Trading Up My Machine
 

Hi - I have a Juki QVP2200 mini. I like it a lot, but miss having a few more stitches to use. I am considering trading it in (dealer has a 100% trade-in allowance in first year, and I need that $) and getting something with more features. I have an old basic mechanical machine that has more stitches but my daughter has taken it over, plus it has a hard time with quilts.

Two machines that have caught my eye are the Janome 9400 and the Brother VQ 2400/3000 type. I love the huge throat space on the Brother, but it feels like it has a lot of features that I'm not sure I need. The Janome seems like it might be a good option.

I looked at the new Janome 6700P but I'd like a bigger throat if possible. Otherwise, I like that machine a lot too. (They're asking about $3K for it right now in case anyone is wondering what they run. Does anyone know roughly what I should expect to pay for the other machines?)

Anyone have any opinions on these choices? Is there anything other machine I should be looking at? The dealer carries just about every brand out there. I will be going for "test drives" before I decide.

One thing I should add is that the dealer has a Brother VQ 5100, that someone else traded in, available for a good price (under $4K). Is that worth considering? They would heavily discount/maybe throw in a muvit foot for me.

I can't find the VQ 5100 when I google it. Are you sure it's not a different model number?

Personally I love my Janome. It's an 8200 and I love the 11" throat, auto cutter, smoothness, quietness, intuitiveness,
and it's a dream to FMQ on.

But I'm sure the Brother is a good contender. I would check throat height as well as length on both. It's amazing the difference an inch or two of space makes.

Yes, definately consider throat height. I swapped to a machine with a higher throat space yet smaller throat width than my Bernina 710.....don't miss the extra width at all so far and am loving how easy it is to gt my quilts through with the extra little bit of height.

I'm would go the 9400 or the brother 5100. The muvit foot is the best feature on the brother so if you get the 5100 make sure it's included. I'm have the 6200d and have considered the 9400 but my 6200 does everything is need beautifully

Thank you all for your thoughts.
zozee, I looked again and I was off on the model - it is the VM5100 - Dreamcreator XE. If it wasn't for the huge throat and what I think is a good deal, I'm not sure I'd be considering it. It feels like it will have a big learning curve for me. Maybe too much machine for the level I am at. But I haven't tried it yet and people say the Brothers are relatively easy to use.
The Brother throat is 11.25 x 5 for a whopping 56.25 square inches. The Janome 9400 is 11 x 4.7 for 51.7 sq in, the 6700 is 10 x 4.7 for 47 sq in, and the Juki I have is 8.5 x 6 for 51. I quilted a twin size with a flannel back and really had to shove it through the Juki throat. I thought it would fit through more easily. The 9400 is basically the same size.
I think I might take the last twin quilt I made to the shop with me, and see how hard it is to squeeze it through the various machines. I need to try to get over there this weekend.
I also need to remember that the few times I'll make a quilt larger than a twin, I could rent a long arm or pay to have it quilted. Not my preferred way, but once in awhile is OK.

I have the Janome 9400 (traded up from 8900 when 9400 came out). The auto presser foot was the reason but have found other things I like ...the moveable light over the needle really helps the old eyes and that third needle plate ( HP) and foot allow the machine to do a straight stitch almost identical to the one I get on my juki tl2010q (which is darn near perfect!). I’ve found the 9400 a bit picky when I quilt....prefers Janome purple tip needles; for anything else any needles work fine.

I would suggest the Janome 9400..It's great machine. gshalom is a great machine. I've had a Viking machine for a number of years and the auto pressure foot is wonderful. When quilting it's so handy.

Thank you for replies.
The light on the 9400 is certainly appealing. Lighting has become an issue for me over the past several years. That machine just has a lot of nice features in general though. The Juki has poor lighting and they did not address that with the new model. Even the young women in our guild use extra lighting with them.
What does "auto presser foot" mean exactly? Are they easier to use somehow? The presser foot is not really something that has bothered me. Other machine functions, I wish for something better or different, but that is not one of them. Maybe that's just a failure of imagination!
Dolphyngyrl, Do you find the multifunctional Brothers - sew, embroider, quilt - do all three well? Does having embroidery on a machine make using it for quilting more complicated? (does that bar on the left come off?) I don't see doing embroidery for now but would not rule it out for later. That muvit foot is very intriguing, but I wonder if the little belt wears down over time so that it doesn't grip well anymore.

I have two Janome machines and I love both of them...hopefully you have had an opportunity to test drive the 9400 and the Brother and have dealer support in your area.

I test drove a Brother VQ2400 yesterday and I liked it. It is a slightly used machine for $2999. A pretty good deal. Not clear if has a muvit foot or not. One salesperson said yes, another said no. While it was very nice, I guess it is not my favorite, but I can't say why really.
I also tested the new Janome 6700P and it was very very nice. More my "style" of machine, for whatever reason. They did not have a 9400 in store but are bringing it in for me to try. I'll be away for a week, so it will wait til I'm back. Unfortunately the 9400 will probably be out of my budget, based on their initial quote of just under $4K.

gshalom, when you say the 9400 is picky with needles for quilting, do you mean straight line with the walking foot, or FMQ?

Both the Brother and Janome you mention have the same size harp, which I find wonderful for quilting.
I have the Janome 8900, which is an earlier version of the 9400. I love my machine. The Evenfeed foot is fabulous and the machine goes from regular stitching to FMQ without my having to dither with the tension. I've used about 6 of the gazillion stitches included, but I like the fact I have them available. I also like the 9mm stitch width vs. the 7mm on most other machines.

That said, I have the Brother 1500PQ and the little 6000i and they are both workhorses. I don't think you could go wrong with either machine and they should be around the same price.

Cranberry the auto presser foot automatically goes down when you start to sew. Don't have to use your hands. When you stop it raises slight. Wonderful for a pivot. I love mine but I have ended up with some messes when I have used a different machine and forgot to put foot down

Ah, I think the Brother presser foot did that when I got to try it. There was so much going on with that machine! All kinds of new things. I've always mechanical machines so computerized is a whole new world.

And belfrybat (great user name!) I am really looking forward to a wide harp. I lean toward Janome, and hope to decide soon. At this point the Brother VQ2400 was a return that someone apparently decided to swap for a long arm, and they're selling it for 2999. And yes, both it and the 9400 have the same list price of 4999.

I'll let you all know what I decide! Thank you for the help!

I got the 9400. Very pleased so far. I think it is going to be a great machine for me once I get the hang of all its features.

I have relegated the Juki to my class and backup machine for now since this one is just too big to haul around all the time. My husband is also eyeing it for some projects he has in mind.

I agree with the auto tension. I have a Diamond Deluxe and the Brother nq3500d, and the one feature that I love the most is the auto tension. I've had my Viking the longest and have never adjusted the tension on it, rather sewing, quilting or embroidery. It has lots of other features but this one saves me so many headaches.