I have 3 Janomes and love all of them for different reasons. But your dealer is the most important person, because you will rely on him for the up keep of themachine. Good Luck

I have the GrandQuilter which is equivalent to the Juki and it is a machine that ONLY goes forward or backwards. If you are looking for JUST a quilting machine, then that is fine but if you ever need to do any zigzag or blanket stitch or anything other than forward or backward (and you will) then go with a regular machine.

Don't know anything about vintage. To me that is just another name for "old" but I mean no offense with that statement.

Both colleagues at work are Janome fans and I am in the process of ditching my new Pfaff for a Janome. I will have to pick Patrice's brain a bit because she has both models I am investigating.

I agree with whoever wrote that you should identify what you NEED to have and what you WANT to have. Then compare the features. Being unhappy with a sewing machine is not like a bad haircut - it won't grow out, it will just grow moew frustrating.

What makes a machine Vintage? I bought a New Home Memory Craft in 1986. It has been a wonderful machine. 20+ years of sewing has been a delight.

About a year ago it occured to me that I might be wise to get a machine for back-up, in case my faithful machine stopped.

After a lot of research, I went to eBay - and to make a long story short - over a period of 6 months I bought 2 of the exact same machine, each one had seen very little use. I spent about $400 and got 2 great machines. I gave one to my daughter who has pestered me for my machine (when I quit sewing!) I would say I saved about $1000 - Not quite vintage - but maybe some day. if I live long enough!

I like the 3 Janome machines that I have.

Decide what you want a machine to do then purchase the one with as much more as your wallet will allow. Janome just today came out with two new machines that are supposed to be fantastic---high end machines with mid range pricing. One of them is $499 and the other is $799. The last one has an automatic thread cutter and a wide feed dog that allows for one finger guidance instead of two hands and only weighs around 16 lbs. Go to a fabric store that sells and displays Janome machines and try them out. Any good dealer will have several models on display and allow you to sew on all of them so that you can find the one that best suits you. I don't have a Janome yet but I'm planning to before the year ends. I know many, many quilters that wouldn't have anything else.

4-5 years ago, when I ventured into sewing, I bought the Janome Sew Precise which was about $300. I absolutely love it. It's a work horse, yet has plenty of patience with me (I am sure it 'rolls its eyes' at me alot!). Now, I'm looking at the Janome 6600 and hope to be able to save up and buy one by the end of the year. That being said, should I happen to have an unexpected windfall of money, I would probably get a Bernina. But the Bernina I want is way out of my price range in the foreseeable future.

Can I ask which Elna you had?

I might as well jump in here with the rest of the Janome advocates and say that I, too, love my Janomes. I have 3 (a basic model, 6600 & JemGold) and they all do exactly what I ask of them without complaint.

BUT - make a list of what you want and test sew as many machines as you can bear before deciding on what you want. I made potholder-size quilt sandwiches to take with me for testing on.

I've had a Janome 6600 for almost 3 years, and cannot fault it. Great machine for quilting, lots of features.

I have a Janome...and it is a great machine....I don't think I would ever switch brands...but i think everyone has their own opinions on sewing machines..it is all so subjective.