Test-drove a Pfaff Today
 

And I might be in love.

There was a sewing expo in town and I've been in the market for a new machine, so I decided to check it out. No Janome or Bernina machines on display (though each has a dealer in my town). I tried the Babylock booth first; in fact, visited three separate times over two hours, could not once catch the eye of a person working the booth. The Brother people were friendly, but only had entry-level sewing machines and the Dreamweaver, which is drool-worthy but far outside my budget. There was a Viking booth but the nearest Viking dealer to me is over 50 miles away; with three small children to haul around, that kind of distance is a dealbreaker for me.

I hesitated to approach the Pfaff booth because I know people have had issues with poor construction on newer ones, but I figured it couldn't hurt to look. The people in the booth (employees at a local shop) were nice and friendly, and invited me to sit down and try it out. I tried the Expression 3.2 (the 4.2 is out of my budget), and it was so much fun to use! I thought I'd be intimidated by a fancy machine, but it didn't feel intimidating at all. It has everything I'm looking for in a machine (and more). And I know it's probably silly, but I kind of fell for some of the special stitches it has (sailboats! Elephants!) I'm going to visit the shop this week to see if I really like it that much and if they might have a used model that would be cheaper.

I still feel like I should test-drive a Janome before I make a decision, but it's nice to know there's at least one machine I would definitely like to own.

I too have heard some horror stories but I have nothing but to good to report on the three machines i have owned. Currently have the Creative Sensation. Love, love, love that machine!!! My first Pfaff was a 7570, which I still own and I also have a 1222, I think that is the number, that I inherited from my aunt. I traded up my Creative Vision for the Sensation. Good luck with your search. I have dealer support that is very improtant to me.

I have a Pfaff 3.0 Expression and I love it! I have had it 2 years and have sewn on it nearly every day since its arrival without any problems at all. It is due for a cleaning but I keep waiting for a time I feel I can part with it for a week! Too many projects going at once:) Good luck with your search. I have heard many good things about Janome brand also.

I have a pfaff 4.0 and LOVE it!!!

I'm glad that you loved the Pfaff you tested. Pfaff's are nice,but be aware that it can be VERY difficult to get the parts to fix Pfaff. I needed a plug/foot control unit and it took over 5 months to finally receive the part. A former Pfaff dealer changed to Babylock from Pfaff for that very reason! He told me that waiting 5-6 months for replacement parts were common. He finally gave up and changed brands. I have a Pfaff sewing machine and a Pfaff coverlock serger, but I will never buy another Pfaff,unless they go back to being a stand alone brand. Just something to consider before you buy.

Me too! Don't ever try to make me part with him!

I have my first Pfaff from 1990 and it is still my favorite to sew on.

We have a Brother Innvois 2800D that does both embroidery and sewing but we keep it set up for the embroidery. Next time, I'd vote to get all the embroidery stuff as I love my old Pfaff so much.

We have a Pfaff Grand Quilter 18.8 (long arm) and haven't used it enough to have a real opinion of it yet.

Our Brother dealer is also a Pfaff dealer and we love doing business with them.

Enjoy which ever one you get.

I would go for a dealer selling the machine I was buying. I have tried a pfaff and fell in love. The wider throat and the special walking foot sold me . Just saving pennies.

I bought a new QE4 in November. It went back to the retailer in January (problems with FMQ/bobbin breaking and skipping). Took two months to 'fix'. I asked store owner to test it before I took it home. Two days later they replaced it with a new machine. Although it works fine, I have no faith in it and would sell it tomorrow if there was buyer.

You might want to check with the Pfaff dealer because here the Viking dealer now sells them and if you go toVikings website they are including them. I used to have to go to both to get the free montly free design and project but now they are side by side. For embroidery machines they both use the VP3 format. It's worth a check. I love my Vikings.

There are a lot of good machines out there you just have to decide what you want. I used a Brother emb/combo last yr and it was nice the only problem I had was that with Viking, all you have to do is pusht he start button or step on the peddle and you take off, with the Brother (and I'm sure there are others) you have to make sure your presser foot is down and needle is in right postition. I was constanly getting the beeping sound because I didn't do something first. Viking has the "hit start and you go attitude". It's ready and goes to town. Other than that it has great features like the design postitioning with the snowman. I have design positioning but its different. I love the needle up/down feature, auto thread cutter, when I hit that button it not only cuts the thread but also ties it off. I can either use the stop/start button or the peddle to sew/emb. You should test drive all that you can and find out what's available too. Going into the shop is good to get a sense of how they are with customers, customer service is very important when you are expecting them to be there for you. One machine on your list I didn't even check out because I knew I didn't want to have to deal with that shop on an on going thing. I only go there when I can't find what I want any place else. Good luck. Used machines at the shops are great, normally have been recently serviced and carry a warranty too.