Janome Skyline S5 or Brother Innov-Is NQ900PRW (possibly NQ1300PRW)?
 

I currently have a Brother CS6000i, and it was a great machine to learn on. However, I'd really like to get a better machine with more features, especially one that won't walk off of the table when I sew at high speed. :P
I have tried out the Janome Skyline S5 (<$1200) at one dealer and 2 of the Q-Series Innov-Is Project Runway by Brother, NQ900PRW ($1099) and NQ1300PRW ($1499) at another dealer. Both shops portrayed their brand as the best, of course, but the Janome dealer tried to claim that Brother didn't have the tie-off stitch (it does) and that it couldn't handle 9 layers of denim (it can).
The main difference between the 2 brothers is more stitches and automatic height adjuster on the higher end machine. The brothers will stitch side-ways although I'm not sure I'd ever use that. Brother comes with more feet.
Janome has an automatic tension setting and memory button for stitches. It has less stitches than either Brother, but it seemed to have cleaner stitches than the Brothers. This may have been due to the Brother store not having the machine adjusted correctly, and I didn't change the tension. I did like that the Janome could sew just as nicely on 9 layers of denim as 2 layers of chiffon. I didn't test a knit. The Brother NQ900 did bunch the knit fabric up a little, but it was fine on 8 layers of denim. They didn't have any chiffon or lightweight fabrics to test.
The reviews for all of these machines are glowing, but I can't find any comparisons between the Skyline S5 and the NQ-series. I'm trying to see if there are any features/settings that are only available on one or the other. Has anyone used both? Or does anyone own one of them?

I started a year ago looking for a new machine. My current machine was a Janome. In the end I was the same as you between the Skyline and Brother 1300. I also liked the Babylock Saprano which is made by Brother and almost the same as the 1300. The prices were all about the same. After lots of thought I went with the Babylock as it had the best warranty.

My BFF has the NQ1300 and loves it. I've sewn with it a few times and have to admit(I'm a vintage machine gal) that I kinda like it too. It's a really good machine.

Cari

Both would be good, but the Janome probably has more harp space. I've found Brothers to be more limited in that . Have you tried the Janome 8900? It has 2 inches more throat which makes a huge difference. I love the auto tension and how quiet it is. But the Skyline is quiet, too. Not sure what the Brother is like. I'd encourage you to try the 8200 or 8900 (I have the 8200 and LOVE LOVE LOVE it--it's less money than the 89) .

I don't have a Babylock dealer around here, or I would definitely check that out.

The harp space seemed to be pretty close between all 3 machines. I'm not sure if the Janome dealer had an 8200 or 8900. Is the 8200 quite a bit more than the Skyline S5?

I mostly sew garments although I just bought the fabric to start 3 quilts for my kids. I wanted a machine that would do both. I was very happy with my cheap Brother for a while, so I initially expected to get a better Brother. The auto tension on the Janome is very tempting because I hardly ever remember to adjust the tension.

I need to go back and test them out more on knits and chiffon since I know that they'll all do denim well. I just don't like the salesperson hovering so much. :(

Auto tension is very misleading. It doesn't do what you think it does. The machines computer just picks an "average" tension setting based on the settings you input. I'd much rather have a manual tension that I set myself.

Cari

I didn't realize that although it might still be useful for me since I'm not terribly good with tension settings. Still, I'll make a note that it's only an average setting. I created a matrix between the 3 machines, and they are all very similar except for a couple of things. The Skyline has the auto tension and 1-step plate converter while the Brothers have custom stitch option and back to the beginning button.

Just went back to the brother dealer and am very frustrated. The sales woman didn't seem to know the machine at all. It sewed knits great, but the decorative stitches looked terrible.
I played with settings, but the satin stitches looked sparse. Some stitches wouldn't allow me to change the width and length but I could change the density. I asked if this was the out of the box settings or they had been changed. She wasn't sure and suggested that it might need to be cleaned.

I even said that I liked the way that it sewed but I couldn't see paying $1500 when the stitches looked like that or if I'd have to fight with the settings every time.

I guess I'll head over to the Janome dealer to test knits on it.

Frustration w/ a dealer who doesn't know the products would send me back to the road. You have to like your dealer, trust that they know their machines, and feel really good about laying out that kind of money wherever you decide. And the test machines in the stores should be cleaned regularly and ready for the next customer.

I love Janome's decorative stitches.

Let me know what else you find out because I've narrowed it down to about the same machines. I've heard that the satin stitch is an issue on the Brother but you can change some setting and make it better. I have an older Brother and have been happy with it but it is time to move on. I should go look today but have an awful cold! I think I'm going this weekend.

The knit fabric that I brought today was a very slinky fabric that gave me fits on my CS6000i. The NQ1300 handled it fine with a narrow zigzag and a straight stitch (that I normally wouldn't use because the stitches would pop upon first wear). The Skyline S5 ate the fabric. The dealer had to cut a hole in the sample to get it out, and this was using the stretch stitch that SHE recommended. She changed the plate out to the straight stitch plate, which worked better. After using the zigzag and straight stitch, it looked very similar to the NQ 1300 (the Brother's stitches looked very slightly better). It seemed to feed smoother through the Brother, and I didn't have to change plates to sew the fabric.

So I switched to a denim piece to try some decorative stitches (as close to what I tried on the NQ1300 as I could). Surprisingly, those stitches were also terrible. They were too sparse and seemed about the same quality as the NQ1300. It was probably just the settings, but I was surprised that the default would look like that. Changing stitches was as easy on the Skyline as it was on the NQ 1300, but there were fewer choices. I did like that the Skyline had a few children's stitches that weren't feminine (car, plane, and house) that I could have used for my nephew.

I ended up buying the NQ1300. While the Skyline S5 was certainly a great machine that I would still be very happy with, the NQ1300 was just better. It handled my worst fabric more easily, had more stitch choices, and the quality of the stitches seemed to be the same. I chose the NQ1300 over the NQ900 to get the auto height adjustment.

One more big selling point was the automatic threader - MUCH better on the Brother. The Skyline has the same threader as the Brother CS6000i - it's just cheaper feeling and I know will wear out after a few months. At least on my CS6000i, it just doesn't line up quite the same after a while. The NQ1300 seems sturdier, but time will tell I guess.

My dealer also gave me $100 off to buy the surplus machine from her class. It was never used (ordered too many), not even threaded they said. Brother is also offering a rolling bag and $50 Visa gift card via rebate. I don't know if the Janome had any rebates, but the dealer special brought the NQ1300 to only $200 more than the S5.

Good choice! I hope you're as happy with your NQ1300 as my BFF is with hers. She absolutely loves it.

Cari

I went out and looked today and I'm leaning towards the Brother NQ1300 too. I already have an older Brother so feel comfortable with it. I'll get the rolling bag too but they didn't mention the Visa gift card. I'll have to look into that.

I think when my BFF got her machine I found the gift card offer for her on the Brother website or blog. I just stumbled on to it, so yes be sure to ask.

Cari