Originally Posted by danade
Just FYI for anyone considering the Juki TL 98-Q: I've had this machine for several years and it does a great job--knee presser foot lifter, foot-control thread cutter, etc.
BUT: The needle threader never did work properly and finally broke, and it's not easy to thread the needle left to right. A Juki rep I met at a show told me that the needle threader was a "disaster of design" on this machine.
The newer Juki F600 has a vastly improved needle threader, same knee presser foot lifter, same foot-control thread cutter, and many other nice features. If I were interested in a Juki as a new machine, I'd go for this one. I've seen it priced from $700 online to $1300 at a show. (???)
Looks like the JukiF600 is not a straight stitch machine but more of a regular machine. It doesn't appear to have a large throat space like the Juki Q98 or Brother PQ1500s.