New Sewing Machine?
12-04-2024, 04:28 PM
#11
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: The Finger Lakes of upstate NY
Posts: 3,819
What is near you as far as service and repair? What are your "must haves"?
There are scads of things that I buy online - especially this time of year! - but I could not buy a sewing machine, regardless of recommendations, without trying it myself.
Many years ago, after settling my father's estate, I decided I was going to buy myself a new sewing machine. As the closest dealer was a Bernina dealer, that is what I ended up with. I have never, for a minute, regretted that choice. However, as it is well over 20 years old now, I know that the motherboard is going to be aging out. They are no longer available. So, I've thought about what I'd get.
The Bernina dealer where I bought this machine only sells the lower end Berninas now - no color screens. For a while, he had Eversewns, but I never hear anything about those anymore. Now, he has Juki's in stock, so I stopped by and tried one. I do not use nor want embroidery, and almost never use anything other than a straight stitch - so the Juki industrial models - similar to what Kimberly Jolly, Donna Jordan, and many other well known folks use - would most likely work for me. I did like it. Most of the Bernina's now have so many features that I have no interest in that it seems foolish to go farther (about an hour) and spend that kind of $. The one advantage I'd have is that I have a lot of Bernina feet, so as long as I get another 5mm, they would work.
I also happened to take a class at a shop that is about an hour away, and forgot one of the feet I needed, so they let me use a shop machine. It was a Pfaff Expression and I loved it! The thread cutter worked perfectly, never once jamming the entire day, and the hover feature was fabulous. However, most of my collection of Bernina feet would be useless. Some, I would put in my travel machine case - it's a 350 that I bought used. Smaller and lighter than a full size Bernina.
Juki does make machines that have fancy stitches, and are supposedly more popular abroad than in the US.
I would go with whatever you like that can be serviced by an authorized tech without having to travel too far to do so.
There are scads of things that I buy online - especially this time of year! - but I could not buy a sewing machine, regardless of recommendations, without trying it myself.
Many years ago, after settling my father's estate, I decided I was going to buy myself a new sewing machine. As the closest dealer was a Bernina dealer, that is what I ended up with. I have never, for a minute, regretted that choice. However, as it is well over 20 years old now, I know that the motherboard is going to be aging out. They are no longer available. So, I've thought about what I'd get.
The Bernina dealer where I bought this machine only sells the lower end Berninas now - no color screens. For a while, he had Eversewns, but I never hear anything about those anymore. Now, he has Juki's in stock, so I stopped by and tried one. I do not use nor want embroidery, and almost never use anything other than a straight stitch - so the Juki industrial models - similar to what Kimberly Jolly, Donna Jordan, and many other well known folks use - would most likely work for me. I did like it. Most of the Bernina's now have so many features that I have no interest in that it seems foolish to go farther (about an hour) and spend that kind of $. The one advantage I'd have is that I have a lot of Bernina feet, so as long as I get another 5mm, they would work.
I also happened to take a class at a shop that is about an hour away, and forgot one of the feet I needed, so they let me use a shop machine. It was a Pfaff Expression and I loved it! The thread cutter worked perfectly, never once jamming the entire day, and the hover feature was fabulous. However, most of my collection of Bernina feet would be useless. Some, I would put in my travel machine case - it's a 350 that I bought used. Smaller and lighter than a full size Bernina.
Juki does make machines that have fancy stitches, and are supposedly more popular abroad than in the US.
I would go with whatever you like that can be serviced by an authorized tech without having to travel too far to do so.
