I have 3 Pfaffs!!

you will be glad you bought one with largest space whatever the brand. Berninas are expensive. Others more reasonable. I have 11" Janome Horizon which I love.

I've had my Pfaff QE 4.0 for almost two years and absolutely love it - after I took a couple of classes!!!
This is my fifth Pfaff (can't say that without laughing), and they have all been wonderful. I still own three of them
I know other ladies who own Berninas and Janomes and they are very happy with them.
To find out what you are going to be most happy with, you have to go and try them out, and it's very important to find a dealer that you like IMHO.

I can't wait to hear what you end up with. The 710 (Bernina) is just a bit more than 1/3 the price of the 830. But you get a lot less. I also own a 580. I've quilted a king on it, but looking forward to owning an 830.

I have a Pfaff, but it is several years old and made in the Czech Republic. The newer ones I have seen at the dealer are made in China.

I love my Pfaff. The duel feed feature as well and the lights and the built in stitches....I just love it.

I love my pfaff, I had a bernina, I did not like. But the pfaff has the longer throat, and I really like my pfaff.

Oh man.. what a question. I learned to sew on a Pfaff.. my mom always had a Pfaff.. Later when I bought my first top model machine I bought an 830 Bernina.. I love that machine and even though it's very old now, that machine still runs and sews great.. I also have a 1230 Bernina, and an 810.. Somewhere along the line I also picked up a Pfaff 1471, which is a joy to sew on. However, when my DH retired he bought me a new machine.. it's a Pfaff Creative Vision 5.0 .. what a wonderful machine!! I love that machine.. It's so wonderful to use. It does everything and does it easily. It a joy to sew on. It tells you when you're going to run out of bobbin thread, so that's not a problem.. it tells you everything except when dinner is ready! I love that machine. and..

I don't know if this is relavant.. but this machine went through the tornado that blew our home to pieces.. When I picked up the machine, it had water pouring out of it.. I mean pouring.. It wasn't just wet, it was full of water. Months later I took it in for them to check it and clean it.. (lost all the guarentees of course.. ) They took it all apart and cleaned everything, they said the water was not able to get into the CPU, and that the machine worked fine, at least for now. so I took it home thinking I might get a week or a month or two.. Now, 2 years later, it's still sewing just like it always did.. It took quite a beating in the tornado, yet it lives!! It is one tough machine.

I think that if you buy either a Pfaff or a Bernina you will not be disappointed. Both are wonderful from my experience.

I have a TOL Viking Diamond Deluxe and although it was assembled in China (Made in China) the major components are still put together in Switzerland. It is a wonderful machine and although I don't like the idea Made in China there isn't much in getting around it. My older Pfaff 2170 embroidery machine was made in Czechoslavakia and is also a wonderful machine. The Viking says on the machine "Engineered and Designed in Sweden" and same goes for Pfaff; they still have their German engineering. The tech at the dealer where I bought my Viking was a Bernina salesman several years ago, and he told me Bernina's were made in China before Viking and Pfaff and I don't think it is true that the TOL Bernina's are still made in Switzerland, but maybe the major components, like Viking and Pfaff are still made in their prospective factories in country of origin.

Pfaff convention is coming up in the U.S. and the newest Pfaff Quilt Expressions 4.4 is going to debut. I am interested in that machine myself and am looking forward to seeing it at the LQS/dealer where they are sold.

I bought a Pfaff Expression 3 a couple of years ago after not sewing seriously for years, on the strength of Pfaff's reputation, the IDT and the proximity of a local dealer. I only twigged they were made in China after I had committed to buy. Nearly pulled out of the purchase. Serious trouble with the tension (I thought it was me) spoilt my pleasure and knocked my confidence. It was finally fixed when the tension something or other was completely replaced on the technician's advice for the cost of the labour (it was just out of warranty). I suspect Pfaff had problems with their first Chinese-made Expressions 2-4 machines and that's why some love those machines and some hate them. Mine works beautifully now, great tension etc and I love it. Sadly, the dealer was a pompous idiot so I only went back for one follow up. He's now shut up shop, meaning I have to drive two hours to the city get to a Pfaff dealer or mechanic. I've looked at the new TOL Berninas because of the stitch regulator but feel getting one would be extravagant beyond sense given my Pfaff is now good.

Why only Pfaff and Bernina? I would look at everything. Look at the Janome's - 11 inch throat and the Brother - the NX-3000 has 11 3/4" and is amazing. Brother also makes Baby Lock, so they make an identical machine to the NX-3000 and you can get the Tru-Stitch Regulator. I have that for my HQ Sweet Sixteen and it's awesome.

