Happy and blessed owner of 2 Berninas. It’s not upsetting at all to hear of others negative experiences with BERNINA. All machines have issues and we all have the chance of getting a lemon, or machine we feel is “fussy”. Owning a machine with lots of bells and whistles doesn’t suit everyone. I happen to like tech, so it works for me. My first BERNINA (1260) is a fantastic machine and I think it was pretty early in the time when computerized machines came out.(don’t quote me!) Bought in 1994. I read an article written by a man who owns a machine repair shop about computerized vs. mechanical and in part, people assume mechanical is always better and more reliable. Not true. Of course a metal head, gears and such are better, the entire macho doesn’t have to be. We all know circuit boards and other electronics go out, but mechanical parts can break and wear out too. The drawback is when you can no longer find the mechanical part to replace the broken one. Same with electronic course. So it all comes down to your beliefs and preferences I suppose! 😃

The new Bernette straight stitch is $2000,00 down from the original $3000.00 price.

I have the 185, love it, operator error is the only problem it's had.

Sort of true. I have mechanical machines from the 50's that are still working and repairable. Many parts are even being reproduced due to the popularity of these machines. My computerized 180 from the late 90's had the screen go out. It's not repairable. Bernina doesn't make the computerized components from their older machines. I found one at an estate sale that I bought and I'm hoping the screen keeps working for a while. I love the 180.

Try different thread. I traded a Bernina, as it was a PIA...then I brought home another machine, it did the same thing!
My daughter came and changed threads..........lo and behold the new machine worked just fine...sigh.....

Thread can cause a lot of problems. I was trying to quilt a quilt with Aurifil on my Juki and the thread kept breaking. I'd used Aurifil before with no problems. I was talking to a friend about how frustrated I was and she suggested I try a different spool of thread. I got a new spool of the same color and had no more thread breaking. Tossed the bad spool in the trash.

More disappointment than hate...
 

Hi! I've been lurking for about a year & thought it was time to participate! So hello, Everyone!

Regarding Berninas, I'd always dreamed of owning one, esp. a 1031 with all the bells & whistles, feet, feet binder, feet case, accessories like knee lift, case, extender, etc. were all there. It was a beauty, just like the one in "How to Make an American Quilt". However, despite following the manual to a T & taking extra good care, it seemed as though whenever I used her for a bit, something would break & I'd take her to the only Bernina repair shop in town at a cost of bout $100, more or less (this was around 2010). I think I paid somewhere around $1000 used + $400 in repairs. I finally decided that I couldn't afford to keep a machine with that high a maintenance cost.

I'd also purchased a used Bernina 800, which I was told could handle anything. It could not. So off she went.

I'm not a novice at using & doing my own maintenance & small repairs to older machines. I have multiple models of Pfaffs, Husqvarnas, Singers, Whites - everything from treadle/handcranks to digital, for home use & semi to pro industrials & I have decades of experience sewing everything imaginable so not like I abused the Berninas. But have to say, for just me, I would never buy another. In fact, I put the stops on acquiring any more machines of any brand, period. I'm at that agonizing point in my life where I need to downsize, pick out the machines that perform the best versions of what I need & call it a day.

Hope that helps! Am sure I'm in the minority as I've read so many wonderful things from Bernina owners.

You're not alone. My quilting buddy bought a Bernina 770 combo sewing/embroidery machine. She too had been saving up a long time. We went to the Daytona quilt show a few yr. ago where she tried out the demo at dealer's boothe. After trying a couple of other brands, she went back to Berniana booth and ordered hers. Once it arrived, she drove many miles to weekly lessons and felt more confident. However, she kept having issues. Months later, she traded it in and bought a good mechanical Juki straight stitch machine and was glad she'd kept her older Babylock embroidery/ sewing machine as backup. I used to own a Bernina 1030 from 1985, and used it daily in my custom drapery business. I sold all my equipment with the business upon retiring. I heard from a former employee that the old Swiss made 1030 is still running!

My first Bernina, bought over 20 years ago, is still my main sewing machine and sews as beautifully as the day it came home. It's a 153 QE. I bought it with money I inherited from my dad's estate. I'd made up my mind I was going to get a new sewing machine with it, and I wasn't going to wait any longer.

Working full time and having 2 children meant I had to go to the shop on a weekend. It was winter, and the weather was awful - but I was going THAT day, lol. The closest sewing machine store was a Penn Yan Sewing, a Bernina shop - and that, really, is the only reason I went with Bernina. I am so glad it worked out that way! This machine can do anything - I've sewn through several layers of both cotton and batting when making bags, it never hesitates.

I've since purchased 2 smaller Bernina's, both used. A 245 that lives in our FL home (and is rarely used anymore; we didn't even go down last year due to hurricane damage in the development) and a 350 that is my sewing day/class/retreat machine. Both also sew beautifully.

The constant "climb", if you will, to make Bernina's do more does nothing for me at all. I have no desire to have hundreds of decorative stitches and do not like machine embroidery. My shoulders are not going to allow machine quilting of anything large, so my quilting is done by check (taken to a long arm quilter). I wish they would make another full size, basic machine like my 153QE! I know that, given how old it is, the electronics - rudimentary as they are - will go at some point and it will not be able to be repaired. I'm not sure what I will do at that point. Possibly Pfaff, I used one at a class and liked it. Possibly Juki.

I bought my first Bernina in the 90's. It was a 1630 and I wish now I hadn't traded it in. I really liked it. I traded it for an Artista 180 and loved that machine. I used it until a few years ago when the screen went out. I found another 180 at an estate sale for $400 and bought it. It's my sew anything that the other machines might not handle machine and I still use it often. It also makes the best buttonholes of any machine I own. Even better than my newish 475. If it goes out and I can't find another at an estate/garage sale, I'll probably consider a Juki. I have one for FMQ and have been very impressed with the quality of the machine. Bernina's have gotten so expensive and, as you say, they have so many features that I'm never going to use that I will probably change brands if I need another machine.