Need Advice, looking to purchase a machine...
 

I have a Viking Designer SE already, use it for everything *but* I'm looking to purchase a machine I can leave set up for FMQing, the SE is set up for embroidery a lot of the time and I hate breaking it down when I have a few minutes to quilt!

That said, I have $1000 to spend on a machine but which one?! There seem to be so many on the market that are sold with FMQing feet. I have Bernina, Janome, Baby Lock, Viking and Brother dealers here in town so lots to choose from (nearest Pfaff dealer is 2 hrs away).

I've gone by the dealers and looked around a bit, except for Bernina as I figured I wouldn't get far with only a $1000! =0)

The only requirements I have in a machine are:
*needle up/down
*knee lever or sensor foot such as Vikings have
*thread cutter would be nice but do not have to have

I've had a Pfaff previous to the Viking, have become very spoiled by all the goodies on the SE! I also have a vintage Singer in a cabinet, it's a big black monster that was given to me by a friend's great aunt. I've toyed with the idea of trying to FMQ on it as I've heard good things about the old Singers.

Anyhoo, now that I've broke your ears - please do tell me what you FMQ on and why you like your machine!

Not a Janome owner but many friends are and LOVE theirs. Another cosideration is Juki with it's automatic cutter. Not sure if that's an option where you live. Janome may be my next machine as I've heard great customer service stories. Make a list of must have options then test drive all that meet price and needs. Good luck-sounds like you're doing your homework.

You may want to look at a straight-stitch quilting machine such as the Pfaff Grandquilter, Juki 980?, Brother 1600.....they are pretty much all the same machine and should be available in your price range. They only do straight stitches but they do them really fast. The Grandquilter does not lower the feed dogs but does have a cover plate. These are mechanical machines which require a bit of fiddeling with tension (until you find the right setting) and they have a large harp.

What about the Viking Sapphire? It has all the goodies you're looking for; feet should (?) be interchangeable for you; shorter learning curve? My friend bought hers a couple of years ago for about the same price. And I do love my Viking Platinum as well.

If you have a vintage Singer sitting there, why wouldn't you try it out first before buying a new machine? I love my vintage machines for FMQ.

I've a Juki since 1999 and it's still a good machine.

I say try the singer first!!!

Do you have many Viking feet? They're expensive, aren't they? That would factor into the cost.

I have a brother pc420 and really like it a lot. It's similar to the brother nx450 (which is the same as Babylock Melody I think). All 3 of those machines have the knee lift and thread cutter. Or there is the straight stitch brother 1500s/Babylock Jane you could consider.

But truly, I would go vintage singer. Either the one you have or another vintage machine. I have my grandmothers 15-91 I plan to use for FMQ. Otherwise I might look for a Singer 201 or 301.

http://quiltedcupcake.blogspot.com/2...episode-8.html

I am in the process of putting up my Viking Designer 1 for sale....a thing I thought I would never do but like you about a year ago I decided I wanted a machine that I could use soley for quilting including improving my FMQ.
Things I looked for were....Good FMQ ability, Bigger harp to actual get the quilt in for FMQ, Needle up/down position.
I ended up buying a new to me Janome 6600 for approx $800 (£500...am in the UK)...in truth it took a bit of getting used to as it is very different to the Viking......but a year on I really love this machine and wouldn't swop it for anything including the 7700. Along with the above features I like the accufeed, needle cutter, the lighting, the sturdiness of the flatbed, the huge sturdy extension table, the thread holder.....infact my list is endless. The only thing I miss from the Viking range is the 'pivot' capability....but I hardly even think about it now.
The stitch quality is lovely and FMQ is very neat.
I have used the Viking for embroidery for the last year, but a couple of weeks ago had the opportunity to buy the Janome 11000 very reasonably....again am very happy with it. It is set up for embroidery at the moment but is very easy to change to domestic sewing.
I still think that Viking make wonderful machines but for patchwork and quilting I think I have become a Janome fan.

I FMQ on my Juki TL98QE, no extension table, I bought a table for it to set down into. BabyLock Jane W/extension table. My Daughter has the Brother 1500, all are straight stitch only W/ quilting feet, Needle up and down Thread cutter - not on Juki. All have a pretty stitch, very seldom have to feedle with the tension. They do need a lightweight sewing machine oil. All under $1000.00. All are very good machines.

Jingle - Thank you for all the info on the machines you have! I had to Google BabyLock 'Jane', I didn't know which one it was, I believe the local dealer had this one too, will have to check! Is the Brother 1500 the same machine as the Jane? Sure look a lot alike, I'll have to print off the specs to compare.

I have my Viking in a table, I really like have a flat surface all around.

Have you looked for an older Bernina? I have a (really) old 1008; not much of a harp space but I love the way it sews. HAve had h er since she was born and she ain't going nowhere...some of her "siblings" might before she does...:)

If you have all the feet thats a good argument for going for another Viking. But brother and Babylock feet are inexpensive, and the machines seem to come well stocked.

I have tried FMQ with my brother. I've only done it a couple times and was pleased with the result. I need lots of practice though.

