betthequilter

My best recommendation would be to "test drive" the machine.

zozee

Welcome from Maryland ! I love my Janome 8200. I upgraded to it from a smaller Janome because I wanted 1) 11” throat space. 2) auto thread cutter and 3) a machine In my price range with affordable accessories 4)a local dealer I trusted. 5) quiet machine . 6) free arm so I could hem pants and cuffs .

I found all of these with a “rebox” machine (someone had opened it and returned it with very little use) . My price was $1200 (this was 4 yrs ago).

I concur with the others — test drive different ones till you find a favorite, stick to your priorities, negotiate (best thing to negotiate is what features you don’t need and aren’t willing to pay for) and don’t rush your decision. Have a peace and joy before you hand over the money.

Peckish

Don't be afraid to consider used machines. Check your local dealers and ask around at your guild and quilt shops for machines others have traded in or are looking to sell privately. This is how I got what I consider to be the perfect machine, my Brother 1500. Knee lift, auto threader, cutter, 9 inch harp, needle down, mechanical not computerized, extension table, 1500 stitches per minute.

Now, having said that, you may want a machine that is lightweight so you can take it to classes, and this machine is not lightweight. You may want a machine that does a buttonhole stitch (for applique) and this machine is a straight-stitch only. So you need to know what you want in a machine.

Sharonquilts

I was a new quilter and I went to my local sewing machine dealer who carried Janome, Brother, Juki and maybe another brand. They showed me high $ machines and reasonably priced machines ($500 & under). I didn't bother trying a machine that was thousands of $'s because I wasn't comfortable spending that much. Although my original budget was $500-$800, I ended up buying a Juki F600 $1,049 because it had a larger throat and other features I had never had on my other machine (needle up/down, auto thread feeder, auto thread cutter, knee lift for presser foot). It does have lots of decorative stitches, but I rarely use them). Also wanted a machine that was quiet and a dealer nearby.

Test drive different machines before buying. Don't let a saleperson talk you into a machine you do not want or can't afford. Compare the different feet that come with different machines. By all means, ask the dealer if they will throw in something extra for free (maybe a foot that isn't included but one you feel you would use). I just bought an embroidery machine and ask them to throw in another size hoop and they did.

If you can't decide between machines, make a spreadsheet to compare features ... but definitely go with the machine that feels good when you sew on it. Good luck!

QuiltE

CraftDiva and SuspendedGlass that would be Triangle Sewing ....
https://www.trianglesewing.com/
I've dealt with them for over 20 yrs now, and have been more than happy.
Lucky for me that they truly are "local", and I can easily get there if in urgent need.
Reza their full-time and on-site machine tech is amazing.
Along with a full range of machine brands, they have a large notions and batiks offerings with
a few other select fabrics. Add to that all many batting options and supplies for embroidery machines.

Aurora

I have spent over $1,000 on new machines, but I keep going back to my 301A and my vintage Viking and New Home as my favorite machines. My least favorite thing about new machines is that I cannot just sit down and start sewing. You may already own a great machine for quilting. A lot of beautiful quilts were made on those older machines. Besides it is more fun to purchase fabric.

bearisgray

When we went to buy a computer, the sales people asked "what do you want to do with/on it?"

We knew very very little about computers, so the question was difficult to answer. I knew I wanted e-mail, a word processing program, and a spread sheet. That was about all I knew for sure.

So it is with sewing machines - how do I know I might want a feature if I have never heard of it?

QuiltE

Totally understand what you mean!

However, that is what test driving is all about.
At a dealer. Or in a friend's home. Or in a sewing/quilting class.
Or talking with other quilters, virtually or IRL.

Though for me, it is all about experience ... I don't get the real feel for a feature until I have used it for a while. That's the benefit of trying it out for more than just a store test drive or demo.

selm

a good website to go to for research is allbrands.com. They have listings for all kinds of machines so you can analyze the different features, etc.