I'm looking at different machines right now and have just spoke with a dealer for Husqvarna. How do you like it?

I own a Husqvarna Viking Platinum 755. I LOVE it -- I've had no issues with it. I love how it's easy to place the bobbin; also love how the sewing needle placement is adjustable. It sews beautifully...has way more stitches than I could ever possibly use, though. The only issue I've ever had was that the feed dogs would occasionally kick the fabric to the left -- I resolved that issue by getting a piecing foot with a guide.

I sew almost every night for at least an hour or two, and the machine has held up beautifully so far.

I have the Husqvarna Viking Designer 850. (I think that's the right number) It's got an 11 inch throat and I'm loving it for machine quilting. I like the way it sews, the bobbin empty reminder, and the automatic setting for 1/4 inch seams when on the quilt setting.

don't have one...good luck finding what you want

I've got the D1, #1+ and the Diamond...love them all...they have all been used and abused. The only problems have been ones of MY making...

Julie

I realize that they're really expensive and I changed my mind about getting two different machines at this time. One for sewing/quilting and one for embroidery. So I'm looking at the combos. I think I'll go and give them a trial run. I am going to take my husband with me though so he can check out the mechanics on them. I'll be in charge of everything else!!! :lol: :lol:

You know I called a Bernina dealer and spoke with someone that really couldn't give me any info. She kept asking someone else for answers, but the one that had the answers I guess didn't feel it was important enough to come to the phone. Won't be buying a Bernina!!! Can't expect very good service from there!!

I picked up a husky C200(?) at a Sewing festival last year here in Denver, I bought it to FMQ. I haven't used it much, but, I LOVE that thing! certainly not as fancy as what some of you own..smooth, quiet. Good luck!

Husqvarna Viking Sapphire 830. I've had it for about 8 months and love it! I wish I got to use it every day, but it's more like 3-4 times/week. It's a bit different than my old Viking. I'm still reaching for the presser foot lever! LOL At the beginning, I had a little trouble doing FMQ, but the dealer gave me a new foot and it works great! I like that I can adjust the foot right or left where ever I want it. Love the decorative stitches. It's got a 9" throat, so it's great for squeezing the quilt thru. I went with a dealer that offered unlimited free "get to know your machine" classes. She's accommodated my schedule. Very helpful and a pleasure to deal with, much nicer than at Joann's. I think I bought in June when they were selling off the 830's to make room for the 835's. I got mine for under $900. I saw the 835 for $1299 on sale at Joann's the other day. I don't think there's much different, maybe a few more stitches.

I had a Viking for about a year, but sold it to get my Janome 9000. It was a great machine and I had no dislikes or quibbles about it other than I wanted an embroidery machine. I've "heard" quite a few negatives lately about Viking though. I don't know what the problems are, but I'm also researching buying a new machine and I'm a bit hesitant to get another one...

I love that feature! You can raise and lower the presser foot completely hands free. Also the ability to stop with the needle up or down. Makes piecing so much easier.

I have a viking 6570 - older, but still going strong! I love it, and will not trade it for any other current machine. (I will be looking for a mid or long arm, but not another sewing machine.)

The machine has been great!!!

i have had my viking since 1995, absolutally love it, would like to have an updated on but this one has tons of features i have never used. but like my machine,the only prob ive had is the ankle foot broke but after all this time i guess i wont complain, only cost me 3.00 to replace,

I own 3 Viking sewing machines & LOVE them!! I had an older model years ago which I traded in & have never traded one since - just get the newer model & keep the older one. Never had a lick of trouble w/any of them. Of course, I have a fantastic dealer - that makes all the difference!

Let us know what you end up with!

If only I had been able to do that, sigh. I gradually traded my way up to the Diamond, but really wish I still had my Designer 1 etc. as well. However, to make up for that, I recently added a beautiful, red 6460 to my collection :wink:

I was also fortunate enough to get a Bernina 830 a few weeks ago, and I elected to trade in my 730 rather than sell my Diamond.

