I have been checking out the Janome Memory Craft 6500P. Does anyone have this and if so what do you think about it ? All the reviews I've read and a video showing how some of the features work, everyone loves this machine !
I think I would really like it myself !!

I have only ever heard GOOD things about Janomes!

I have the 6600 and the machines are pretty much identical. I would look at the 6600 for the walking foot feature.

There are a couple things I dont like. First the screw that attaches the ankle is ackwardly placed. Second it tends to have the thread come out of the uptake lever.

I have had my 6500 since '04. LOVE IT! I started quilting in '03, and 'Jan' has seen me through lots of learning and trying new things. I have worked with heavy upholstery fabric, and denim and of course lots and lots of cotton, she sewed through all as if they were the same. I have used almost all the feet that it came with, plus have purchased a few more. Learning FM on her was a breeze (having her own Koala cabinet helped too). Her weight (and mine, lol) is the one draw back.

The 6500 will be your 'new best friend'.

This one has the walking foot and lots of others that come with it .

thats what all the reviews say ...its their best friend now lol ty

I bought mine used 2 years ago and I love it. The throat space is big enough to quilt a queen size if you want to.

I'd go with the 6600 if you can.

I have had the Janome 6500 since May of 2004 and have had some issues with it. The worst was the bobbin case which would rattle, growl and jump out of place. After my dealer insisting that it was operator error, I finally found out that there is an oil wick under the bobbin case (didn't tell you in the manual either) that on some machines dries out and then causes problems. I found out about it from the Janome 6500/6600 Forum from another quilter. I now keep that spot oiled and my bobbin case problems have vanished. My second problem was that my feed dogs would not raise or lower completely making the machine not stitch properly. After several trips to my dealer, another dealer found that there was a missing screw inside the machine, added it and no more difficulties. I also find that my machine likes to veer off the stitching line at intersections. I now know to hold it there to compensate for my machine's wandering tendencies. I've had some paint wear or slightly chip off the machine bed. The provided buttonhole foot will not work with large or thick buttons but my ancient old Singer Buttonholer will work beautifully on my Janome 6500. I am now basically satisfied with my machine as we now understand each other. I do like all of the stitch patterns, (wish the alphabet was larger) and do appreciate the larger harp. There are no perfect machines out there but if you know about these potential problems, you should have a good relationship. The other plus is that the price of this machine has come down a lot since the Horizon came out. Happy machine buying.

I love my mothers Janome machine. When I bought my new machine I didnt have access to a Janome dealer so my second choice was brother. Mom has an older memory craft and it purrs like a kitten still after having it for at least 10 years.

I've had two Janomes now ( the 4623LE and now the 6600).
They've both been great.

No, the 6600 has a feature that has a built in walking foot where the 6500 doesn't. Yes you can use a walking foot on the 6500, but the 6600 is really cool with that special feature. The Horizon has it too.

Oh I see what you mean well I will have to check it out and compare them.ty

I also dislike the screw that attaches the ankle - I feel like I need three hands to change the foot attachment :) But otherwise I love my machine.

I have a Janome Memory Craft 4800, nothing fancy, and I love it.

I know two quilters who has a Janome, and both think their
machines are absolutely fabulous.

I have the 6600 and do have several issues with it. One is the tension does not stay consitant and I feel it takes up too much of my time to get it set right so often. It does seem to be that they could have done a lot better job with the uptake lever for the thread often pops out of it and makes a mess. I also don't like the way it leaves a nest of thread when srting to sew. It is heck trying to get the lower thread to pick up so it can be put to the side along with the upper thread. Personally I like piecing and quilting with my Juki so much better. The dealer I bought from is no help at all and had I known that, I would have bought on line and saved some hard earned money. JOPO

I have three Janome's I love them wouldn't have any other machine

mine is the MC4800 and i love it too. no huge problems as of yet. but it just cost me $131.00 to get it cleaned!

I can't say how you'd like the 6500 compared to the 6600, bc I have the 6600 and I have the 6260 quilters companion.
If I had a shot at a 6500 and it was a good deal and I didn't think I would be getting the same shot at another model, I'd go for it.
The Janomes are great in my book.
Husvarnas and Berninas are out of my price range, but I don't think I'll ever really miss them. I'm quite content...at least for now, lol! :XD:

I have had my 6500 since 1995 and I just love her. Very easy to use and have never had a problem with her.

That uptake lever holds the thread better if you put it in the opposite way. Instead of putting it in from right to left, put it from left to right. I have no problems with thread nests but I do use leaders and enders most of the time.

I had a chance to get a good price on a used 6500 but opted for the 6600 because of the accufeed.

My husband bought me the 6600 and I absolutely love it, I have done 3 quilts since I got it and what a difference. The quilting is so much easier with the dual feed system.

