FURBALLS

I have a brother xr1355 that I got from Costco. I love that machine. I also have a Singer 7469 confidence quilter. Have made and quilted 6 quilts on the singer. I just got done with a set of fabric boxes that I did on the Brother.

cathyvv

None of my Brother machines have ever needed work done on them by a shop. My first fell while we were traveling and broke - but it was 6 years old and I had used it, shall we say, vigorously. I never had a problem with it, and it was my fault it fell. Should have been more careful.

I replaced it with a Brother SE-350 that I bought on Amazon for about $350. After 2 years, it runs great and is fairly feature rich. Haven't used the embroidery yet, though.

I have a mechanical (no computerization) that I keep in NJ for when I'm visiting. It has 12 stitches and works like a champ. I think it was around $80 new, and worth every penny. Made potholders with my DGD (19) to give to her Dad and step mom, and an apron to match. They were quilted on this little machine without using a walking foot and turned out great.

Lastly I bought an SQ9185 Sewing and quilting machine. The harp is 1/3 larger than on my other machines, and that makes a difference even when piecing. Love this machine and it was only $189. It also came with a walking foot, which the other machines don't have. Note that I have not quilted on it yet.

I've never had to get any of the Brother machines serviced. I just keep the bobbin area cleaned out and add a drop of oil to the bobbin mechanism every now and then.

So, by my reckoning, a Brother machine at any level of sophistication is a great buy.

KwiltyKahy

I love all my Brothers. Two are low end from Hancock's, one is a combo and one is a 1500. All are great and Brother is my go to machine. I always say it's like cars, there are Chevy people and there are Ford people. My mother loves her Husquavarna, my sister loves her Bernina, my best friend loves her Janome. A lot of the time it is what you get used to and what bells and whistles you want.