I have decided to get a new machine and since there are NO and I mean NO dealers near me to try one out here are my choices-

Janome Memory Craft 6500 Professional Sewing and Quilting Machine

Viking Sapphire 835 perhaps the 855.......

Any pros or cons on either of these machines??? Trying to keep it under 1300.000

I would get the janome but if you can find it, I'd get the 6600 because it has the accufeed system on it. I paid $1399 for mine but I've seen people here say they've gotten theirs cheaper.

Janome Memory Craft 6500 Professional Sewing and Quilting Machine


I would get this machine. I have sewn and quilted on it for nearly 8 years and still love it. I have not felt a need to upgrade to the 6600 or 7700. Never any tension issues and a dependable work horse.

I have a Viking Sapphire 875 and love it. Sews nice. Lots of throat space for quilting. I've had no problems with it whatsoever. We all seem to love our machines so our differing opinions might not be very helpful in making your decision. :)

Janome 6600...for the accufeed system! Love my 6600!!

Viking for sensor foot system...great for pivots, no manuel lift

I love the Viking - I have an 875Q - I love it...

I have the Janome6500 and love it, would've gotten the 6600 but the extra bucks at the time was out of the question.

I have the Viking 875 and love it. I would go Viking.

go to allbrands.com and compare them ALL!

I would suggest finding the Janome 6600, love the Accufeed. While I have both the Janome 6600 and the Husquvarna Sapphire 875, both are fabulous machines and I would recommend either brand. But, if I were to do alot of quilting on my domestic machine...Janome 6600 with Accufeed would get my vote.

I have the 7700 janome with the Accufeed. I was a very new sewer with no lessons. It took me a while to figure it all out but now I LOVE it!! If you can I would buy the 7700 you can FMQ queen size quilts fairly easy I have heard of folks quilting king size on their 7700. Being able to quilt my own quilts and the accufeed make the sewing machine worth the money. Love the space under the machine.

Probably all the Janome owners will say 'Janome' and all the Viking owners will say 'Viking' - I'm a Janome girl so guess what I'd say? :mrgreen:

Seriously, check out allbrands like Jacquie said but you probably will love either one because it will be YOURS! :-D

Thank you everyone for all the input!!! I ordered the Janome 6500 since the 6600 could not be bought online. Now I will wait patiently for it to arrive!!!

have fun with your new machine!! Christmas is coming early for you:-)

Thank you!!! Hubby does not know but as he always says " I really wanted it so I figured I could ask for forgiveness later".....love him to death and he really could care less; he is great that way. Looking forward to learning how to use it!!!

Enjoy your new machine.. I looked and looked at the 6500 and 6600 even sewed on 6500 for a long time but the one thing I couldnt get past was the tension dial.. I felt like it was always in my face.. I dont know maybe it is just me. My mom gave me a Designer I and from what I can tell the features are very comparable to the 875 (except 875 has a bigger thoat space and is alot newer.. designer I has embroidery which I dont use) I LOVE the pressure foot up down .... Have fun with the machine.. I thought it was great and it would have been my first choice had I not sewn on the desinger 1.. Then I changed my mind and thought when I could afford a new machine I would go for the 7700 because the tension isnt in your face.. but now I am swaying more towards the 875 I think I will have to go sew on one at the store..
Have fun. I am sure you will love it.

I own the Janome 6600 and I would not give it up for any of the machines out there. Janome is the best when it comes to service issues. It is very easy to use and the manuel is great.

I was curoius about the machine you bought and found this video - you may find it interesting. http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=A0PDoS4JgJdOhToA5miJzbkF?p=knee+lifter+janom e&fr=&fr2=piv-video

here is one on the 7700 this is the one i ended up getting. http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=A0PDoS4JgJdOhToA5miJzbkF?p=knee+lifter+janom e&fr=&fr2=piv-video

I bought the Sapphire 830 new for $1100.
I love the 10 inch throat and auto lift when in needle down mode. Use it all the time.
It is perfect for aplique but use it for chain piecing.
The auto lift is just a small lift of the foot so you can turn the fabric or add another piece without having to lift the foot.

Here's another vote for Janome. Unless you can afford them, I find the Viking accessories to be overpriced.

You will love the 6500!!