It has been my experience that more often than not (which means not always) you get what you pay for. For decades I sewed on my JC Penny branded machine circa 1978. I still have this machine but I never use it and really should get rid of it but I want a backup. Was this machine fuctional? Yes by all means it was. It sewed a decent stitch or so I thought. I decided I was worth an upgrade around 2000. I actually posted on an internet forum back then about it and everyone said "get a vintage machine". Well I had a vintage machine I wanted something better. I had heard of Bernina and decided to check them out. I bought my 153QE which was considered a mid-range Bernina and at that time they still manufactured them in Switzerland.
As soon as I got it set up and could really play with it I was amazed at how much nicer it was to sew on. Getting a perfect 1/4" was a breeze. Having a foot with 1/4" markings both in front and behind the needle made doing set in seams a walk in the park. Stitch quality was great and what a wonder to have a machine that didn't bog down when having to go over multiple seam allowances. The foot controller was so responsive. The knee bar for the presser foot is now a feature I can't live without. Same with being able to set the machine so the needle always stops in the down position and if I forget just tap the foot pedal once. Sewing on my Bernina as compared to my "vintage" 1978 all metal, all mechanical JC Penny machine was a dream! My enjoyment of sewing in general and quilting specifically increased exponentially and I could not for the life of me figure out why I waited so long. Not only did my enjoyment increase but the quality of my workmanship improved, greatly. I was empowered to try even more difficult patterns and techniques.
Do I use the fancy stitches or computerized features? Nope, hardly at all. 99% of my sewing is straight stitch. Occasionally I will do a ziz zag or a blanket stitch and very, very rarely will I use any of the fancy stitches. I have a longarm for quilting so I rarely use it for FMQ but I did before I got my LA. A quality machine with a price tag that is several hundred dollars to a couple of thousand, is not necessarily just fancy stitches and computerized embroidery. You have to also look at what the machine is capable of doing for the purpose it was originally designed to. Make a quality straight stitch and power through several layers. I can and have sewn leather on my Bernina. My JC Penny would bog down and skip stitches. I suspect some of the low end big box machines would as well.
A couple of years ago I went to visit my mom in Vegas and brought a quilt top to work on. She had a no name QVC el cheapo special of a sewing machine. I suspect when she got it she paid maybe $125 to $150 for it. I had been spoiled on my Bernina. When I sat down at that machine it was a nightmare. Now my mom doesn't sew really at all so I have no idea why she even bought this machine. Maybe to hem some skirts or something but IMHO she may as well have flushed what she paid for it down the toilet. Getting an accurate 1/4" seam was a nightmare. Getting two layers of quilting cotton to feed evenly was a constant battle. I told her sewing on my machine was like driving a fully loaded Cadillac while sewing on hers was like trying to drive a beat up jalopy that skipped gears and was out of alignment.
So what all this is meant to point out.... It isn't always fancy computerized features and fancy stitches that drive the cost of the machine up. Quality parts, engineering (no matter where it is manufactured, the manufacturing process has to follow the designs of an engineer), quality of materials that go into it all factor in. If a manufacturing facility in Taiwan is not outputting the machines to Bernina's high standards (or Janome, or Juki or whoever's name is going on the machine) they certainly won't keep the contract to do the manufacturing for long. Or the named company won't keep customers long.
Last edited by feline fanatic; 01-30-2019 at 09:56 AM.