Janome 8900 vs Babylock Crescendo
 

I can't make up my mind! I went to the Janome & Babylock dealer today. I was planning to test drive the Crescendo but they did not have one in the shop. He did say he could order one for me, it would only take about a week. He showed me the Janome 8900 and said it had a lot of the same features as the Crescendo. I tried it out and it is a very nice machine, but I was interested in the laser beam on the Crescendo. He would give me a really good price on either of the machines. (I think) The Crescendo is $3600. and the Janome 8900 is $2497. including that nice big white table it fits into with drawers on the side. I guess my question is - do you think the Crescendo is worth $1200. more? Thank you for any help you can give me.

I paid $3499 for my Janome 8900 plus another $499.00 for the table it fits in. The price the dealer is offering for the Janome and the table is a great deal. I don't know anything about the Crescendo.

Thank you, sewingmemories. I thought it sounded like a good price. Are you happy with your Janome 8900? Is it good for free motion quilting?

I purchased the Crescendo last September. I am happy with it.....the laser beam is worth the extra price to me. I am not crazy about the dual feed foot. It's bulky and fabric will bunch up under the mechanism with quilting. However, I seem to be the only person with this problem. There are features I have not had a chance to use that gets positive comments from other users. I have never used a Janome.

I would get the crescendo, it has better reviews that I have seen, I have the brother version of the combo and to me right now it is a force to be reckoned with, just my opinion based on reviews, I don't know if the one that has both is on this board but she much prefers her vseries over her 8900. Does the dealer have the aria or unity to try out, those have most if not the same features and would give you an idea, the unity should have all the sewing features, the aria would just be missing the laser and pen but would let you know how well it sews if he does not have a crescendo to try

Jo ford you really need to just spend some time with the foot, because it really is one of the best features of the machine, you really should not be having bunching maybe your presser foot pressure is too high, just a thought. the muvit foot handles anything and does it well in my experience. I would recommend buying the open toe for it as it creates better visibility for quilting. SA195 i believe is the part

I had a BL Symphony and now I have an 8900. My Janome dealer took the BL as part of the trade. Part of the reason I did not want the BL has to do with the LQS--however, I also had issues with piecing, etc. I do like the Janome much better in terms of how solid it feels and how it sews. I have had some issues with piecing on it too, but I think I have those figured out. It does much better for me on multiple layers. I like the stitch quality more...in the end, I believe it is going to be personal preference, both of the machine and in your confidence regarding the place from which you purchased it.

I have a crescendo and to me it worth every penny I paid for it!! I love the laser light and pen and use it every chance I get!! I have no experience win janomes so no help there. When I bought mine they didn't have a crescendo in the shop either but had the unity and told me it the same minus the embroidery and after getting my cresendo they do feel the same while sewing.

I really like the pivot feature of the crescendo but also have trouble with the fabric bunching up behind the dual feed foot. $3600 seems like a good price for that machine. I think I paid way too much, $4400: the dealer though is great as he did the cleaning and adjusting of my 1948 Singer, BL quilters pro and fixed the bent base of my Bernina 153 with maintence adjustment and cleaning for free. I have no experience with Janome so can't compare the 2 machines. Buy the one you can afford and like the best.

I had a Janome 7700... and while I liked it, I sold it because I didn't want two 7mm wide machines - the one I have here now is a BL Ellisimo Gold.

The one thing (and call it old-dogs-new-tricks) ... is that the foot on the Janome is not centered to the ankle. This might not bug anyone else on the planet but me... but it drove me crazy after 30+ years with my old ElnaGirl that has her footie centered to the post that holds it.

You can't beat the dual feed on the 7700s... but I never tried an 8900. I'm assuming they should function similarly.

Still love the sweetness of sewing on the BL... so smooth.

All I can say is that you really need to sit down - breathe - and be alone with each of these for about 30-45 minutes with fabrics and tasks from home to compare them out.

They're both wonderful machines... it's going to be a personal preference thing. Have fun!

The Babylock and the Janome are at the same dealer. He seems to know more about the Janomes though. He was really pushing the Janome 8900 and thought I would like it for quilting. The lady that demonstrates the machines in the shop said Janomes were quieter and smoother to run than the Babylocks. They only had an Ellisimo Gold Babylock and it was set up for embroidery so I didn't get to try it. I wish they had one with the laser because I would really like to see it and try it before actually ordering a Crescendo.

For that kind of money, I would insist he get one in so it can be tried out...if he is a dealer for both, he should have these available for potential buyers......maybe he gets a better deal from janome...reason for pushing it.....don't know just saying. JMHO

Crescendo hands down! I LOVED mine and only traded it for the Unity which is the same machine with embroidery.

