Bernina sewing machines
 

I am looking at getting a Bernina sewing machine, primarily because that is what is available with service in my area. I did a search on the board for comments on the ones I've been looking at but usually the name of the machine is not listed in the topic title. If I looking the wrong way for information, I'm sure someone can tell me how to do it correctly!

I have eliminated the Bernina 215, mostly because I need a bit more than this machine offers.

The others are the 330. 350 PE and 550QE. I don't fell like I ready for the other models with all the bells and whistles and then some.

Can you give me your opinions on these machines? Likes and dislikes?

My dear Elna is in the shop. I had her in for service in May - the first time since I've had her since 1985. The reverse wasn't working and after a good cleaning and check-up, it was fine. Then last week, I'd step on the pedal to go and it wouldn't. If I moved the wheel, it would go and seemed to sew fine. But the machines seems a bit noisy so road trip for Elna! Keeping my fingers crossed that they can repair her and I don't need a new machine. But maybe she is telling me she is tired and would prefer to be my back up. She has served me so well . .. .

visit your dealer/service center and 'test-drive' the different models & see which one you like best- they are all good machines- and it is a definite plus having a dealer/service locally= often free *owner classes* come with the new machine so you can learn all it has to offer.

I have the 440QE and really like it. A good service center is a great advantage. I purchased the extra Service Maintenance Agreement on my Bernina, which means I can take it in any time for anything at all, even just cleaning, for free.

I have an older Bernina 1260. It's a great machine. I paid $450 for it from a Bernina dealer, it was a one owner trade in. I would ask about a trade in before buying a brand new one unless you really want a brand new one.

Just bought the Bernina 550 QE, this summer and the Horn Cabinet that it fits into for quilting. Love it, sharing it with my dh 'cause he likes to sew but messes up lesser machines... Elna and the Lily and Singer by messing with the tension, and he cannot mess this one up that way 'cause the digital read out tells what is going on.

He quilts with me and makes his own kilts, etc. The Horn cabinet weights in at 175 pounds but is on rollers, so its easy to handle. Large shelf on left and behind the machine to hold the quilt for quilting. Love it so far...a bit nervous in starting with it, but it has been very nice to use. Ask questions, take the lessons, pay attention to the needle sizes and thread for it.

Could not afford the 700 or 800 series and this was a good compromise. No it does not embroidery, so I bought the Deco 340 for that. I have a Bernina 1530 since 1999, love it so much, I will continue to work on it. First time in all my tears of sewing, I have a sewing table for each machine and a cutting table and wide ironing board....and lots of light in the quilting room. Got a good deal from my dealer, I hope you can from yours and enjoy. You may BM me for any specific questions about it and I will tell you or find out for you. It is an amazing machine to me. Yes, I would recommend it and it will last a long time, I think.

I have the 350 as a backup machine, it is used by my granddaughter when she comes up to sew. It is a nice machine, sews beautifully and is very dependable.

I have the 440 QE also, with BSR and I love it. Bought mine the year before I retired so I would have a good machine after retiring. Best machine I ever had!!

Be sure to test drive the different models...I thought I wanted the 440QE, but after testing the 350 PE, I found it was adequate for my needs. Saved myself lots of money for fabric! ;). It stitches beautifully and it's so quiet! Have fun!

I don't have a Bernina, but I so support going to a local dealer and test driving the machines. I went in looking for a specific machine and after test driving some of them, I walked out with a completely different one they let me try for 5 days. Needless to say, it's still with me and I love it!!!!

I had an Elna that I traded in at my Bernina Dealer. I thought the difference was very noticable. I have the Bernina 440QE. Dealer is so important. I went about an hour away when I had another dearer right across town. My dealer has been there quite awhile and are incredibly knowledgable. One thing that had to be fixed was a new power supply. Probably caused by a flucation in power. It is a computer, after all. Suggest surge protector. I'm not sure what is in the 550QE package. Mine came with the quilters foot, BSR and walking foot in addition to the 'normal' sewing feet. I just found out there is a sole plate for the walking foot available that is for Stitch in the Ditch. You might want to be sure they are including that. My dealer does not want her customers to mess with the tension screw in the bobbin case. I was going to, finally, buy the extra case because I agree, I didn't want to mess up my original. They brought out a bobbin case with a black tab. It is speciffically made to play with your tension when using spciality threads and about half the cost! I was asked what its primary use would be. I answered King Tut thread top and bottom. He took it back and adjusted the screw to set it up for me! 1 last thing. Be really prepared when you go to test drive. Bring specific fabrics and threads and batting that you use and a plan of stitching you want to check out. Take your time. It is easy to get distracted on the sales floor. Happy shopping! BTW did I mention my dealer happens to have the best quilt store around! :D

When I purchased my 440nq last year I was informed the 550nq just a face change. I would have purchased it if the throat had been enlarged. I decided on the 440nq well before that having been using a friends and loved it especially the BSR which made free motion so easy. . If you can get the 440 with walking feet and BSR all in one package I'd say have it. Bernina sites do downloads of leaflets of machines.

