Juki vs Janome advice?
 

Hello,

I am in the market for a new sewing machine. I would call myself a begging/intermediate quilter. I currently use a Brother EX-660 and often struggle with tension problems, thread tangling (especially when starting to piece) and often feel like I have to yank my quilts through the machine when straight line quilting.

The two machines I've found that seem to fit my needs (and budget) are:

[h=1]Janome Magnolia 7330 (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00915T28G/...I1HI5QEFOLEPK4)[/h]
and

[h=1]Juki HZL-G110 (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008G67EUE/...=IXRSR5KK9P9II)[/h]
Can anyone give me any advice? About these machines, or Juki vs Janome in general?

I appreciate your help!

Jenny

Have you tried them out yet ?
I have the Juki 85 and I do not like it.

I have the Janome Magnolia that you are looking at and I LOVE it. It is a basic machine and easy to use. I use it for everything from piecing to free motion and have completed a quilt up to King sized with it ( would not recommend going that large on this machine LOL). It is a work horse as I have had mine for 7 years I think and have only had it serviced once. I think I have made about 30 quilts with it. I would recomend it to anyone.

I have the Juki 98Q and the Juki exceed f600 and love them both. The 98Q is straight stitch only, and I absolutely love it for both piecing and quilting. If there is a dealer near, I would go try both out and see which you like the best. Also, try yahoo groups and see if you can find a forum for that particular machine...there is one for the Juki 98E which is basically the 98Q....and there is one for the exceed 600....but I found more input about the exceed F600 on the Juki 98 forum and than on the forum for that machine.

I have a Pfaff tiptronic that I thought I would always use for bindings but ended up using the 98Q for that. And I have a Viking #1 which I seldom touch now.

I have never used s Juka, but have heard great things about them. I have had a Janome for over 20 years and just bought the Janome 8900. Have always found them easy to use, dependable, and needing very little servicing. I would try them both, ask questions, go home and think about it (you will find more questions to ask), than try them both again. I made more than several trips to the two dealers before I made my final choice. Don't just look at the machine, check out your dealer to. You really need to be able to trust your dealer, after all they will be taking care of your new baby. My dealer is great about answering all my stupid little questions, even to the point of walking me through a problem over the phone. I live 2 hr. away from the shop. He has even called back after a couple of days to see how things are going. My problems have been operator error, or me needing my eyes checked. I swear the owners manual said turn it to the left! LOL Enjoy your shopping!

I have never used a Juki but I just purchased a Janome JW7630 that looks identical (except for the colors) to the Magnolia you are looking at, and so far I have been very happy with it. The needle threader works very well, and it is quiet. I had a Janome in the past that I liked as well. One thing I wish it had though is the blanket stitch. It has an applique stitch so I can use that in a pinch, otherwise I will use my daughters machine for blanket stitch.

Welcome to the board :)
I'm not familiar with either machine but have had a couple of Janomes which I loved. Your comment about having to 'yank' your fabric made me wonder if you used a walking foot when quilting? Also, a 'leader' (a scrap of fabric you sew before continuing onto your strip) may help with thread tangling at the start of seams.

You need to test drive them just like a car. If your budget is low, you may not be getting the quality machine you want.

I just bought my first machine last month, and was initially trying to decide between those two models. I agree with what others have said, try and sew on both of them before you buy. That helped me a lot on my decision making. I know a lot of people love the Magnolia 7330, but when I sewed on it myself, it just wasn't as sturdy as the Juki, the parts seemed cheaper.

I ended up buying the Juki HZL-210 and I adore it! The automatic thread cutter sold me on upgrading from the HZL-110, but I think they are nearly identical machines. I was a little worried, because there just aren't as many consumer reviews of the Juki, but have been nothing but extremely happy with mine. Good luck making your decision!