Hello! (And a question)
10-11-2020, 01:04 PM
#12
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 7
Hello 
so, I went with the S9 because it had WiFi capabilities and if I remember correctly one more hoop than the 9850. That being said I wasn’t thrilled with the S9. It’s a fantastic machine, don’t get me wrong, but it seemed a little bit awkward for me to use. This could be because I have never used a computerized machine before, I’m not sure. I used it to do several blocks on a quilt, did some embroidering (SO much fun!) and tried some appliqué stitching. The appliqué was hard to do, because of the foot pressure. I adjusted it to the least amount it would allow and I still had a hard time following the curve I needed to stitch. After playing with it I became more familiar with the computerized side of it but still didn’t feel like the right fit for me. I ended up exchanging it for the 15000. I know this seems like a huge jump, it wasn’t what I thought I’d do either. I went with this instead of the 9850 because it has the acufil included, which I wanted (I’m awful at free motion quilting! along with several other accessories and bigger hoops. Also, the quilt shop I purchased it from had a phenomenal sale and I know I won’t be upgrading again for at least 20 years if ever. Had the sale not been going on, I’d have exchanged it for the 9850 without a doubt.
I hope this helps! Try out both if you can and see which one feels right to you. When calling around to locate ones to demo I found 9900 is almost the same machine as the 9850 and more dealers seem to have this one in stock to demo in the store. Not sure why.
so, I went with the S9 because it had WiFi capabilities and if I remember correctly one more hoop than the 9850. That being said I wasn’t thrilled with the S9. It’s a fantastic machine, don’t get me wrong, but it seemed a little bit awkward for me to use. This could be because I have never used a computerized machine before, I’m not sure. I used it to do several blocks on a quilt, did some embroidering (SO much fun!) and tried some appliqué stitching. The appliqué was hard to do, because of the foot pressure. I adjusted it to the least amount it would allow and I still had a hard time following the curve I needed to stitch. After playing with it I became more familiar with the computerized side of it but still didn’t feel like the right fit for me. I ended up exchanging it for the 15000. I know this seems like a huge jump, it wasn’t what I thought I’d do either. I went with this instead of the 9850 because it has the acufil included, which I wanted (I’m awful at free motion quilting! along with several other accessories and bigger hoops. Also, the quilt shop I purchased it from had a phenomenal sale and I know I won’t be upgrading again for at least 20 years if ever. Had the sale not been going on, I’d have exchanged it for the 9850 without a doubt.
I hope this helps! Try out both if you can and see which one feels right to you. When calling around to locate ones to demo I found 9900 is almost the same machine as the 9850 and more dealers seem to have this one in stock to demo in the store. Not sure why.
10-11-2020, 02:36 PM
#13
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Southern California
Posts: 1,046
Hello and welcome from Southern California. Even though most responses are in favor of an all-in-one machine, two make sense to me in case something goes wrong with one of the functions. Good luck!
10-21-2020, 12:02 PM
#14
Super Member
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Sunset Coast of Michigan
Posts: 1,037
Welcome! I don't use the embroidery machine much but held onto my memory craft 9000 by Janome because it has been so reliable. I typically sew on vintage machines now, including for machine quilting. I don't get error messages ;-) Good luck on your decision, and I agree, go with the larger hoop if you plan on using a hoop regularly.
04-06-2021, 09:26 AM
#15
Member
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: Carrollton, TX
Posts: 3
I just recently purchased the 550E and so far I love it. Not that complicated to learn - buy from a reputable dealer and they will most likely offer a free class on the machine. But there are a number of good videos on You Tube that go through what you need to do to create your designs and what all those function keys do. Personally, I like the fact that it is an embroidery only machine so that it has only 1 thing to do well....and it does. I already own a wonderful machine that I do all my quilting on. And while I'm in my sewing room working on a quilt, my embroidery machine can be doing its thing while I work. Love it!!