Twenty seven years ago, when I decided I was ready for a better machine then my Kenmore, I went with a Bernina instead of a Phaff because of the customer service, and the Dealer was 45 miles away, not 100. It was the best decision I have made with sewing machines. I still go to the same dealer. Try out the machines, you will know, there will be one that "talks" to you, and lets hope it is in your price range. Just like wedding dress shopping, don't try out any machines you can not afford. As far as a serge protector, you need a serge protector/ battery pack, and plug your machine into the battery outlet on it. I learned the hard way, but it was under warranty.

I've had 3 Bernina's and have been very satisfied with each. Currently have the 430 with embroidery module. It sews beautifully - like others service is so important. I don't skimp on getting mine cleaned at least once a year and am very faithful at cleaning and oiling. Our dealer offers mastery classes that you can take as many times as you want if you purchase the machine from them. Also have a wonderful fabric, notions, etc. store. I've had Pfaff's before and they are not made as well. Well worth the extra $'s/

I have the Bernina 440QE without the embroidery module, and I love it. It does everything I need for both quilting and non-quilting projects and for garment construction. I plug my machine into a surge protector extension cord, along with my iron, light and fan, and I always unplug it at the wall, making sure (1) everything is off and (2) if there was any kind of electrical surge, my machine would not be affected. My Singer serviceman suggested that over 40 years ago, when I bought my first machine, long before I even knew what Bernina was, and I have been doing it ever since. The nice thing about the Bernina is that you can just unplug the power at the machine instead of at the wall.

I can't help you with any of the machines you mentioned (I have a 153QE), but I can help you pinpoint your search results.

Go to Advanced Search up at the top of the page, click it.
Enter the name of the machine you want info on and put it in quotation marks. That will keep the entire group of words together so you don't get just Bernina or just the number.
Make sure the drop down box says "Search Entire Posts".
Hit enter.

The result will be a list of threads that only have the exact phrase you typed in the box somewhere within a post.
Your keywords will be highlighted in yellow so you can skim quickly through the pages to catch every mention of the machine you are looking for.
Be aware that if you enter "Bernina 153QE" you will not get results that contain "Bernina 153 QE". They are exact matches only.

Hope that helps.

I have a Bernina 1020. It is not computerized. I guess it is the last one before they put computers in them. It has the needle up all the time when you stop. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I have the Bernina 550QE and love it. I have been a Bernina user since 998 and have loved every one I've had. 165, 18, 440E, 550QE. Kept trading up. When I got my 550QE it not only came with the BSR, but it came with the waking foot with three interchangeable feet. Needless to sat over the yearsT have bought a drawer full of feet and they all fit the 550QE.

I also have this machine and have bought a second one used to keep in the cart I take for classes. It had been a floor model when I purchased it 16 years ago. It has only been in the shop for cleaning. I am an avid sewer and sew a good bit about every day. As a home economics teacher I had other models in my classroom with very little repair ever needed. They were an easy machine for students to learn to sew with. Anyway, I have lots of experience with Berninas and recommend them. Most important is having service local.

oops...didn't work right...sorry. :o

I bought a 350 four months ago and I LOVE IT, But, I wish I had the 550 because it has the stitch regulator! I have had other makes of machine and I am so in love with the quality of bernina. I would never go back to anything else.

Wow! This is a very informative thread. I've recently purchased two older Bernina's, Nova 900 (circa1970) and a 53O (circa 1980). I mention this as a testament to the durability of the Bernina machines. I have friends in my guild who have each of the machines you listed and they are more than satisfied. I learned something important when I bought my last higher function machine. While test driving and learning I decided to focus on two models...one was all the functions I thought I needed and the second was a step up with a two additional features at about $600 more. I bought the lesser cost machine. It has served me well but now my sewing projects have evolved and those extra functions would have been quite usefull. Next time I buy a new machine I will probably stretch a little to get the step up.

If you don't want one with bells and whistles the best Bernina ever made, according to my Bernina guy, was the 930. This is one that was made before computerization and while the parts were still 'hand-milled' (not sure what the term is, something like that). Mine is over 25 yrs. old and it is a little workhorse. I have never had any problem with it other than parts wearing out, like needing my feed dogs replaced because they were about smooth. I can go from sewing very thin fabric to thick without changing a setting. Never skips a stitch. For just basic sewing it is great! When he can get them, he sells them for about $750. I hope mine keeps sewing as long as I do! I don't care about embroidery or other computerized functions since my main sewing activity is piecing quilts. I hand quilt, so I don't need the machine to handle large quilts either.

thanks for the info on the sole plate for the walking foot on the 440QE-teri j

I would say the 550 would probably be the best machine if you need a work horse. I purchased a 215 and was very unhappy so I took it back is a short time and traded for a 530. It's a much better machine. I also have a 153 QE and a 440 QE. My BSR is interchangeable with the 440 and the 530. The 440 embroiders too and all the feet are interchangeable between all three machines. Go to your dealer and try them all out and decide which one fits your needs, but the 550 is more expensive, but it is also the one that will probably last the longest.