Personally, I would go up to the Horizon just for the throat space. I have had my Horizon for 4 months now and LOVE , love, love it. It's also big enough to easily handle full size quilts. The dial to move from stitch to stitch is great - it's fast and easy to use instead of scrolling through a whole list. I also like the built in accufeed system. Now, if it could only come with a bobbin that held a whole spool of thread,.........

After sewing for many year, I took my first quilting class in Jan. '03 and purchased my 6500 in July '04. I have only used it for piecing, quilting, and mending. I love it and would recommend it. I joined a Janome group (maybe Yahoo?) and that was helpful. I have quilted up to a queen size quilt, and although I have a king-size quilt ready, I think I will be sending it out for quilting.

I got my Janome 6600 in August. I love it. Once you get the hang of attaching the Accufeed foot, it is really easy. I have never had a problem with the thread coming out of the take up lever.

A lot of people in our guild have this machine and love it. I have one lower that I bought used and I really like it. I hope to get the 6500 some day. Janome makes a very reliable machine.

I have the Janome 4800 also. I love it. It does anything I have asked it to do and only needed one repair. I have had it about 10 years. It is a wonderful machine.
Sue

I was thinking the same thing after comparing the 6500,6600 and the horizon, I think I would be more satisfied with the horizon myself and thats about the limit I want to spend..ty so much :lol:

I learned to piece and quilt on a 6500 and fell in love with it. I then was able to use a 6600P and that is what I ended up buying four years ago. I love my machine. The issues with the machines are minimal and you just learn the quirks of your own machine.
Be sure to use only bobbins for Janome machines. I bought a plethora of them from E-bay and they work beautifully. The 6600P requires one with perfectly straight top and bottom, no concave whatsoever or it will mess up everytime.
I clean the bobbin area after every project or 10 hours of sewing. Use quality thread, mine does not like the cheaper thread so I use Connecting Thread threads now.
Hope this helps.

I HAVE THE JANOME6500 AND LOVE IT!!!iVE HAD IT 6 YEARS And at first I had a problem with my bobbin case and my dealer changed the case , but you do have to keep that bobbin area clean. My friend has the 6600 and if I upgrade I will get that one, but for now I love mine, also have the Jem for classes and to take with me when I go on vacation.

I HAVE THE JANOME6500 AND LOVE IT!!!iVE HAD IT 6 YEARS And at first I had a problem with my bobbin case and my dealer changed the case , but you do have to keep that bobbin area clean. My friend has the 6600 and if I upgrade I will get that one, but for now I love mine, also have the Jem for classes and to take with me when I go on vacation.

I love the 6500, I have also had the 6600 and i wasnt crazy about that. Now I have the 7700 and thats a dream I love that machine! As of a month or so ago theyhave come out with a new machine thats between the 6600 and 7700 it might just be worth looking at. Happy Holidays

I have the 6600P, and wouldn't trade it for anything.

I have this machine and did my very first applique and free motion project on it recently. I was so pleased with the result. I'd recommend this machine, but if I would have had the money I would have went for the next model up, the 6600. I've heard great reviews of that as well.

I, too, get frustrated with the thread getting pulled out of the take up lever. Glad to hear someone else has this problem. Thought my machine was getting "sick". Otherwise, I love my Janome. Love the needle threader, the knee lift and the bigger throat.

I have two Janome's and love them both!

All 5 machines I have are Janome. They are work-horses and easy to maintain. I have the 2007 DC LE, the 2008 Heart machine, the 1100 serger, 6600P, and 350E embroidery machine. I began with the low end 2007 to see how I liked this brand of machine. 4 years later, it is my favorite to use to piece and sew with. I then bought the 6600P and it is great for everything. Bought the 2008 Heart machine to use for classes and travelling. Got the embroidery machine only after purchasing a Brother and realized after 1 day that 1)I didn't like the sewing/embroidery combo and 2) I wanted a machine that would perform more functions and have a USB port. The serger was a birthday present. All in all, Janome gets my vote. The 6500 has plastic bushings while the 6600 has metal ones along with the built-in Accu-feed sewing.

I would definatly go for the one with the built in walking feature. It is worth a million to me. I have a Pfaff with the IDT, I do all my quilting with it. What is nice about those is that you can use different feet with it. I don't think you can with just the walking foot.

I have the 6600 and found the Accufeed feet very awkward to attach at first, but anything new usually is. Once I changed the feet a couple of times it became second nature and now do it by touch alone. This is my fourth sewing machine and have used the regular walking foot before: NOTHING compares to the Accufeet system. RE- the paint chips and wear that one person mentioned; while researching when I was trying to decide I read on the Janome Yahoo Forum in some very early posts, that that was a big issue with early 6500 and 6600's. Janome admitted there was a problem, did some warranty work and have long since used a different formula and the problem no longer exists on newer models. No, I don't have shares in Janome - wish I did ! Just love mine !