy and sew away!

kellen46

I used to be a staunch Bernina supporter but the 880 cured me of that. I always loved the way the Bernina made a perfect stitch but that was not enough for me with the 880. I found the one I had to be overly engineered and very picky and frustratingly sensitive. I would not sew certain threads and if you lost or broke a thread you had to peel back the entire front cover to search for it. I had to constantly turn off functions just to make the thing work...thread sensor, thread cutter, etc. It did do a nice embroider when that was used but I don't use that feature so often. Every malfunction needed a two hour trip over the mountain to the dealer, a drop off and later a return trip. Finally I found myself sitting down to sew and dreading to turn on the machine, for fear of what will go wrong now. Finally I sold it, took a loss and used the money to buy a Viking Ruby. I like the Ruby just fine, it will take any thread I throw at it, and the dealer is just a half hour away. Maybe your experience will be better, there are some who just love the 880 and will recommend it to you, good for them. I had another more disappointing experience. Now I sew on the Viking for piecing and embroidery and a Janome 770 for quilting as it has that lovely 11inch harp space. Good luck to you and whatever machine you choose. I hope it works well for you. This is just my experience and I still do believe that Bernina makes a great machine, I just believe that the top of the line machines are seriously over engineered.

jmoore

I found this post to be quite timely... I have been considering test driving a Bernina 880
I currently own two Janomes that I love but have been intrigued by the 880. After reading the posts here, I will do a lot more research before biting the bullet.
Institches33, please fill us in on your thoughts when you get your machine all set up. : )

vschieve

Not a Bernina fan. Over priced. Test a Viking or a Pfaff before you take the plunge. Pfaff has had built in IDT since the 1970's, where you don't need to buy a walking foot, it is built in, a lever you pull down behind the presser bar. Bernina finally "copied" Pfaff in their big top of the line embroidery machine a few years ago, and I hear it doesn't hold a candle to Pfaff's. Alsi, Viking has a new top of line embroidery machine, the Designer Epic I would look into. If it is "too much" then look at the Viking Designer Diamond or Ruby Royale. I have the Diamind, great machine!

vschieve

Also, a friend that sells Brother and Bernina said Bernina's are not user friendly.

Skyangel

I'm on my 4th Bernina and would not buy anything else now. My current machine is the B570, an upgrade from the B440 that was my workhorse for almost 10 years (and now lives at my friends house). Although I don't own an 880, I have sewn on one. I work at my Bernina dealer 1 day a week, just an after-retirement part time gig to get me out of the house and doing creative things. I get to spend time sewing on the demo machines, making shop samples. Then I got "told" to use the higher end models so I know them well enough to demonstrate them to customers. I was actually intimidated by how sophisticated the 880 is until I actually sat down and started using it. The big color touch screen is just like using a computer tablet, and the menus are logical. I love the 12-inch throat on the 880, the thread cutter, and the directional stitching that will do micro-stippling (I have quilted table runners with this stitch). The embroidery is fabulous. Only the 880 can use the jumbo hoop (10 x 16), which I would love to use for quilting with the embroidery module. The 880 is a great machine, but like any sophisticated equipment, there is a learning curve. The training classes are critical. Make sure you have a good dealer that offers the training classes (required by Bernina). The 880 should have 4-6 class series, plus a couple more on the embroidery functions. If this machine is in your budget, spend same time at the dealer and try it out with your fabric and thread. Only you can decide if it is right for you and your dealer shouldn't mind you taking the time to be sure.

slbram17

Nice to read your experience. Just my opinion, sometimes it appears we slam anything new...regardless of whether it is new cars with safety technology, or new sewing machines with the latest technology. Just saying.