Brother/Babylock Machines
 

I am shopping for a machine and was just about set to buy either a Brother or Babylock upper end machine but a dealer told me that these machines are made with plastic parts and are hard to service. Does anyone know if this is true. He is a Janome dealer - can anyone help me with this? I know that Brother makes the Babylock machines.

I don't know if my babylock crescendo is plastic inside but it sure is heavy. If it's plastic, it must have rocks inside. I really like the pivot feature so haven't used the knee lift. The dual feed attachment is nice as i always have had trouble getting walking feet on my machines. So far, i am not impressed with the sensor pen and laser light. If I was doing it over again, i would rather have the Aria which wasn't out yet when i bought the crescendo.

Have owned 5. Presently have 2 combo sew/emb, and emb only. Love them; no probs with service, but haven't needed any repairs

Can only speak about Bernina's which are all metal inside.

My only Baby Lock is my serger. It is plastic on the outside, but it is very heavy and solid. It does beautiful sewing, and is so very easy to thread and change to sew different types of seams. I would never buy a different brand of serger. I debated over buying the Crescendo, but my LQS had a great deal on the Janome Horizon 8900, so I bought it last year. I have heard a lot of praise on the Janome machines on this board. It does wonderful work too. My suggestion is to try out different brands of machines. Then you can buy the one that "feels" right. I think you will be happier this way. I have a Brother 1500, Janome Horizon 8900, Bernina Artista 180, and a Singer Featherweight. I love them all.

A Baby Lock fan here. Several of the ladies in the quilt guild have Brother machines. I have not heard any complaints about either brand. Both have good dealers within about 20 miles (or less) so service and classes are handy. Both offer free classes if you purchase a machine from them. I don't know about whether they have plastic parts or not. I do know mine are extremely heavy. Both are about the same and the most important is they are user friendly.

I find the Babylock to be a very solid machine, and when I got mine it came with a 3 year Gold plan for any and all maintenance or service. I have not had it for years and years so can't speak to that for quite a while yet

He wants to sell you a Janome. Period. I have owned Brother/Babylock machines for 20 years. In fact I have owned every brand of machine, except Bernina (just never found a dealer I liked). Only one problem with any machine in my entire sew career (50 years), but had NOTHING to do with plastic parts. People need to get over this "plastic" problem. These machines are not the kind of plastic your Gatoraid bottles are made from, this is high impact/industrial plastic that is also used in the automobile you drive. Engineering has come a long way and every machine on the market has plastic in its construction. Now that said, you will find lemons in every brand. You will also find that every brand has both low end and high end machines, and their construction and "extras" will also be low/high end. You will not get the "toys" on the $300.00 machine that are on the $9000.00 machine, no matter what the brand. Same as buying the Yugo (remember that one?) and a Mercedes Benz. Buy your Brother/Babylock with confidence, or any machine you chose. I will NEVER purchase from a sales person who purposely puts down one brand over another, because he has an agenda. He wants to get your money, but he may not necessarily be there for you when you need help. Find a dealer you feel comfortable with. Ask questions and test drive the machine, bring your own fabrics to practice on. Enjoy the "new machine smell".

Several of my friends and I own either Babylock or Brother, which actually manufacturers the Babylock machines. In one embroidery class I was in, out of a Pfaff, Janome, Bernina, Husqvarna and our 2 machines, we were the only ones that actually got any sewing done that day. The instructor was so impressed that she went out and bought the top of the line Babylock after the class. Having said all that, make sure you buy where you can get good service and someone will answer miscellaneous questions about the machines and how they work. All of them have some plastic in them. All of them will wear out over time....how long is that? My Singer I bought in 1969 finally had to have all the plastic gears replaced about 2000. It is still a workhorse and has had many a seam sewn on it. I wouldn't have had it fixed but I wanted it to zigzag again. Pick the machine you like and just go with it.

I was in the market for a serger to replace my old Huskylock which died. I had planned to buy an inexpensive Brother, to do me until I can get a high end Babylock. At the dealer, I compared the loopers on several brands and ended up buying a Janome. I have always been a Bernina girl, but didn't want to put out too much for a Bernina serger that would only be around a couple of years. Comparing the Brother and the Janome- I bought the Janome- comparable price. So far I am really happy with my purchase.