Originally Posted by IrishNY
I have a Bernina that I love but want to buy a backup machine. I want to spend under $1000, so not top of the line but good quality (remember, I am used to a Bernina ;-) ).
Here's the catch - I don't care about lots of stitches, embroidery, etc. I want a great straight stitch, automatic tension, knee lift, needle up/down, feed dogs that can be dropped. I would love to have a warning about low bobbin thread, automatic thread cutter and self-threading but can live without one or all of these if I have to. And a wide throat space would be wonderful!
I've looked at the Janome 6600 but it seems like more machine than I want. The 6500 doesn't have the dual feed and I think I would like that.
I don't want a old machine - I know they are basic and well-built. I have a FW and love it but want a backup that stands up to sewing really fast because that's the way I sew.
I kind of want to trade off having a zillion extras on the machine for high quality basics. Does such a machine exist?
As you can tell, I am really confused about what's out there and I don't have time to check out every type of machine. If I could get a few suggestions from you experts, it would help tremendously. Thanks in advance! ;) ;-)
You sound like me when I went shopping for my truck. I hadn't vehicle shopped in 13 years so I had a lot to learn. The biggest thing I found is that you can't order just the things you want; you have to take what they put on it. Unfortunately its the same with sewing machines. Viking has a quilting sewing machine that has the large throat, don't know about any of the other features and have no idea what it costs. Sounds like you just have to do your homework.