Janome 7700 Horizon vs. 6600P
 

Last January I bought a Janome 6600P and absolutely LOVE it! I get so happy when I sew with it that I want to come here and write about how much I love working with that machine. Well, today my LQS had a big sale and I went home with a reasonably priced Janome 7700 & table. I know I will love it, but I don't want to part with the 6600 either. Plus, the 6600 has an almost industrial feel and ruggedness about it that makes me want to sing it's praises whenever it effortlessly sews through a ridiculous number of layers of fabric. Will the 7700 be up to the all around challenges that I'll require of it, like sewing through multiple layers of microsuede and nylon webbing straps when I make tote bags? I guess I have a little buyer's remorse, since the 6600 hasn't disappointed me ever. I do my sewing in my brother & sister-in-law's basement (I'm there almost everyday), so unless she wants to buy my used 6600, I could always take one of them to my house and be able to sew wherever I go. I know, I'm completely ridiculous for buying a machine I don't need to replace a machine I absolutely adore.

So, Janome Horizon 7700 owners, tell me, what will I discover and fall in love with when I get more familiar with this machine?

Thanks, all, for letting me vent my indecisiveness!

I love mine!!!, I haven't found anything that I don't like, my friend has a 6600P and loves hers too.

why not keep them both? they are both
very good machines.

if you can afford both, keep them. sounds like you (and your sis) can benefit by you leaving one machine there w/ her and keeping the other at your home. makes total sense to me! I don't see them as being duplicates of each other. The 6600 is a very nice machine but it does lack some of the refinements of TOL models...even TOL models with wide harps. The free-arm feature alone makes the Horizon desirable and i think it also has a larger harp area, correct? There are many, MANY more stitches. Its probably twice the machine of the 6600 so there will be plenty to love about it. Most of us have more than one machine. Truly it is more the norm than not! I understand buyer's remorse, tho. as i do also beat myself up after purchases, but you ain't married to none of em and can sell one later if you choose to do that. Give the 7700 a chance to prove to you that your instincts were spot-on when you bought it! We second-guessers don't usually part with our money easily so there's a reason you bought it!

Ther is a Yahoo website about the Janome 7700. You might want to sign up and read comments and ask questions before your purchase.

Does the Horizon really make machine quilting easier? I really hope so since I'm leaning toward getting one in a few years. I worked on a twin sized quilt (my first) this past week on my lower end Janome and it was a lot of cramming and jamming to get that baby done. I think I have about a 5 1/2 space for throat size on it.

I do love my Horizon. I jumped from the 6500 to the Horizon -- got one of the first. I liked the accufeed that the 6600 had but I wanted a free arm so I waited. The harp is nice and large (11"x4.5"), I have used the free arm a lot, the stitches are more adjustable, there are more stitches and it has a lot of extra lighting. I also like the fact that I can open the side door and easily clean out the top of the machine when I sew on really linty fabric (think vinyl and fleece) It is wonderfully quiet. The one drawback (for me) is that when they made the 7700 they did not include the separate bobbin winder that was on the 6500 (and I believe 6600). I use the accufeed for most of my piecing/sewing so I have not had the problems going over lots of layers that others had early on -- I have made a ton of pillow cases and go over 12 layers or so when I am doing the sides and it goes over just fine.

As Iowastitcher indicated, the Yahoo group is a great place to ask questions.