alaskasunshine

Good morning, I own 3 machines. A Kenmore, age 33 years old. Used it until I got a Janome in 1998. I only got my Janome because my Kenmore was too loud. My Kenmore I keel like old faithful. Never had a single problem. I also bought it as a reposession from Sears. Janome is a nice machine but I got to say I bought a Singer Featherweight in November last year. She was born in 1934 and she is wonderful. I love this little lightweight and steady eddy machine. I take it everywhere with me.

Did you say what you will be using your machine for? Since I go out a lot to sew I recommend a Featherweight. It really is dependant upon what you will be needing.

My vote for Singer Featherweight! Just a thought.

motomom

I cannot tell you about comparisons, I only know what I have and I have not sewn on any of the others.

BUT I can tell you what I have. My machine is a Pfaff 1229 that I bought in, oh, I don't know, back in the early 80's??? My machine is a FREAKIN' WORKHORSE. I have used it, abused it, and NEVER taken it in for service. I probably blew the dust out of it and oiled it, oh, maybe 10 years ago???

It has made children's clothes for my 4, specialty items for my grandchildren, curtains and drapes for my house, new cushion covers for my couch, countless boy and girl scout projects, NUMEROUS flags for the drill teams at school, flag uniforms, marching band uniform alterations, business suits etc for myself, comforters, a quilt, even a set of tympani and marimba covers for a local band. Oh, and I recovered the seat of my DH's 65 Chevy pickup, complete with a trapunto Chevrolet emblem in the center of the back. All heavy fabric and sometimes so thick I had to force the thickness under the pressure foot. It is kept out and handy 24/7.

I wouldn't take a million dollars for my machine. Well, I guess I could take it, keep the dough and get another Pfaff!!!

Darlene

Since I have only sewed on Singers and never even sat down to another machine I have been thinking about a new one myself. Thanks for all of the advice.

roseville rose

Bernina's were too rich for my blood so I finally settled on a wonderful Brother QC-1000 that does more than I will ever probably use. Price and support are top of the list and then features. I love the needle down, top loading bobbin, automatic needle threader etc!

Nancysue

Janome-1
Bernina-2
Pfaff-3
Viking-4
Baby Lock-5
Singer-6
Brother-7

The reason I bought a Janome 6600 is because of the price and preformance. Bernina is a good machine but to pricey for me.
I belong to 4 quilting groups (2 guilds) one group there is 6 of us that have been together 5 years and we all have the Janome 6600. One of the quilts where I belong has a membership of 275 and has its own "6600 Club". I feel you get more bang for your buck with the 6600. LOVE-LOVE-LOVE my machine

weezie

We have one local sewing machine dealer. When we first moved here nearly 30 years ago, I bought a small, very basic Pfaff from him. When I went back several years later to upgrade, he was no longer a Pfaff dealer, so I bought a used Janome. It has been a dream machine ... just a workhorse. When I upgraded again just a few years ago (when the Janome 11000 was brand new), I looked at all the machines for which he is a dealer (Janome, Bernina, and Viking). At that time, the Janome 11000 was the "Cadillac" of those 3 brands. I bought it and I have not been unhappy with it. I've been waiting for over 3 months now for a LED replacement light that has been on back order from Janome and I'm not happy about that. Last year I bought a Janome 1600 DBX. I was told then by personnel at that dealership that the matching Viking highspeed machine was a lot more expensive because of the Viking name, but the machine was identical to the Janome 1600. (I never trade my machines in ... I just add to my machine collection ... I use them all!) I have no opinion nor interest in Bernina.

azdesertrat

I have the Brother Quattro and I love it,I had the Viking Diamond but really wasn't impressed,it just didn't seem to run smoothly,so I traded it in on the Brother and I am much happier

lfw045

Just bought my daughter a Janome 2139N machine as I am teaching her to sew and quilt. I love this machine even if it is a low end machine. I personally own the older Singers and swear by them. It seemed a little touchy at first but the manual that comes with it is precise with directions and we had her purring in short order! I love this machine....DD had never sewied before and with this machine she has take like a duck to water with it. She has the gift!!!! I'm proud of her!

Shadow Dancer

I have a Janome Memory Craft 7000, it's 24 years old and it's more than paid for itself. I looked at the Janome 6600, too many features for what I want it for. It's a beautiful machine, but it would have been over kill for what I needed.

I bought a Pfaff Performance 2056, I love the IDT feature, (built in walking foot) The machine is a work horse!!

After the nightmare experience I had with Janome's customer service when my 2 week old embroidery machine had problems, I wouldn't consider buying another Janome again. Should I ever have to buy another machine, it will definitely be another Pfaff.

bearisgray

I think part of what you need to ask yourself are what your tastes are?

Are you a decorative stitch user? Do you like to adorn everything?

I think I've done well if I get the basic garment put together, so for me, utility is important. I have decorative stitches on my machine that I've never used.

Do you like ruffles and smocking? Embroidery?

For myself, I've come to the conclusion that I would be better off commissioning/hiring someone to do embroidered motifs for me - after considering the cost of the machine, thread, and patterns for a particular motif. The odds are very high, in my case, that I would never do another one again.

The needle down function is very helpful.

I bought three Singer 237 (or 327?) Fashion mate machines. They are very Plain Jane machines - forward, backward, zig-zag, and three needle positions. AFTER getting them cleaned, oiled, and adjusted properly, they do about 99 percent of everything I sew on an ordinary machine. The downer on them is that they are heavy. And they do a nicer satin stitch than my Pfaff.

If I were buying a new machine - and I do think it would be kind of fun to have a very top-of-the-line new one, but there is no way that I can justify it with my style - I would probably go for the mid-price range machines.

Buttonhole maker is nice to have, even if one doesn't use it often, The utility stitches are great to have.

This doesn't really answer your question. It's kind of like when I was looking at computers and I was asked "What do you want to do with it?"

I didn't know enough then (or now, for that matter) to answer that question intelligently. You may be at that same stage in your sewing career.

At any rate, I hope you find a machine that is reliable and does what you want it to at a price you can afford.