I have a janome 6600 that is over 10 years old and no problems and it gets used alot. Dee

The sales gAL doesn't know what she is talking about. I wouldn't go back there. A while back there was a repairman talking about flimsy sewing, machines on the market. He stated that he sees few Janomes come into the shop, and that is usually for operator error issues. Never ask a sales person about repair history, ask a repairman...or several. I have Janome 6600 (work horse), 8900, 11000 and Skyline 7. NEVER had any problems, clean and oil wicks, never have taken to dealer for service. Until I hear weird sounds or an outright shut down , I save the annual fee of $150 until a new Janome comes out that is light years ahead of the ones I have.....and use the savings on it. Janomes are well made, have 25 yr warranties and are user friendly....several yahoo groups out there too, for the 6600, 6500, 8200, 8900 and now 9400.

I have had the Janome 8200 for 3 years and it is a real work horse. Have not had any problems. Love it!

I have an Janome 8900 and love it. The only problem I had was operator error. :)

The main decision making should be if there are at least two dealers in your area. One make opt out for what ever reason and not having someone close by is rough. I chose Janome for the near dealer; she ended her store after one year. No one in the area.

My 8200 is 3 years old. I have never even taken it in for a yearly cleaning and I sew on it almost daily. I have had several Janome machines and only had problems with one, but the dealer took care of it with no charge. I trade mine in every 3 years or so because my dealer gives full purchase price on new machine. I'm looking at 9400 because it has some new features that look good.

I own a Husquarvna and 2 newer Janome machines. Never had any service but annual maintenance. In fact I just bought the Skyline S7 a and absolutely love it. Would agree, try both and pick the one you are most comfortable with and has the features you want/need.

The operator is also a very important factor when it cones to how good the machine is...when I was young and didn,t know about machines I remember how much I maltreated them...I did learn by now,not to fight with them anymore but rather to listen to their sound, and of course clean them regulary and get very familiar with the manual they come with.......