I have been itching to get a embroidery machine. I have looked at different models at the dealers ( no used to be found), Decided that the Janome 350E @ $1500 is too much for me since I don't know how much I'll use it. So, my other choice is a Brother PE 770 which costs $640 or so.
Would I be crazy to consider a Husqvarna Designer 1 or something similiar which is used and many years old instead?

I like my Brother, but don't have anything to compare it with, price was my issue too, this one is good for quilt labels, you can buy more designs on CD to expand what it can do.

Janome machines are always my choice. I have a 9700 which does regular sewing beautifully and also is an embroidery machine. Check it out on the Janome.com site. I have friends who have brother machines and they love them. I also have a friend who has a Designer I and she told me a while back that Husquavarna did not make some piece for it and she was upset. Check it out before you spend the $$ in the Designer I. I, personally, prefer the Janome 9700 cause it does both and if my main machine (Horizon) goes out it is great to fall back on.
Good Luck!!!

i've had my designer I for almost 7 years now- it's been a great machine (still is)
as for the embroidery unit- we used it ALOT when i first got the machine- but the (novelty) wore off i guess- i don't think i've used it in the past year- maybe 2- now if my daughter calls once in awhile for an embroidery project for her cheerleader daughters once in a while- but it's been a long time--
i have it if a project comes up for it-
kind of reminds me of our video games- everyone plays with them constantly for the first 6 months- to a year- then they seem to get set aside- and not touched anymore that's what has happened with my embroidery unit-
i still use my sewing machine every day though---would be pretty lost without it.

IF you can get a Designer 1 that has been upgraded to a USB that would be great! I love my Designer I and in addition to the embroidery it will sew through ANYTHING. Want to hem jeans? No problem. The only down side is the hassle of using floppies. I have the correct software to create them, but the USB version is much easier to deal with.

I have a D1 also and luv it...

I do not use the embroidery as much as I use to..but I still use it alot to make embroidery squares to make into quilt blocks...

I love my janome 350e...easy to use...check around for a better price.

I would take any Janome over anything else - except Babylock! The 350e is an awesome machine.

I have the Janome 350E and love it. Very user friendly. I use a stick as well as a cd reader for my patterns. I love Maxine and make my own quilt labels.

I have a Babylock duo (sewing and embroidery) that has worked well for years. Recently I bought a Brother 770 and enjoy having the separate machine. I can embroider while I sew which I couldn't do with the Babylock.

Just start sewing for your favorite charity. You'll have plenty of use for your embroidery machine! There are 1000s of free designs on the web.

I have had several embroidery machines and I embroider alot. Most of the top machines are intended to be used for 1000's of hours. Many people get them thinking they are going to use them on everything and then the newness wears off and they seldom get used. So, a used one can be a great deal. The one have now (Babylock elegante) is a wonderful machine that I bought used from the babylock dealer. You will pay a little more at the dealer, but they should have gone through it and done a complete service and done any adjustments necessary.
Some people trade in a machine as soon as a new bigger better machine comes along. Nice if you can afford it.
I had a designer - great machine. However the model I had used floppy disks to load designs. Since floppy disks are no longer available I had to pass. If you look at a designer, make sure it us USB or flash drive compatible. The newer ones can attach to your computer and you can just send a file without download device.
One critcal shopping item is to get at least a 5 x 7 hoop. Many of your designs are larger 4 x 4 and you will find tons of designs you will want that wont fit that 4X4 format.

Good luck

There is a Janome 350 on Ebay for about $1200, used. Call Alko Sewing in Ohio, get a price quote on a new one, you might be surprised.

If you get a used one from ebay or any place else make sure you can return it if you have a problem. A lot of sellers have a no return policy or only 7 days which barely gives you time to test the waters. I just bought a new/used Viking Ruby and I got a warranty along with free classes and enrollment to the embroidery club to make sure I can use it to the best of it capabilities. I agree not to spend too much if you aren't sure if you'll like it but try not to get stuck with one that doesn't do what it should.

I have the Janome. Price was an issue for me also. I went to my LQS and told them I was interested in an embroidery machine. When someone "traded up", I got a call saying they had a preowned Janome 350E. It was a great price and I bought it.

People are always buying the next best thing. You might be able to buy a preowned embroidery machine for a good price.

this is so true. I just bought the viking ruby this weekend. Because of going to classes at the LQS I knew the previous owner and knew it was well taken care of and the shop owner said the lady only had it a few months plus I got a warranty and lessons which are important for something like this. Last night when I went into the management part of the machine I saw that the previous owner only sewed 7 hours on this until she went up to the next level; how great for me is this.

I have the brother
770 and love it.

I am on my second Brother embroidery machine....have a Duetta 4500. love the machine becasue it is simple and easy to use...I still contend THE most important element is the customer service you will need. How close is a dealer, what do they offer, in house repair, or do they ship everything out....I have a friend that has owned every machine made, she has ended up not liking the majority of them especially the Husquvana (?) poor service, Bernina too complex, Pfaff now, couldn't remember how to get it to work......
The Brother is simple and easy, can buy parts such as feet and bobbins from their web site...would hightly recommend the USB port for a thumb drive. Can purchase Brother at Walmart, Costco and QVC.....

I have a Janome 300E embroidery machine and love it, it came out before the 350E. They have the same size embroidery field, the 350E is an upgrade. Have you checked to see if you can get it, it would be less expensive. I have had mine about 5 years and still going strong, no problems. It should be well under $1000.00 now.

I have a Rose viking and a designer 2. Wonderful machines.
Have done a lot of embroidering on both machines. you can see my work at my webshot below

this is off topic and nosey, but what do you do for charities?
(looking for yet another excuse to buy :lol: )

I bought one used and am very satisfied with it. I also am using SewWhatPro with it to upload designs to my disks. The machine takes a little getting used to; but then they all do. There is a nice and helpful Designer 1 Yahoo group. I think it would serve you better than either a Janome or a Brother. I paid 600.00 for mine.

I started with a Brother way back when and upgraded to my Duetta 4500D about 4 years ago. I love it and never a problem with it!
K

I have a Singer Futura 350 and I love it. It works with a laptop computer so all my designs can be backedup and stored on other computers. It works wish all the other formats and it easy (at least for me) to get started with. I don't care for it much as a regular sewing machine because there isn't much room in the presser foot area for changing out feet and using the enclosed screwdriver. Great built in stitches and sews beautifully. It's my go to machine when I want to machine quilt from table runners to lap quilts. Draw-backs are the stitch width and length selector bar. I wish this was digital and not a slide bar. I am also not very fond of the mock hand quilting stitch. But I love the serpentine stitch for quilting. Priced under 1,000 it was a good buy over all.

Yes, floppy disks are still available. I can buy them at the local office supply or order them from E-bay. I have a Babylock that uses floppies, but they can be transferred to an Amazing Box and then put on a memory card for your machine or on a thumb drive for later transfer when you want them.