TheMerkleFamily

Good Morning ladies & gents - I am considering a 'gently used' Janome 8900qcp purchase to augment my Juki TL2200qvp mini for piecing, applique work, creating stitched labels, home decor and garment sewing (I'm not interested in embroidery) and am seeking feedback from those who own and have experience with this machine. Is it intuitive? Reliable? How are the alphabet stitches?

I've read through several online reviews - many are quite satisfied but others complain about tension issues when FMQing. Also, some report it 'eats' fabric when piecing (due to the 9mm stitch width) and challenges getting over thick seams. There's always a 'getting acquainted' period with a new-to-you machine so I'm curious how the 8900 fares after a few years of use?

I was about to pull the trigger on a new Juki DX2000qvp but then saw this Janome for sale and am reconsidering. The 11" harp (8900) is appealing but the newest Juki has auto presser foot lift, pivoting and foot floating features that are nice too.

I know in the end it's what feels best to me but before I drive 1 1/2 hours to try the Janome I thought I'd get a bit of feedback from the experts here

Thanks in advance - Christine

KalamaQuilts

I have one and love it. Every book and DVD will tell you to pull bobbin and top thread and hold them when starting a new seam, regardless of feed dog width. Lots of us use leaders and enders instead. But you can't blame a machine for what a human needs to know.
The sad thing about any computerized machine is eventually the manufacturer stops supporting the software and repairs are no longer possible, technology just moves too fast.

Their 7700 had a lot of trouble with thick seams, I've not experienced it with the 8900.
You will notice there is forward and back play in the feet, rather than rigid. This is so
a seam can smoothly be driven over. But I've head people think there is something wrong with the machine with that not rigid foot.

ekuw

I have one and love it too. Especially love the 11' harp. I've not had any problems with the exception the light on the display recently burned out and I need to get that fixed. Have had it now for 3 years. Honestly, I don't use the different stitches all that much but have used the alphabet stitches. I use them to sign my name on quilts. They do the job. Have not had problems over thick seams, sometimes if the seam is real thick a gentle nudge, but consider this a non-issue.

Thats_It_I_Quilt

Have had my 8900 a few years, still using it and loving it. Even quilted a queen size quilt on it before I bought a Tiara.

Paperpgma

I have the 8900 QCP SE .. it has a blue face .. the original was grey and for a short while they had a red face. Anywho, I’ve had mine 2 years and I love it. I just made 24 zippered vinyl bags and using the zipper foot, ultra glide foot, polyester thread and a 80/12 universal needle had no issues. I have found this machine just likes bigger needles .. for piecing I use a sharps 80/12. If I’m using decorative stitches I’ll use the Janome red tip 90/14 needles. For quilting I use the Janome purple tip 90/12 needles. Makes a big difference in the quality of stitches. It should come with two stitch plates .. universal and straight. I don’t have issues with fabric being sucked down with the straight stitch plate ... and the nice thing is you can move your needle to the right to achieve that elusive 1/4 inch ... and you can save that setting so when you push the button for 1/4 stitching it defaults to your settings. The huge foot pedal is very nice for long sewing sessions. The jog dial and I are becoming friends but I’m not crazy about it .. don’t hate it but it’s just a little odd. When I first put the accuflex foot on, I felt like I had 15 thumbs lol. But with just a few times of doing it I got used to it very quickly and can do it quickly. The free motion quilting is a dream .. the convertible free motion quilting set is genius. No more hippity hoppity feet yay! So I would try it out because just because I love it doesn’t mean you will ... or there could be a reason the seller is selling that she’s not saying ... was she intimidated by the machine or she’s downsizing or something that’s not good about her machine.

patricej

when i bought my Dream Machine2 i planned to sell my 8900.
theory was that the DM2 did everything the 8900 does, plus.

i am sooooo glad i never put any real effort into selling the 8900.
i now plan to keep it.

the 8900 is far better for free-motion. my skills are virtually nonexistent but i almost never get eyelashes with the 8900. i need mascara when i FM on any of my other machines. below are some things that work for me:
-make sure to use organ brand needles.
-sometimes you can get away with a size 12, but will usually need either a 14 or 16
-set the foot on the free-motion gadget to the lowest setting to start
-set tension to max to start
-those are the settings that work best for me, but we are all different so you might need to make adjustments to find those that work for you.

i can't remember the last time i removed the accufeed gadget. i use it for everything. if the used one doesn't include the 1/4" and open toe accufeet, buy them. they are worth every penny. good news is that the price for them has come down in the past few years.

i had to set my DM2 aside for my current project. it does not work and play well with lumpy seams.
using the accufeed on my 8900, i am sailing over them as though they were flat.

absolutely make the drive to give it a good test.
take lots of scraps and sample quilt sandwiches to use for that.
as long as she hasn't abused it, and if she's asking a reasonable price, i expect you will be very happy to buy it.

Quiltngolfer

I have had the 8900 for a few years now. I love it! It is absolutely wonderful for free motion quilting, has a lot of decorative stitches and has a beautiful stitch. I use leaders and enders so I have no problem with fabric pulling down. It is a great machine.

TheMerkleFamily

Thank you all for your wonderful insight - I decided to ‘test drive’ a new 8900 at a retail dealer today just to get a feel for how a new 8900 performs. The only difference is the shop had the blue ‘special edition’ version and the machine I have an option on is a regular 8900 (gray face plate). Not sure exactly what the difference is between the two but assume it’s accessories and perhaps some features. I liked it well enough but then made the mistake of trying the 9400 which is quite a feature-rich, beautiful machine with fabulous lighting - however, the stitches were equally as nice on both. I should know better than to drive the Lexus when I’m trying to operate on a Ford budget LOL.

I’ve decided I will make the drive to test the used 8900 and if it performs well and is in excellent condition then I will likely buy it. It’s priced far, far below the new 8900’s and I think it will suit me well as I continue to improve my skills.

Thank you, again, for taking the time to share your experiences... it’s been very helpful!

Christine

mkc

The SE has a completely different needle plate/quick-set bobbin setup.

The light blue SE has the quick-set bobbin needle plate, 3 hole/position straight-stitch needle plate which makes 1/4" piecing easier, a new buttonhole foot, and I think a different spool holder.

The new straight-stitch plate is NOT backwards-compatible with the older 8900.

My Elna has the same needle plates and piecing stitches and I LOVE it for piecing.

lindaschipper

Although I don't have the Janome 8900, I do own 3 different Janome's....MC6500P with the multitude of different stitches plus the alphabet fonts, the 6900P for quilting, and a more than 20 year old Harmony that was made for Sears.
I wouldn't trade them for anything.