Quilterman, I’m going back to the car analogy. You can still drive a lot of classic cars and thoroughly enjoy them (I have a featherweight just like the one I learned to sew on that I made my wedding dress and the suit my husband wore to our wedding). But now I drive a Honda with lane assist, back up camera, power everything and it makes me happy.
The top of the line Janome 9400 I just purchased has wonderful lighting, a large 11” throat space because I quilt my own quilts -even king size, fonts to make a label, my favorite decorative stitches, a function that puts the needle down and raises the pressure foot each time you stop sewing which is wonderful for pivoting, a signal to tell you your bobbin is low on thread, a signal to let you know if your top thread breaks, and on and on. I have a 5 year parts and labor warranty, but my small Janome 3160 that is 10 years old has never needed any service.
I buy a reliable brand but understand sometimes I may have to pay for repairs — car or sewing machine. And if all else fails, I still have my featherweight.
