Proper maintenance on any machine is key, IMHO. buy quality...maintain the quality.

sandy

Good luck, Barnbum. I am a Janome junkie, ever since I bought my first one (previously owned) in 1993. I went to my local dealer then with my heart set on a Viking only to find that he had stopped being a Viking dealer (temporarily); he bragged on the New Home 6000 that he had just gotten in a trade-in, so I bought it. It's been a wonderful machine and I have since bought a New Home serger and 3 more Janome machines. All but one (+ the serger) are computerized. There is virtually no learning curve between Janome models I think. Although some are low- and some high-shank, for the most part I can use the same feet (bobbins are the same) on all of them... a selling point for me. For no specific reason, I have never had any interest in owning a Bernina.

I have always had Janomes....then I bought a Bernina!!! I got a 350. Learned about the difference between the Janome and the Bernina. The Janome foot snaps on and wiggles . The Bernina foot is put on and is tight and does not wiggle. Makes a BIG difference when sewing the quarter inch seam !!!! I LOVE MY BERNINA !!!!!!

I would strongly recommend testing out the BSR before purchasing. I had been drooling over it, thinking it would solve all my FMQ problems. I finally went in and tried it out, but really did not like the feel of it. I realized it would take a lot of practice to get proficient with it, and I could just put that same practice time into FMQ without the BSR, and how I could buy a lot of fabric with the money saved. I ended up buying a used bernina 160 at a fraction of the cost of the B550. I like it very much. I use it for fmq, but admit that the smaller harp space is a challenge. The day I went in to try out the 550, a former 6th grade student of mine was there trying out the same machine. He did buy it and loves it ! I have friends who own a juki for their fmq. Just straight stitch and a somewhat larger harp. They do beautiful work on their machines! Good luck on your decision!

I have had Janomes for the last 18 years and have just kept trading up. I love them for ease of use. Go try one out!

Janome gets my vote, I have three and purchased four more for members of my family., I guess you could say we are a Janome Family/ They come with a lot of extra feet which i understand from others that you have to purchase seperately with the Bernia. But you need to go try them out and also the dealer should be close to whatever you decide

Interesting takes. I actually don't like either of those two models. Have fun picking your new machine, whichever it is. For me, test driving usually makes the decision.

I've owned a Bernina 1260 for 20 years and I still love that machine - quiet, not one problem after all these years. I bought a 440QE a few years ago and it was just as much a workhorse as the 1260. I coveted a larger harp and didn't want to pay the Bernina price for a machine that had it, so I bought a Janome 8200. I love having more space and the automatic thread cutter. I pieced a quilt when I got it and was happy with it. Then I decided to make a purse for my mom and had so much trouble on the 8200 that I had to go back to my Bernina. It couldn't sew a thick seam on the handle and the edgestitching foot did not perform well. My perspective is that the quality of Bernina is higher, as is the price. I will keep using the Janome and I will enjoy it for piecing but only because I have a Bernina when I want to do really precise detail sewing. If I could only have one machine, it would be a Bernina (but I would miss the larger harp).

Don't FMQ on any of them now but have done full quilts on the 1260 in the past and small things on the 440 using the BSR and had great results. You have to decide what the priority features are for you. Good luck with your decision and let us know what you choose.

I have the Janome 6600, she's a workhorse and even if I got another machine, would never trade her in! My service guy says they rarely come in for anything other than regular service. I was bad, and it had been 4 years since I took her in with no problems.

Bought my first Bernina back in the early 80s... A 930, which I still have and love. Bought my 630e with BSR about eight years ago. Yes, I would love a bigger harp, but love my Berninas..truly, nothing sews like a Bernina.