Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the IDT on the pfaff the same as the feed foot on a janome? Anyone prefer one over the other? And does the IDT handle quilting thick quilts the same as the feed foot? And is the lock stitch the same as Auto tie off?
Sorry for all the dumb questions, but a newbie here :mrgreen:

I hate unscrewing and rescrewing the different feet used. I love my Bernina, just lift the lever remove foot, pull down lever and that is all. Needle up/down, knee lift are also wonderful.

Hi, I use the janome 6600P. It has the auto thread cutter, and the up or down positioning for the needle,. which I love both options..it has the option of a second higher position for the foot, giving alot more room to move the quilt layers through, without snagging anything, which is wonderful for quilting. Also, the the accu feed foot...it moves all 3 layers together, at the same time, while quilting. I have made a few quilts since buying this machine, and I am a new quilter. The back is as pretty as the front, no puckers, no folds, nothing. It also has the double needle option, for topstitching, which is a must, for me.

I have a Pfaff and my two favorite features are the duel feed and the needle down. I use both everytime I sew.

Needle up and down, auto cut and I really like the feature where you don't have to use a foot pedal just On/Off for free motion.

I like it when I change stitches on my Bernina patchwork,it will go back to the regular straight stitch automatically after you shut it off and turn it back on again.Also I love the needle up/down feature.I really just love everything about it except the location of the on /off button.It is not where you can access it easy and sometimes I actually have to stand up and look for it to turn it off or on.But,that is me.

Auto thread cutter. Don't know how i lived without it!

check out the Janome brand. Their machines come with many options. I like the threader feature on my machine, because I have old eyes.

from inexpensive to next price point I like the needle up/down feature and speed control

I think the next feature is on the higher end could be wrong, BUT I love the auto cut thread button

then there is the auto thread, nice but not a have to have

I have an Elna 7200 which is very similar to a Janome MC6500. I also have a Singer Quantum Futura CE-200. Both have the needle threader qizmo but it only works well with certain sizes of needles--smaller on the Singer--larger on the Elna so that feature isn't as important to me as the auto thread cutter--especially for paper piecing. All those thread tails will drive you crazy if you don't snip them right away!

The needle up/down is useful while sewing long strips together. It acts as a 3rd hand, holding your pieces while you line everything up and keep lining it up all the way down the seam especially if you hate pinning as much as I do.

Dropping the feed dogs is a must if you plan to free motion quilt. My Elna was purchased for frame quilting so that feature was a must.

The straight stitch plate is nice if you've been having trouble with things getting sucked down the hole but it's not a deal breaker for me. I only put mine on when I'm having trouble. My needle has to be adjusted over a smidge to use it or the thread rubs on it and breaks which is more annoying than occasionally trying to eat the corners on triangles. Leaders & enders help with that problem as well as a straight stitch plate.

My Elna also has the knee lifter which I rarely use. I realize it would be easier for some things but I just never got in the habit of using it. I learned to sew on a machine that had the knee speed control so now it's stuck in my head that that's what the bar is for and it just ends up p!ssing me off when I try to use it properly--LOL!

I wouldn't worry too much about the feet unless you buy some odd machine that needs special feet. Many take the generic snap on feet which can be purchased very reasonably. I can't be without my 1/4 inch foot but it's a snap on so if my original one disappears--it's easily replaceable. Same goes for the walking foot and free motion/darning foot although they aren't "snap-on". They are still fairly generic and work on many machines.

So, I guess auto thread cutter and dropping the feed dogs are my 2 must haves but it depends on whether I have a backup machine also that can do zig-zags or other fancy stitches. If you can only get one machine--spend a little more and get one that can multi-task.