I have a D1 and a Diamond. With the Diamond it comes with hoops that you can do 8 inch blocks and more.

I have a Quilt Designer and love it. Wanted the embroidery but didn't want to pay the major $$$ to upgrade so I got a use Janome 350E Embroidery machine for about $500. I am so glad I went that direction because now I can still sew as the embroidery machine is going, something a combo machine can't do.

I have 2 Viking machines and I absolutely love them. I love my dealer, as well. I think a good dealer makes all the difference.

I started with the Husqvarna Viking #1+, and upgraded to the Designer SE. Both of these machines have been trouble free. I highly recommend Husqvarna, they stitch beautifully, and have all of the needed features.

The Diamond (top of the line) is a popular model, so you might want to talk to your dealer about gently used machines he has available as a result of a customer trading up. My local dealer has some real bargains. Your dealer should fully service the machine and offer a warrenty.

Husqvarna has models to fit any budget. I think you would be very happy being a Husq owner. :wink: :wink:

I have a Freesia (6yrs) and a Scandinavia embroidery machine (3). I absolutly love them both. My dream is to have one of their top of the line embroidery machines with all of the bells and whistles. But I don't think that I would trade in either one of these. They sew like a dream and are easy to operate. Also, the dealer I bought them from gives fantastic service.

What year was the 6460 made? Does it work with cams?
Just wondering if it is comparable to my (irreplaceable) 6570...

I have a viking iris. It is an older model, but does embroidery. My DH bought it refurbished maybe 5 years ago, but still works very well. I have had no problems with it!
My only problem with it... i can't do any embroidery any bigger than 4x4. My next machine will have at least 5x7 capability.

I have a Viking Designer 1 and really like it for both sewing and embroidery. I have had it since 2003 and it was a floor model. It has seen many hours of use. I also have a Husky C10 that I like. It is a sweet little machine.

If I were in the market for another machine, I would like the Bernina 820 with the wide throat space. Both dealers are more than an hour from me.

I just saw the Bernina 820... and then the price. Wow! I do like that big throat though. I have a brother 6000i also and it has a very narrow throat. I have a hard time quilting b/c I can't fit a quilt any bigger than 60x60 in my machine. I have a hard time with smaller quilts too.

"You know I called a Bernina dealer and spoke with someone that really couldn't give me any info. She kept asking someone else for answers, but the one that had the answers I guess didn't feel it was important enough to come to the phone. Won't be buying a Bernina!!! Can't expect very good service from there!!"

Sewcrafty

Maybe there was a reason that person could not come to the phone. Maybe the one you were talking to was a recently new employee and was getting experience. Have to start somewhere. It does take a while to learn. Think of how many different machines a dealer sells or even how many different brands. I worked for a dealer and believe me, NO ONE knows everything. Even managers. And lots of places hire people who have no sewing or machine experience. Their reasoning is that they can teach anyone to sell machines. There usually is a script for each machine which covers the basic stitches and features and a few speciality stitches. Where the sewing experience comes in handy is for class instructions. But, even there it is not necessary to be able to sew.

As far as service from the dealer, doesn't Bernina have a repair person on site? The Viking Gallery dealer I use sends the machines to Ohio. I knew a lot about the machines Viking sold, but that computer cash register was a different story. A few times I had to call the manager at home to make a sale. Just something different about the purchase that was not in the manual.

Just a thought from someone who has been on the other side.

The two features I like are the large throat space and the stitch regulator. I like to do free motion and thread painting and those features would be perfect. I have done a king size on my D1. Can I say HARD?

Any other dealer that I've spoken with, Janome, Brother & Husqvarna all took the time to answer any questions. I know the Janome and Husqvarna had repair sites there. Didn't that info from the Bernina dealer and forgot to ask Brother also.

I have the Sapphire 830 and love it. Very good machine but does not embroidery.

I have both a Husqvarna Viking 150E (21 years old) and a Bernina Virtuosa 153 QE (9 years old). I love them both, use them both, and have no need or desire to upgrade to anything else.

