QuiltnLady1

I have the 7700 and love it. No it is not a long arm, but there is a lot of room under the harp. I had the 6500 but wanted the accufeed, the extra room under the harp, the free arm (I still hem pants and do a bit of other sewing) and the extra lighting is a dream. I also love (and use) the decorative stitches that were not on the 6500 -- or they were not adjustable on the 6500). It is a great machine and Janome is running some wonderful specials for Christmas.

irishphoenix

Hi Quiltnlady1-do you know, this is so exciting, I am going into the dealer on Monday-he is about an hour away from me. I have heard nothing but praise for the Janome machines. I am really grateful to you all for helping me..this is such a great board.
TBH I wanted to do my research before I went into the store because when you try the different machines out, certainly for me as a relative newcomer, they all have something to recommend them- especially when you see them all lined up and in showroom condition, all shiny and new. I didnt want to go on looks alone or how they behave on the day..this is a machine that is going to have to last me a long time and will get quite a lot of work from quilting as well as a few other wee jobs.
I have to say the accufeed sounds great.. I love the lighting with all of the lights as my eyes are not great I am afraid lol. My current machine is just an entry level one that I bought in August and the trade in for the 7700 doesnt seem too bad-around 1000 of your dollars for the 7700. As yous ay, its on special at the moment, so I decided I would really like to have this now as my rather expensive Christmas present!
I also like the idea of monogramming, although I believe the stitches are not too high, but a nice little extra all the same.

Maybe1day

I have both the 6600 and the 7700, have not found any difference in the machines other than the 7700 has a few more stitches and a little larger harp space. The 7700 also does not have something that the 6600 has but at the moment can not remember what it was. The 7700 has it tool boxes attached to the machine, you can remove them which is probably best to do as the tools rattle when you sew. The 7700 does have better lighting so that is a plus if like me you have poor eye sight.

vwquilting

I have a Janome 6600P I love it but I also sew a lot and it does not have the ability to drop part of the machine to sew around armholes. Nor does it have the ability for stretch styitch. I would keep your old machine. If you are like me old habits are hard to break. I still love both my machines.

mamaw

They both have the same accufeed system; but the Horizon has more lights and a larger throat space. I love mine!!

nurse bonnie

I also have the 7700 & would not trade it for anything. I love it!! I love the extra lighting, the extra room in the harp & the smooth stitching.
Maybe1day, sorry to hear you have rattling tool boxes. I sew with mine at home & on my LQS owners & have never heard any rattling.
But I would definitely recommend the 7700.

Karenowc

Couple of questions for you:
You mention you are buying a frame for quilting (short/mid arm). The machine you are looking at is for that frame?
Will you be moving the machine from the frame to sew or will it be dedicated to the frame? If you plan on using the machine for regular sewing also, it is a real pain to move from the frame to the table. I wouldn't move mine in a heart beat! There is a lot to set up for the frame quilting.
Why not buy a dedicated straight stitch machine for the frame and the 6600 for regular sewing?
Here is a photo of my set up:

mosquitosewgirl

I'm with Annaquilts...if you can get a real long arm....or there's actually a Janome that's designed to go on a quilting frame. Can't remember which one.

However, if you want one that will give you lots of options, go with the 7700. I did. For me, the biggest difference was the harp size. I love the stitch selection and how easy it is to use. In fact, when working on a straight stitch, I've been known to find myself literally up to my chin on the machine because I can just keep going holding the fabric...LOL.

As for the table that you can get with it....I did get it, but am already looking for a new table. Thinking about the Multi-lift 6000. Not enough table space from my perspective on the Janome table to do all the things I want to do. Have your hubby take a look at how the table is constructed, because he might have some ideas on how to adapt another, larger table top to do the same thing.

Whatever you get, enjoy it to the fullest!
Cheers.

irishphoenix

Thanks very much everyone- i would love to progress to a frame but really I think space would be a problem at the moment unless I can get hubby to do a loft conversion. He is really keen for me to get the 7700 as he thinks that although 'tis expensive, it will pay for itself for years to come. I was worried about the price initially, but as he says, if I got a cheaper one I might regret not getting the 7700 a few quilts down the line.
Thats a good idea about the table..he is wanting to make me a decent quilt table so I will have to find out where to see some photos of them I will check out the Multi-lift 6000 and if anyone has any advice or links for a table for quilting I would be very grateful!! I dont think i can recall a single bad thread about the 7700..SO excited-going to see the dealer tomorrow an hours drive away- have all my swatches including a narrow binding as well!!

Karenowc

Glad you responded back. I wasn't sure from your original post if you were buying a machine and the quilt frame.
I think you will LOVE the 7700. My sister bought one last year and it's a fabulous machine. If I hadn't just bought the 6600 before the 7700 came out, (and I didn't have other machines) I would have traded up at the time.

Enjoy your new machine.