Originally Posted by Quilting Mom
My advice on your new sewing machine: I don't believe the brand is as important as buying one from a trusted dealer close to you where you can get help when you need it. I have a newer Bernina & would not buy one again. They say it doesn't need oiling but when it starts to sound like a thrashing machine... it needs oil! I have 3 Elnas of early '70's vintage. One I purchased then, the others two I have picked up, one at a rummage sale and another as used in my local store. Love then & it is fun to teach my twin grandkids on them because they are all the same. Two features I do like on the Bernina that I would not want to do without are 1)The feature that allows me to stop my needly either up or down & 2) the feature that allows me to lift the pressure foot with the knee lever. But I am sure they are probably available on other brands. But I still think the most important thing is to buy it close to home where you can take lessons on it, talk to the person who sold it to you, get help when you need it, buy attachments as you can afford them, etc.
Who told you a new Bernina doesn't need oiling? That was bad advice since the manual says to oil. You only need to oil the race, though. I do agree with the dealer being key. In fact, my floormodel Bernina had a problem with the thread getting behind a moving part that it shouldn't. The dealer gave me a new machine when they couldn't make it stop doing that weird thing. If I had bought it from someone on ebay or something, I would be hating life, regardless of the great deal we got to start with.
Features I have loved...on the Pfaff you have the IDF which is a built in walking foot. Loved this so much for piecing. Can't really piece with the Bernina walking foot. But I love free motion quilting with the Bernina more. The Pfaff had to be in darning mode and the lever is in the throat of the machine and always getting caught on the bulk of my quilt and popping out of darning mode. I said "darn" a whole bunch!