No Berninas are made in China. Your tech is bad mouthing competition to make a sale. Plain and simple. Or he's ignorant of the World map and atlas. LOL. The last time I looked, a factory in Thailand is not in China. It's sad when people lie and make gossip to try to make their product look better. Yes, the TOL Bernina machines are still made in Switzerland. And they can still screw them up in Switzerland just as well as those in China;> And some of the machines are now made in the Bernina owned factory in Thailand. And no, I'm not a Bernina groupie. As stated previously, my TOL machine has not been my best decision. Place of origin is a consideration, but there are many other things to consider when spending a huge amount of money. For sure, if people feed me garbage as fact, I don't put any weight in their recommendations.

And I agree with other posters. There are more than two sewing machine manufacturers on the market...

If you are doing anything else besides quilting - The Vikings, Pfaffs and Berninas have FEET. They seem to have a foot for everything and most work very well. I have a foot that automatically stretches elastic for sleeves on the Pfaff. I wouldn't be without it. I also do heirloom and tried doing some on an Ellegante. It had the automatic threader which made a Wing or double needle for pintucks hard to set up. Pfaff and Viking both have a foot that allows you to space for embroidery in between tucks, on the Ellegante you had to measure and mark. Once set up, the machine did sew very well.

All this can be done on any zigzag machine. I've done it. It's just that having the feet make life a lot easier.

pfaff verses bernina
 

I have owned a bernina and I now have two pfaff machines and loveeeeee them! I cannot say enough about pfaff. they are sooooo tough and will sew through anything. when I bought mine the owner of the store stitched through a thick peice of cow hide and two thin tin pieces and the machine just purred. that sold my hubby on the construction of the machine and I can verify after owning one for more years then I care to count that they are outstanding machines that never give you a problem.

Before you decide, also try out Janome. I couldn't be happier with my 6600 ... and the 7700 and newest 8900 have even more harp space.
In 30+ yrs of sewing and quilting, I've owned Pfaffs, Vikings and now 2 Janomes. Both Janomes have been trouble free. Can't say the same for my last Pfaff, it never sewed well despite a lot of shop adjustments. It was made in Czechoslovakia in 2006. The quality just wasn't there ...
A lot of people still have the misconception that Viking and Pfaff machines are made in Sweden and Germany. Pfaff stopped manufacturing in Germany YEARS ago. They still advertise "German Engineering" but their production went to Asia.
Nothing wrong with that, but from many quilters and sewers I know, very few have been happy with RECENT (2004 & newer) Pfaff and Viking models, most TOL models.

I have had Berninas for 30 years and really love them. I now have worked up to the new 830.....so very nice. I also have a good support for possible maintenance. Haven't had any yet!

I have a pfaff quilt expressions 4.0 along with a Viking D1 and by far, I love my pfaff the best, love the IDT already built into the machine, no need to attach that bulky walking foot and it has all of the lovely built in stitches as well.

I have a Thai made Bernina (430) and it is a phenomenal machine. Absolutely amazing. However, when they discontinued the 4 series, they priced me out of their brand. My next machine will probably be either a Brother or a Janome, but I don't anticipate a new machine for 10+ years...


To the OP- I think once you get to the machines that cost $2000+ they are ALL good. It is really just personal preference. The Brother Laura Ashley machine I sewed on made great stitches, had excellent harp space, and came with a butt load of accessories, and was a great price, but I didn't like how the free motion foot hopped. The Janome 7700 was fabulous for quilting but a little more than I wanted to spend. The Bernina quilted like a dream, and they threw in free embroidery for me, so despite having a smaller harp than I set out for, I was sold.

I haven't used a Pfaff, but I imagine they are much the same. All of the major brands make good machines. It just depends on what you want, and at the upper price levels (especially if you are spending more than 4k) I'd want a technician nearby!

I have had both and now have the Pfaff Creative visions and swear by it. It is really a matter of preferance. Try both before purchase. Carole

I have a Pfaff 2144/2170. I love my Pfaff!

When I first bought a sewing machine I was looking at Pfaff or Bernina. I decided for the Pfaff due to the IDT. 15 years later I am a Pfaff lover and would not trade it for any other brand. I have upgraded and kept the first one. Just recently I bought a used Creative Vision and was only embroidering with it until I used for free motion. I couldn't believe the difference. It is like overnight I acquired a skill that didn't have.
Good luck. I think that the only opinions you should value are those coming from people that have both machines because test driving a machine for 10 minutes doesn't really show you the potential.
I think the best advise is to ensure you have a good customer service for the machine you buy.
andrea

I have a Bernina 430 and a Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.0. The Bernina seems to just sew, not many issues. Never really had to adjust tension too much with it. I have finally conquered my Pfaff and enjoy FMQ with it. It took me quite a while to warm up to her. I love the extra room with the Pfaff, that was the main reason I bought it. That being said, I wished I would have bought a Sweet Sixteen for FMQ. My Bernina lives in the closet........

I have had nothing but headaches with my Pfaff expressions 2.0 Guess I just got a lemon, because Pfaff has a great rep. In my guild.

