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Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasGurl

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandyo

Pfaff are not made like they used to be. They do not stand behind their machine. Not made in Germany anymore.

SO true ... Pfaffs have NOT been made in Germany for the last 10 yrs, they are manuf in Asia now and some in Eastern Europe. Some models were being made in Sweden for a few years after Viking bought Pfaff, but no longer.
I had a 25 yr old mech. Pfaff that NEVER had a problem, but I wanted the new features, so I bought one in 2007. It was made in the Czech Republic and I had nothing BUT problems. It sewed NOTHING like many friends' machines, all prev. made in Germany. What a disappointment ...
Hopefully the newer Expression 2-4.0 models have solved their quality problems now. So much for "German Engineering" !!

I bought a Pfaff Creative 4.0 this past summer. I love this machine. I saw that some people were having problems with theirs, but I decided to give it a shot anyway. My dealer said that 95% of the problems people are having is that they didn't learn how to use the machine. It is computerized and does take some learning. This machine also talks to you and tells you when something is wrong. I have taken the time to learn the machine and what to do when something happens. I love the longer throat and the IDF. I can't imagine going back to anything else. I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS MACHINE.

I LOVE my Pfaffs. A 12 yr old for general sewing, and a new Expression 2.0 for quilting. Bought the 2.0 for the large throat. I can fit a whole king size quilt in it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mhansen6

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasGurl

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandyo

Pfaff are not made like they used to be. They do not stand behind their machine. Not made in Germany anymore.

I didn't mean to step on Pfaff lover's toes ... just wanted to clear up the misconception that Pfaffs are still GERMAN MADE machines. They aren't - and haven't been for a decade.
I just know at least 20+ quilters who bought Pfaff models in the last 5 yrs incl. the Expression, and 95% of us had problems. All very experienced sewers & quilters who knew HOW to use them. The problems were Pfaff's - NOT the owners. Only a few still have those machines. The initial Expression models had a lot of problems - tension, foot problems, piecing 1/4 seams, jamming thread cutter and constant error msgs. Hopefully in 2 yrs they've solved those problems.

I would go for a Pfaff. I have three Pfaff machines and they are all I will use. They are great machines.

Quote:

Originally Posted by karen Cicio

I'm getting ready to try a 6600 next week. I've been looking at them on line and my husband has ok'd the purchase. I would love to talk to someone who owns one. Is the larger throat a big difference for you when you are fmq? Is the acc-feed foot really a great feature? Is it user friendly?. I have to go to Lake City to test drive one. The owner's wife of the shop has one and he will have her bring it in so I can sew on it. I'm a little nervous about a large purchase. I just want to have the right machine for me.

Hi Karen,
I will be happy to talk with you about my Janome 6600.
It is a great machine. You can PM me, and I will give you
my e-mail address as well as my phone number if you
want to talk by phone. If you ever sew on a Janome,
you won't ever want another machine.
Have a Great Day!
Marcia

I got my Bernina 440QE for $2,300. It was a demo, but it looked brand new to me. I love it.

I like my Brother NX2000. Just got it about 2 weeks ago and still have a week before I get my first lesson on it, but the manual has been fantastic and it has a wonderful self-help touch screen if you do not want to pull the manual out. I have never done any machine quilting and am easily learning the bells and whistles on this. It has several choices to make a consistent 14 inch seam ( I like the special 1/4" foot for that ). It comes with 3 feet for freemotion and I am learning all 3 ( as well as learning to do FMQ. Depends on what exactly I am working on as towhich foot I prefer. The walking foot works great and it is my first time with a walking foot. Has knee lift which is new for me and lots of other goodies! Came also with a large table attachment for quilting, Bobbin works and a circular attachment. Very easy to learn. Now, perhaps something else is better for the price..but I do like mine.

I have a baby lock espire which is now the symphony. I got it as a late model. And absolutely love it. So my vote would go to the symphony as well.

I lust after the Symphony. I have a Pfaff 7570 that is one great machine, but I want more bells and whistles; ie: auto thread cutter, auto pivot feature that the Symphony has. Plus it has a larger throat.

I would be very very leery buying a new Pfaff, as many have said, they just aren't the same quality that they were. But....Pfaff has came out with a new machine, called the Smarter Pfaff, which seems identical to the Babylock Quest, except it has the auto thread cutter... And Babylock is coming out with a new machine to replace the Quest, called the Serenade. I'm betting it also has the auto thread cutter. Might be worth checking into as these machines have the IDF like the old Pfaff's.

JMHO...Make sure you test drive, use your own fabric and one other thing. Check out the sewing machine reviews on http://www.patternreview.com. There you will find lots of unbiased opinions. Since you are spending this much money, make sure you get the machine that suits you. We all like different things in a machine. Have fun shopping and let us know what you do!

I love my Babylock Espire - had it for 10 years and wouldn't know what to do without it.