advice wanted
 

i am trying to choose a new sewing machine---quilting and general sewing--ive narrowed my choices to

1 horizon by janomi

2 pfaff quilters edition

3 bernina quilters edition

both my previous machines have been pfaff and love them but hearing all the positives+negatives has confused me
any input would be helpfull i do intend to try them all out but heads up on what you have found would help

I have the horizon and love it

Which dealer will give you the best service? I would want one close to me. I have the Janome 6600 and love it! I could upgrade to Horizon but decided it didnt have that much more to justify the price difference.

Dealer support is the most important all three machines are great machines, make sure you test drive each and then decide which dealer u like best....

I have the Bernina, and love it. The BSR (stitch regulator) made a big difference in my quilting.

I have a Bernina and love it. I have had other brands before and I will never buy anything but a Bernina ever again.

I just bought a new Pfaff Creative Sensation. I love this machine. It sews a perfect 1/4" seam with a beautiful stitch. This is my 5th or 6th Pfaff and I was thinking about trying a Bernina this time. I am glad I bought the Pfaff. Try the ones out that you are thinking about and see which one feels best to you. You are the only one that can decide which one to buy. The machine that feels good to me may not feel good to you.

You need to go to stores and check out what they have and what type of support they give. Some offer classes and will answer questions over the phone if you get stuck. You'll find pros and cons on all machines when asking this question but you have to decide. I wouldn't even look at a Bernina because I don't like the store here that sells them and know that I wouldn't want to have to rely on them for support. I've always had a thing for Viking and the people in that store are great; always. That's why I went with them and didn't check out Janomi which would have been my 2nd choice. Pfaff is a good machine and is now under Vikings wing so I wouldn't rule them out. There are so many rumors out there that you have to go by your gut reaction instead. Try out all of the machines and then pick the one you like for yourself

I bought a Bernina 440QE and I love it. I bought that brand because of the BSR and because the dealer was local and had a wonderful reputation for service. I was a new quilter and got sold on the BSR at a trade show. However... you can quilt with almost any sewing machine, and there are lots of good ones out there (including vintage machines). Service is really important, which includes lessons if you are not familiar with the machine already. You might try making a list of the features that each machine has, and then decide which ones are really important to you. Be sure to compare with the features that your current machine has, so you don't lose some feature that you really depend on. Good luck!

I love my Bernina. At first I didn't, but I found it was picky about the thread I use. Now, it's my dream machine!!

It all depends on what exactly you are looking for in your machine. Obviously you have already picked the ones that have the most features you really want. From all I've read on here, any of them would be good. So it really boils down to which one 'feels right' when you test it out.

I upgraded from my old Kenmore to the Horizon. I really like this machine. I did some research and then went and test drove it at a local shop.

This may be helpful. http://www.evidently.org/2007/02/too-much-information/ It is written by a husband who wanted all the information before his wife bought. I bought a used Pfaff (love it) from a Baby Lock dealer. When I worked my way through the LONG article, I did agree with him on the importance of liking your dealership. That is also an important part of the purchase. Hoping this helps.

I have both the Janome Horizon 7700 and the Pfaff Quilt Expresion 4.0. IMHO, the Janome has the Pfaff beat hands down.

I am Bernina all the way however....those who mention the importance of the dealer are totally correct. That's the key!! I would only choose between the Bernina and the Pfaff -both excellent machines.

I bought the Horizon a year ago and love it. I agree service is huge. The guy who cleans my machine told me that the Berninas with the stitch regulator are in for service a lot more than other brands.

I would have to try them out before deciding for sure. Good Luck!

I love my Bernina 550QE. But as others have said the most important thing is to buy your machine from a dealer you trust and one who has the ability to do well baby checkups and repair it.

Just saw that Brother is coming out with a new machine(s). 11.25" Chassis. It will be available in the US in Sept. Not sure about anywhere else.

This is exactly what I did. I absolutely love my Horizon and have had no buyers remorse. The deciding factors came down to the throat space and the cost of purchasing extra attachments.

I have the Bernina QE, its a 1999, I bought it used a few years ago. It has great stitching.
I use a walking foot to quilt charity quilts and haven't had any problems.
My vote goes for the Bernina, a machine that has been around for a long time.
bernina is the only machines Ive had, so no comment on the other machines.

My DH just bought me the Horizon on Sunday and I LOVE it. I've been playing with it and all it does after some helpful hints posted here. Nice stitching and finally, no birds nests on the back and it's sewing with all types of thread.

Its probably good you have narrowed down your favorites, and as most folks have stated, you really need to go and try each one out first. You should also have a list of the things that are most important to you in your new machine. I cannot stress enough about taking your own fabric with you, and testing it out on what you will be using it for. Each of us will give you different opinions, which unfortunately will only lead to more confusion. Ask me how I know. :) Dealers are as important as the machine you purchase. They are the ones that will help you learn to use your new machine. They are the ones your going to call when it messes up on you, due to operator error. So you want someone that is easy to get along with, and treats you right.

Someone mentioned that Brother is coming out with a new machine also, here is a link to that for you:

http://www.brother-usa.com/Homesewin...-Machines.aspx

Just to confuse you more :eek:

Good luck in your search, and once you bring your new baby home be sure to post a picture of her.

I just bought a Bernina--had a Viking for many years before. The people at my LQS said "Your first Bernina will be the last machine you buy". Boy, do I love it!

Bernina is nice by all accounts, but they cost so much! DH told me to get any machine I wanted but he paled when he saw the price on the Bernina! I asked the repairman what has the best record and he told me Janome and I got the 6600. I do everything on it. We live 45 minutes away from the shop and the repairman taught DH and me how to clean it and gave us some pointers. If I have problems I call him and he walks me through different things to check. 3 out of 4 times the problem gets fixed without my going to the shop. Love that man! I quilt all my own quilts on it. Once DH had to help me because it was an 8'x8' quilt and I had appliques that were 2" thick on it! I jerked my head left and he moved the quilt in that direction, right.... etc. It was a hoot. We are a team! The Janome is a smooth sailing work horse!

I have a bernina 430 with BSR and a pfaff qe 4.0. The bernina sits in my closet while the pfaff is in my sewing cabinet. It is newer, and I don't have space for both of them to be up. The things I really like about the pfaff are the larger throat space, thread cutter and the idt. I have had my frustrations with it but I think I am getting them worked out. It does seem to be picky on thread and tension, but you have to play with it. I don't believe I ever had to play with the tension too much on my bernina. But, the extra throat space is something that would be number one with me.

I have a Janome 6600 also and I feel the big difference in price for the horizon is not worth it either. the only thing that is worth justifying upgrading is the bigger throat. that is not worth $1000 to me

Don't know about the others, but I love Bernina's and don't think anything sews that good. Buy the best you can afford.

Just bought the horizon had it two days and love it already

I don't know why a service person would say that a BSR would cause a machine to be brought in more often. Bernina doesn't make the 440 anymore. I started with that one, but upgraded to the new 580 so I could add embroidery to my quilts. I didn't buy this option when I bought the 440. IF you can wait, there should be some good deals on trade-ins when Bernina releases their new line in the fall. But I agree, the dealer and the service mean everything.

I had a conversation with my SMG the other day (he was doing a house call on my LA). I asked him what he thought was the best machine. He said Bernina. They are the ones he sees least often, and he had all kinds of good things to say about the companies character.