I too have the 440QE, which I don't think is available any longer, and I also have a 780. I have a Bernette 46 and also the 2000DME serger. I can't say enough about Berninas. But I wholeheartedly agree with everyone else here that the best thing to do is to go to the dealer and test drive a few different models and compare the features. It might take you a couple hours, but well worth it in the long run. You will be happier! Good luck!!

Reb - I must have the same dealer - they also have the best quilt store in the area! Dealers are so important -mine helps over the phone and solves many issues for me that way. (Most of those issues would be user caused :0()

I have the 550 QE and love it. I'm a new sewer and quilter and the BSR is worth the price of the machine.
I've had her now for a year and a half and just took her in for a cleaning, she's hardly stopped working since I got her.
I don't know about other models but the 550 QE is made for quilting and so easy to use. Ofcourse I took the lessons that came with her which I would advise even the best sewer to take, you learn so much about your machine and what it will do. The BSR and walking foot and all the normal feet came with my machine not at an extra cost. I would want this included with the price of the machine and I got a really good deal because of the sale at that time. I'm sure you can deal with whoever you buy from if not go elsewhere.
Good Luck,
Mia

I love my 2 Berninas. 1260? Can't remember, as my daughter has been using it. 440 QE. I adjust the bobbin tension when needed. Both machines work well. My 440QE is a little temperamental if I don't clean out the dust bunnies.

The "QE" at the end of a Bernina machine number, means is has embroidery capabilities. Keep this in mind when looking at machines and determine if you want to embroider. If you plan to free-motion quilt, I suggested you get one with the BRS capabilities.

I traded a Janome when I got my first Bernina, a 450 (used), traded up to a 730QE (used) and eventually to the 830QE (used). I was primarily interested in a machine with the BSR. I recently purchased another used machine, the Artista 200 which also does embroidery as a backup machine and one that goes easily to class.

These are quality machines and highly recommend them. Our dealer is either #1 or #2 in sales volume in the country. Therefore, he has used machines and offers great service. Service should be high on your requirement list. You will not go wrong with a Bernina. Let us know which one you purchase.

My Pfaff did that and I agonized for weeks. Sometimes it would sew, sometimes not until it just didn't. It was the little thing in the foot pedal plugin, that plugged into the machine. That was broken off, just didn't fall out until I was struggling trying to get it to go. It fell out on the floor. Repair man said that was the problem. My Pfaff was 25 yrs old at the time. My daughter now owns it and it is still loved.

I have a Bernina 330 and love it. My very first machine was a Bernina. That was 30 years ago. Tried a Viking in between but really prefer the Bernina. the 330 gives me every thing I need and a little more.

I have a Bernina 640. I would get one with enough sewing power to add the embroidery module in a few years. I have a long arm and would probably never upgrade to an 830. But I had my 640 for 4-5 years and just recently added the embroidery module for my own enjoyment. If you think at some point you might upgrade to an 830 or something then I would get the simplest one that meets your needs right now.

I have the 550 QE and absolutely love it. Love the BSR and really would love to have another for our condo in the winter.

I have sewed for over twenty years on a Bernina 1090 that I got as a trade in and wouldn't trade it for the world. I gave away my Kenmore, a little Singer Featherweight, and a Janome Gem and use only one machine. I can't understand these who seem to want several machines, for to me it would only clutter up one's sewing room.

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LOL you are in SD and I'm in NY. But isn't such a treat going to the dealers? Mine has telephone service. They even explain in the 1st class what they are going to want to know. Most common problem they now post on their site. Your machine sounds like it's racing but it isn't sewing - because the bobbin winder is engaged. So some people say everyone has a twin somewhere. We must have twin dealers!

I have this machine also (bought it just before they came out with the new model) and I totally agree that it's the best machine ever!

I have 2 Bernina's and love them both, one is the 200E and the other is the 440, they have upgraded both of these machines and they do offer a bit more but not sure that I need that. Your dealer is important!

I have a 440 and I have never learned to HATE a machine before. It has been in for service 9 times and still the same problem. Thread brakes between fabric pieces.
I Will NEVER buy another Bernina. EVER

i have a 440 qe and just love it

Do you know about Snyder's Sewing Center in York, PA. I am not affiliated in any way but have a friend who deals with them and is very pleased with their sales staff and service.

http://www.snyderssewandvac.com/

They sell Brother, Viking, and Pfaff machines. Just thought you might like a few other options to consider.