I have a bernina ( was gifted to me by my cousins husband when she passed away) I need needles, do I need to buy bernina or can I get any brand?
The nearest Bernina dealer is 30 miles away and I dont want to drive on the backroads ( its out in the country,Mennonite area) to the shop in the snow.

Sorry to hear of your loss. What model Bernina is it?

I hAve the 630...Dealer told me never to use a generic needle.....they recommended the schmetz...you should be able to get them online.

I havent had to buy any yet..as my day job interfeers with my quilting life ...!

I use Schmetz in the Bernina 440.

It is an Aurora 440 Quilters Edition.

I use Schmetz in all my Bernins (3) and they work just fine. You can order online or if there is a JoAnn's and Hancock's try to get them when they have their 50% Notions wall sale.

mltquilt

My dealer also told me to only use Schmetz needles and to never ever ever use singer needles as they can damage the bobbin race which is a very expensive part to replace. You can pick up Schmetz needles just about everywhere. I have even seen them at JoAnnes and Walmart!

That's what I do, too, for both my Bernina and my Babylock.

I used to use Schmetz which worked perfectly in my Bernina 1030.
I now use tintanium (no spellcheck here) from Superior Threads because they are very long-lasting 1+years
http://www.superiorthreads.com

I use the Schmetz needles