Linmar

I am having a difficult time deciding between two machines and have been researching both ad nauseum. One is the Janome Memory Craft 6500 and the other is the Juki F600.

A little background: I just started sewing recently - and now that I have recently retired, my time has opened up to pursue my hobbies. I have a vintage White 571 (circa 1970) and a Husqvarna Viking Jade 20. I plan to do some quilting and home décor. I doubt I will be sewing garments...but you never know. (Logically speaking, I don't need another machine....but they seem to be like potato chips, don't they?)

Both models I'm considering are in the same price range, have similar features and come with a nice array of accessories (extension table, quilting feet, etc.). Owner reviews are excellent (and passionate!) on both.

I am leaning a bit more toward the Janome 6500 because it's heavier duty and it would complement my other two machines in that respect. It doesn't have a Start/Stop feature but I am ok with that. However, I had tried a different Juki last year before choosing the Jade 20 and was impressed with the stitch quality and smoothness - which also seems to be present in the Janome - from what I have seen online.

If this were my only machine the free arm on the Juki might be a deciding factor - but I do have one on my Jade 20. So - it isn't a deal-breaker that the 6500 is a flat bed. The Juki seems to be a bit more user-friendly, but maybe that is because the YouTube reviews make it look so easy to operate. I did like the lower-end Juki model I tried last year. (If I hadn't already checked out the Jade 20 I would have bought it...but the Jade had me at "Hello.")

I don't expect anyone to make up my mind for me, but I might be missing a difference between them that I hadn't noticed before. Would love hearing from owners of each. Thank you in advance.