It takes all of about 30 seconds to change that machine over for sewing... and the pattern in the hoop won't be affected at all. You definitely need to try it.

Traded my Janome 7700 for a Crescendo and LOVE it...like you there wasn't one available to try but the Unity was and it is really the same machine without the embroidery module. I find piecing much easier on the Crescendo and FMQ is great. After several months of heavy duty use, I have no complaints at all, just love it!

Don't believe the dealer when he says that the Janome is quieter than the Baby Lock. I have the 7700 and have had it for about 3 years, I purchased a Baby Lock Ellisimo Gold 2 a few months ago, and I can tell you the difference is amazing. The Baby Lock is so much smoother & quieter than the Janome, and beats it hand down. The BL also sews much straighter seams and goes over bulky seams much easier. I think the Bl's are worth every penny. I'm thinking of selling my 7700 because I don't need two big machines. Insist on trying out the Baby Locks & the Janomes at your dealers before buying, spend time sewing on them, not just a couple of minutes. If they won't do that, & sit down with you showing you the features & letting you sew, find another dealer.

For anyone with a Crescendo - is the instruction manual easy to understand? It sounds as though if I order the Crescendo the dealer and I will be learning together as she is not familiar with that machine. :D I am leaning toward ordering one as it sounds by the responses I have got that it is the better machine. (Thank you for your help) I think the laser would be good as my eyes are getting lousy as I get older. I will ask to sew on the Ellisimo Gold today so I can get a feel of what a Babylock is like. I live in a fairly small town and it is a 10 hour drive to a large city and I would like to buy from the local dealer if possible.

I'm in total agreeement with MamaHen... and my experience was about the same - except I got the two machines within 6 months of each other. I had heard so many people talk about the BL being for embroidery (and notsomuch for sewing) that it tainted my opinion a bit when I was first shopping. Also, I do like making bags and weird projects.. that that dual feed on the Janome is hands down the best when it comes to muscling heavy or odd objects... to the point I was afraid I would miss it if I sold it... but so far, I'm OK. :)

As for someone else saying that the Janome is quieter... I don't quite get how that can be... in my case, the BL hums compared to the Janome..... but I didn't find the Janome to be a problem on that front, anyway.

Beaglelady...

The BL manuals are *great* compared to Janome... unless Janome has improved that in the last year or so.

Also ask to see the "Inspiration Guide" binder for the BL... and just know that this is a common "throw in" to the package to get you to buy. The price on those guides is about $100-120 .. but it seems to be added in a package quite often. Also, (for BL again) ... ask about having the accessory zip up case that comes with about another 20-25 feet thrown in. That usually has about a $500 price - but again, it's another perk for packages.

I don't have experience with Baby Lock but I recently purchased a Janome 9800 and I can tell you the price he is offering you is a really good price. It was very difficult for me to find pricing information on this machine when I was shopping and I asked on this board and others were helpful. In my shopping and asking around I found over $1000 spread on what people paid for their machine. I finally found on one site that the MRP on the machine is $4999 or near that but no one I found paid even close to that. The range was from the mid $2000's to the high $3,000's. Many purchased a cruise model 8900. These machines had been used on a quilting cruise and so could not be sold as new. I did learn that Janome does not allow this particular machine to be sold on-line, only through dealers. So far I'm really liking my machine. Good luck on your search and purchase.

Looks like the MSRP on the Crescendo is $4999, my dealer has it for $3988, but she usually throws in $100's of dollars worth of extras with any machine purchase. If one is going to pay cash, she'll usually drop the price quite a bit more. So it looks like your quote on price is pretty good.

This is a hard decision - they both seem like great machines and they both sew really nicely. I like them both better than my Husqvarna (I think). I don't like the screws you have to undo to change the needle plate on the Crescendo, but not much else I don't like about it. The Janome is great and I love the table it fits in, but no laser. Maybe I am overthinking this. Ha ha

For those that have difficulty with screwdrivers, here is your solution. Love mine. Order 2 just in case!

http://www.coastalbendsinger.com/Mor...crewdriver.htm

Not to confuse you more...but did you know the Brother Dreamweaver QV3000 is just like (and I think cheaper) than the Crescendo? Is there another dealer near you that sells Brother machines? You can at least go try it out in the Brother version to make a real comparison.