I love my new Janome 7700 with it's 11" harp. I also bought a new Bernina 710 a month ago and it has been in the shop for over a week now because the bobbin case with bobbin inside are jammed in the machine and I cannot get them out. Three others report the same problem. I can't imagine this happening on a drop in bobbin. There have been lots of problems reported with the new 700 series Bernina's. In addition they have some new design features that are peculiar. I'm not sure you get what you pay for anymore with Bernina machines.

Candace is right.

My 1 month old Bernina 710 has been in the shop for a week because the bobbin case with that huge bobbin is stuck in it. This has happened to two others that I know of. I can't get used to the push button presser foot either. I'm starting to regret my purchase. There have been lots of problems with this new 700 series.

Whatever you do, be sure to try out many machines. That is what I did. I ended up with a Pfaff Expression 2.0 and I love it. I have been quilting 3 years but sewing 55 years. I love the wide throat, the built in walking foot, and the drop in bobbin. There is no way to put the bobbin in backwards, something I always did in my New Home machine, which is the machine I had before I bought the Pfaff. I still have the old machine, but it feels like a toy compared to my Pfaff....and it is noisy. My Pfaff isn't.

Enjoy the hunt!!

Dina

I would love a machine with a 10 inch harp. I have a Bernina that is about 14 years old and love it. I don't have that nice space though. Have you considered just buying a straight stitch machine with a nice size harp. Janome makes one. I don't own it but thought that might be nice as my Bernina does everything else so nicely.

I'm a Pfaff girl, but I know some Bernina lovers who wouldn't consider any other brand. Go figure. I guess I'd suggest you test, test, test out your options. I'd also make sure you have great dealer service. I think every now and then, there's a lemon in the bunch regardless of what brand you choose, so knowing you have a good dealer in your corner is important.

I have bought two Vikings in the past two years, a Ruby and the latest a Diamond deluxe, both were made in Sweden. If you check Vikings website it will tell you they are made in Sweden; it's at the bottom of the comparison list on the machines. Even my boxes for my machines say made in Sweden. I'll go with what Viking says over rumors any day. I'm not saying that all machines are made there but the ones that are on the embroidery comparison list going back to the Viking #1 all are. I don't know about Pfaff but they are owned by the same company as Viking. I love my Viking and I love my dealer. If I didn't have a Viking I'd either go with Pfaff or Janome mainly because the LQS here for Bernia has poor customer service and rude employees and I wouldn't want to have to deal with them on an ongoing basis. Along with the machine which you should try out first, check out the store and employees and support you'll get before deciding on what to buy. I think all machines will have lovers and haters of them but some of that could be due to the lack of customer support of the dealer they deal with. I'm down on any brand because I see some things in all of them that are great features but I look at them as a whole along with the store that sells them. I love the snowman feature for the Brother but then there are other features that my Viking has that brother doesn't that makes it stand out. Weigh all of your factors and then decide what is a good fit for you. If you are looking at embroidery too, then also get the largest hoop you can afford.

Patti25314, I love your saying ! I know reading cookbooks cause weight gain but I never thought about the fitness videos > You are one smart Cookie

Good to know... I have lusted after that one. The big bobbin gets me. Like I'm so lazy to wind a bobbin. (lol) I have the Janome 7700 and it's been just a gem of a machine. I do love it, but wonder always about the competition.

I had a Pfaff that unfortunately died it was "Made in West Germany," the new ones made by SVP are just not the same as my baby. The mechanical is the closest I would say. I miss the IDT a lot though and keep testing them out. I plan to give the newest models a try at the next show. Keeping my fingers crossed.

If you are looking for a large harp the brother dreamweaver has 11.25, it does not have IDT but has something just as nice called the muvit foot. is has its own motor and a differential feed like a serger so if you like sewing difficult fabrics, vinyl minkee this foot makes it a dream to sew. I traded in my babylock espire another wonderful machine made by brother for it. There are so many brands out there and all have quality machines, when spending that much money try everything. I have had my machine since september and it has been such a dream to sew on. the laser on it also makes it easy for sewing straight lines and it works with any foot so you dont need a guide for your machine anymore. I haven't used the pen and laser to its full potential yet but I see a lot of growing room with my machine. I used to have accufeed/IDT envy but am a true diehard brother lover so when I got this new muvit foot all of those thoughts went away, but the pfaffs look awesome and I here they have a new travel one with IDT. Alot of the new TOL berninas have been having a lot of problems I see mixed reviews on them, but I have also seen good and bad reviews on the pfaff QE4.

You need to test drive each of them, decide what features you want and check your dealers and what education they provide with each machine. Then buy the best you can afford. Personally, I have Berninas and would not sew on anything else. I have the new 830 and a new 350 to take to classes. There will be a huge learning curve with any machine you purchase - that is why the education and support is so important. Have fun making your choice!