A reliable, and honest, dealer makes a big difference and is worth going out of your way to find, even if it's not the closest one. That said, don't buy a machine you are just "settling" on simply because you like the dealer best. You'll be using the machine a whole lot more than you'll be using the dealer!

I have a Sapphire 875 Quilt.. it is a DREAM.. all my other machines had been walmart machines.. this is nooooo walmart machine. IT IS HEAVENLY!

I LOVE my Viking, Designer 1!! It's soo wonderful!! The stitches are great, it runs smooth, and reliable. It's one of the best investments that I have ever made. :thumbup: I also have the Viking Husky Lock searger, talk about a time saver when you do clothing! They stand behind their products, give lots of instructions, their web site is great. They also give free updates your computer. You can down load them directly to your sewing machine.

I have two Roses. I LOVE them. Some day I will get a newer machine, but I would ALWAYS keep my Rose. It is a workhorse!

Polly,

I just bought a 6460 on eBay. I had had a 6430 and had it in storage for nine years and it was all locked up. My repairman was not familiar with it and was unable to get the necessary parts. I purchased a 301A and a 457, I like both of them, but I had used my 6430 for 27 years and find I still miss it. Unfortunately Viking Dealers/repairmen are not very plentiful down here on the ridges in KY. But I bought the 6460 anyway. Someday, perhaps I will find something I love just a much.

P.S. My is Maroon also.

If it has computer parts on it the electrical warranty does not cover them.

I am speaking from experience. The light on my computer board where you select your stitches went out and they will/would not replace it.

If I ever buy another sewing machine I am going to stick with Singer.

I have had a Husquavarna since early 70's, a new one about every 10 years for the upgrades no problems. I love them no problems.

Longarm

I have a Huskystar and I love it haven't had any trouble with it I also have a huskystar embrodiery machine love it also

I've had a Husqvarna Rose for a little over 5 years and I like it very much. My husband bought it for me in Florida, thinking I would have at least 2 years to get lessons etc before we retired. I got one lesson and that was it. We sold and moved. The closest dealer is about 1 1/2 hours away but they did help me when two of the option buttons wouldn't work. I wish I knew how to use all the different attachments, and computer programs that it has.

I have a Viking Designer 2. Got it 7 yrs ago and just took it in 3 weeks ago for its first cleaning. The person that did it said it was not as bad as she has seen some. Really was nothing wrong with it other than I thought it was time for me to give it some TLC. I use it a lot not always every day but sometimes several hrs. a week. Make sure where you buy has a service dept. and most all places give free lessons.

I have 4 Viking machines. I have the Designer 1,which I bought in 1995 and have no problems with it at all. I have the HuskyStar 936 serger. I have the Huskystar 215 (this was given to me by my oldest daughter so I can sew when I am embroidering or when my Designer 1 is in the shop for its yearly cleaning. I also have the Mega quilter. All are great macines. I had always wanted a Bernina until I saw the Viking. To me there was no comparison. I love the Viking. Hope you make the right choice for you.

I have a Viking Designer I LE and love it - just bought it a year ago and am still learning about all the things it can do. I also have a Viking Lily555 which I bought in 2003 to replace an old and I mean old Kenmore. I couldn't be happier with both machines. Before I purchased the Designer I I did a lot of research becasue I thought I wanted a Bernina. However, I found that the Bernina has a much longer learning curve and the dealer was also not very helpful. My Viking dealer is 40 minutes away but they have been very willing to answer questions about the Designer I either over the phone or by e-mail when I can't figure out how to do something on the machine - that's what I call excellent service.

I had the Husqvarna D1 and got a water leak over the D1 so I upgraded to the Diamond. I admit I do not take aadvantage of the embroidery part but really like the way it sews. I use lots of decorative stitches when I quilt. But for my classes i take a Janome becauseit is lighter weight. When I look at a machine I want needle up and down, and to be able to move the needle both right and left. I like the Diamond because it has a thread cutter and is handy when I am quilting and have to cut the thread in the middle of the quilt.