Originally Posted by
Manalto
Thanks, Mickey. This is really helpful. I haven't even looked at the 500 and 600 series Berninas, which I will do. I, too, would like to avoid circuit boards and for the same reason. Although they don't have a reputation for failure (yet) I'll pass on plastic gears. The only zigzag stitches I use are regular and blind stitch; on the rare occasions that a decorative stitch is needed, the old 401 is at the ready, wearing a top hat. So, that feature is wasted on me. Power is nice for navigating heavy fabrics, but I'm in no hurry, so I don't need speed. How nice that I need to look a little further into the past, and I'm sure I'll do better price-wise as a result.
If you won't accept the nylon gears then you don't want a 500 series of Bernina and newer. So, you would be really limited to a early machine like a 125 type that is at most a zig zag machine. I have about 15 vintage Berninas and they are the most used and most loved machines out of my 40 or so vintage machines. My 301s and 15s come next.