The brother 1500 is the same as Jane. :)

The Brother 1500 is a great one to leave set up for free motion quilting. It is a workhorse and fast.

momto5

Quiltngolfer

If its just for FMQ I would go with a simple straight stitch machine like the brother PQ1500s or the juki 2000Qi they run about 4-600 and get great reviews and are workhorses from what I hear, great for piecing too.

I have several vintage singers and I FMQ on all of them. My 401 and 500 slant needles do great quilting. I have a viking mega quilter on a frame I use for large quilts now and just use the vintage for baby quilts and wallhangings but I have done a king size on the vintage with no problems.

Janome makes Brothers and some of the Brothers are virtually identical to the Janomes. I have had the Janome 6500 and now have the 7700. Both work well for FMQ -- if you are looking for less expensive, the 6500 and 6600 are the two older models that should come in your price. There is also a 6300 -- they all have good harp space (which you need for FMQ). Sorry, I don't know the model numbers of the Similar Brothers.

I have a Janome 6500 that I love and Free Motion quilt on. It has a knee lifter, touch button thread cutter, larger throat space and needle up and down.

Brother makes their own machines, as well as some for Babylock. I'm pretty sure janome and brother have no relationship.

Janome did make machines for kenmore, but they have all been clearanced out and kenmore is working with singer now.

My sister-in-law has a Babylock that she does fmq on. She loves it. Don't know which model she has. You could go to all the dealers and check out all your options and then when you find one you like, you could go on ebay and see if you can get a used one for a cheaper price on there. I have a Bernina 440QE and I wanted another Bernina for taking to classes and quilt retreats.. I found one on ebay for a very good price and am actaully still waiting for it to arrive. I decided to stay with the Bernina brand so I could interchange the feet and because both machines are very similar with how they operate. That is something you may also want to consider.

I had a straight stitch machine but did not keep it long as if you do want a any other stitch then you have to go to your other machine. I have the Janome 7700 and love it. It has the thread cutter plus

Just to finish this thread.....I finally decided on the Janome 6600P!

Great machine with tons of features for the price. Plus, I felt this machine was very sturdily built, didn't feel flimsy at all. I test drove it last week and will pick up the one ordered for me this Thursday. Can't wait to play! I've already joined the Yahoo group for this line of Janomes.

Machines I had considered included: Pfaff Ambition 1.5, Viking Tribute (I still like this machine!) and Pfaff Grand Quilter.

Try the Juki's. No doubt the strongest motor in the business. The piercing power is awesome. In case you need to repair something they will do it, while your Vikings, Janome's, Pfaff's, are doing the motor shut down thing. And the fmq is wonderful, all under $1,000.
I have two Juki's - the 98 & the F-600 - I've owned every brand and Juki is by far the strongest and best - that's mho.

I did try the Juki 400, two in fact. Unfortunately both had issues within the few days of owning them. I was a bit incredulous as I had heard great things about them. I guess I got unlucky and received two lemons! Needless to say I'm a bit shy about trying them again. I do not have a Juki dealer near to me so had to order from the internet. Too expensive to ship back for repairs if needed so decided to stay with a local source. I have a Viking Designer SE and have never had a moment's problem with it nor the Pfaff's I've had. I've never had a Janome, the 6600P is almost all metal, I liked that, reminds me of the sturdy older machines I learned to sew on many years ago.

The Viking mega quilter has all of these features; plus super fast and I never have problems with the tension on it. They have tow but the 9in throat one is in your price range. It's a great machine, very heavy duty. You might be able to find them on sale cheaper since they aren't making this one anymore. I was tempted to use it as a trade in when I bought my Ruby but at that time I wasn't sure how the Ruby would do. I'm making my final decision on selling it after I take a class in June using the Ruby FMQ and more. You can't go wrong with a Viking, I have 3 and that's the only reason I'm thinking of selling my Mega quilter if my Ruby will do the job as well. I'm on a fixed budget so it would come in handy to sell it but only if I have something else that will do the job as well. Good luck on your search. You should be able to find several under or around 1000 that will fit your needs.

I don't know where you heard about that motor shut down on Vikings (can't speak about the others) I have 3 Vikings; one is very old, one a few yrs old and the other one about 6mos. None of them have ever had a motor shut down and I know alot of people who work theirs harder than me and still have never heard of this. I don't know anything about the Juki's or the other machines but my Vikings work hard and never have an issue.

Take a look at Juki. I have the TL98Q and I love it. Amazon has the updated version of this machine within your price range. (I think it is the TL-2000qi) It is a lot of machine for the money.

I have a Sapphire with the 10 in throat. Great machine. Use it for stitch in ditch and free motion borders.
I also have a Jane which is the same as the Brother 1500. Do not like it. It is set up on a frame with a stitch regulator.
Had to buy a strait stitch for the frame and regulator. It is a big hassle to use and wish I could afford a long arm machine for my frame. The biggest problem is having to walk around the frame alot just to turn the wheel to move the needle. Also have to move the machine to the end of the table to thread it since it has a very old fashioned threading with lots of turns and even one section that you put the thread thru a hole. I hate the under the machine bobbin case also much prefer drop ins.
Just bought a Brother xl2600 light weight for classes and it is a great little machine and inexpensive.