Thanks for the idea to try the Dreamweaver, but unfortunately there are only 2 dealers in town - one sells Bernina and the other has Janome & Babylock, so no Brothers to try.:(

This is the price I bought my 7700 for and they thru in the nice nice big table. I love this machine and having the table makes it all the better. I would grab the deal on the Janome if I were you.

PS. I bought this machine about a year and a half ago. I don't think the 8900 was born yet.

Thats a a great price for the Crescendo. My dealer is considerably higher. I'd grab it at that price. It's a wonderful machine.

MSRP on the Crescendo in Northern California appears to be $5,999.

I have the 8200 which is essentially the same but with a few less features, and I find it amazing for FMQ, but I'm a relative novice so you may want to take my opinion with a pinch of salt. But I'm very very happy with that aspect.

I love not having to undo screws to change/clean out the stitch plate.

I also love that the speed control slider works even when using the foot pedal rather than the start/stop button (my old machine was either/or). But they may be standard with posher machines. I jumped straight from my £250 machine to a £1300 machine at the difference was fairly considerable!

Have no idea how the dealer can say anything sews smoother than a BL. I have the Janome 7700 and it sews smooth, but not smoother than a BL. I think the buy sign is lit from that dealer. Please try and find a dealer who has or is willing to get the Crescendo for you to try. Make them take down the embroidery of the Ellisimo and let you try it. Then let them tell you the Janome is smoother. I am not knocking Janome, but really!

I just bought a Crescendo and I am still learning the machine. I had an older machine that only had straight stitching with a 4in harp to the right of the needle, and sounded like a thrashing machine when I was machine quilting. I am constantly referring to my manual as the Crescendo has many features I didn't realize a machine had. I went originally for the Janome but after seeing Crescendo in action, I knew this was the machine for me. I love the laser light and the the pen and You tube also has information on how to set these up

Crescendo comes with Large table. not extra. I don't know anything about Janome but you owe it to yourself to test drive the Crescendo before you decide. I love mine. I love the dual feed foot and the laser.

I don't have either of those machines, never sewed on a Janome, but liked the BL Decorators Choice I had, really like my Walmart Brother. The reason I am posting is to state I wouldn"t have any machine that I had to unscrew screws to clean out my machine even if it made me eggs and toast in the morning.

I own a Janome 8900 and a Babylock Symphony. They are two very different machines. I like features on both of them but if I could only own one machine for me it would be the Janome. I love FMQ on it, so easy and the pop off plates are great. The Babylock is a very noisy machine, beeps at almost every step but I love the threader and the pivot feature. When Janome comes out with a large bed machine with pivot feature that doesn't cost as much as a car, I will probably say goodbye to the Babylock. I use it for applique because the pivot feature is fantastic. I hope Janome takes the Skyline 7 and stretches it to an 11" bed within the next year.

I went out today to test drive those two machines...at two different shops. At the first shop I tried the Crescendo - very nice (I wanted to try the Aria but it wasn't in stock. They don't carry Janome). Then to another shop to try the Janome 8900 ($2499). It, too, is quiet but I think I'm going for the Crescendo ($3499 at the first place, $4200 at the second). I currently have a Viking QE Designer II which I bought off a friend when she upgraded to a Pfaff. The 8900 doesn't have that pivot feature where the presser foot release and I really love that about the Viking. It just pops up when you take your foot off the pedal. I would have to go back to manually lifting the lever at the back of the presser foot or get used to the knee lift. The Crescendo shop will include the new feet for the walking foot and two years worth of service (usually only one year), and free lessons any time. Should I go for it?

yes you should. You will love the Crescendo. Have had mine for almost 3 years and have never regretted it for one moment.

I sold my Janome 6600 and bought a Crescendo ..it is amazing...but I loved my Janome...

I would stay away from Ellissimo

My Janome dealer is no longer carrying the 8900 -- there are some great new features in the 9400, the list price of the 8900 is close to the 9400 and most customers want the 9400 so he has heavily discounted his 8900. The 8900 has a different accufeed than the 7700 and I think the 9400 has a different one yet -- I prefer the built in accufeed that only needs a relatively small foot to be attached. The Crescendo foot is huge -- even bigger than the old walking feet.

I have the Crescendo and love it. I don't know anything about the other machine. However I think the price he is asking is way out of line. I would shop around for price and to actually test drive it.
I bought mine when they first came out, actually maybe 6 months later and I believe our local dealer charged in the $2000.00 range up to $2500
I bought one from him that had been sold at s local quilt show, NEVER used still in the box. The first owner took it home left on vacation and upon returning she exchanged it for one with the embroidery machine. So I got to pay her price, less than$2000 special show price with full warranty etc.