pressure feet
 

I am looking for advice in regard to purchasing a walking foot for an old style Bernina 830 record. My machine is a 1978 electronic model in excellent condition. I have looked on ebay and see walking feet at numerous price ranges. I have checked with my local Bernina dealer and am in shock at the price of walking foot. Has anyone had any experience with buying a non Bernina product? Please help. Thank you.

Bernina feet are all metal and last a life time. Yes there are generics, but there are simply no better made feet on the market. You do get what you pay for. The reason so many vintage Bernina feet are still available is proof of that. I do feel your pain as they are very expensive. But, if you buy a Bernina you should know this going in. I don't recommend generic walking feet, in particular, because unlike a regular old pressure foot, walking feet have moving parts and take more abuse. You can find used, original feet for sale if you can't afford brand new. That's the way I'd recommend to go, if you can't afford a new one.

I just bought a curve master for my 330, but haven't used it yet. I did check that it fits. Since it is plastic, it might not last as long as the metal feet. Bernina has been having a lot of sales and should have some good ones in the fall. You might want to wait until you can get their WF at 25% off.

I have a Viking and like the Bernina, the Viking brand is all metal. I originally purchased a generic and had to replace it within 6 months. Yes they are very expensive, but think of it as an investment.

A generic model walking foot would not come close to the Bernina quality. I tried one and they just aren't any good.

Watch ebay and you should be able to get an old style Bernina walking foot in the $40-50 range. The 830 is a 4mm feed dog width to the older ones that come in the plastic case would fit, although they don't have interchangable soles or a fitting for a quilting guide like later ones. Any that say that they are for 1630 and earlier would fit but later ones could be for 5.5mm feed dogs.

try ebay as long as you know what it looks like and check to see if it fits your model.

Thank you for the helpful replies. I will check ebay and also wait and see if I can find a Bernina sale this fall.

Yes, those Bernina presser feet are expensive! But, you'll be glad you made the investment. I have tried a couple generic feet on my machine, and ended up getting the Bernina feet anyway.

I told my dealer I would think about it when I priced a walking foot (at the same time I purchased a new Janome) and they offered me a secondhand one for $20 - the new one was $120. Works very well and came with a money back guarantee if it didn't when I tried it out.