What do you wish you had known about your current machine before buying?
 

We see reviews all the time that highlight was is great about a machine. And really in depth reviews will highlight the features the buyer perhaps isn't so thrilled about.

I find reading about quirks and such as helpful as what there is to love. I am not meaning this to be a bashing thread. But just what things would you really want someone to know about a machine that perhaps has practical consequences.

So I'll start - and see if there is more interest in this topic.

Juki DX5 - only machine I have seen where you cannot use the needle up/down button without having the presser foot down (think when you want to pull the bobbin thread up). Since I use that method to bring up my bobbin on another machine - I am really noticing this difference! This is one where I vaguely registered it at the dealers (because when you press the button, the machine pops up a messaging telling you to put the foot down) - but for some reason I didn't register the practicality of this every day (such as pulling up the bobbin thread).

I purchased a Janome Magnolia 7330 in 2009. I wish I had been quilting longer so I would have paid more attention to the throat size. Mine is only 6 1/2" & it's difficult (but doable) to get large quilts through that small opening. Also, I would have chosen a machine that had more decorative stitches. At the time I bought the machine I was not using decorative stitches at all so that wasn't an important feature to me. Also, the distance between the floor of the machine & just above where you insert the needle is only 3 1/2". That makes threading the needle a little hard to get your hands in & under there for threading (and I don't have large hands). I would have done a lot more shopping around had I had more quilting under my belt. But that being said, I love my Janome.

There is only one thing about my Janome 7700 (purchased in 2015) that really bugs me. There is a thread cutter just opposite of where you wind the bobbin. I don't use the thread spool pin on the machine, I have a separate thread holder that sits on the right side of the machine for my larger size thread spools and my thread path goes very near this thread cutter and it bothers me.

That some parts will no longer be available to fix the thing!

Love my Juki2010Q, purchased local, thinking dealer loyalty. Fantastic machine right out of the box. Horrible dealer service. If I purchased again, I would purchase online. Skipping this dealer.

I won't buy a machine that cost over $1000. Some years ago I bought a used Bernina 1260 for $450 because it has the alphabet to make labels. I'm still using it for piecing. I like paper piecing so I needed an auto thread cutter. I bought a Brother 420, all the features I could want. Then I bought a used Brother 8500D for $300. It does great embroidery quilt labels and has a big hoop too. I have the Brother1500 ps with long throat for machine quilting. I think it cost about $700 (gift) . I have several vintage Singers. I have very little invested in my machines.

My friend has the newest Brother Dream machine. She is scared to death something will go wrong after the warranty is out. Another friend has the new Bernina. Two weeks after warranty a sensor went out. It cost her over $1500 to get it right. More then all my machines cost. I can buy another one anytime if a new feature comes along I think I have to have. I bought the Eversewn Sparrow 30 for $400. It has become my favorite go to machine. I don't worry about any of my machines messing up. No big deal as I have very little invested in them.

After my current experience (to be resolved), I'm liking your thinking Onebyone!! The problem machine cost just over $1,000. The most I have ever spent on a machine! Tempted by a Pfaff, but gut gets tied up in a knot thinking about it (I think I would worry as your friend has about her Brother Dream machine).

I have read such good things about the Brother 420, as well as the Eversewn Sparrow machines.

^^^ This ^^^

When I was shopping for a new machine, I wish I'd had this wisdom. I actually had a salesperson try to direct me that way (he was the repair tech for the shop; the sales folks were busy with others), and I often wish I'd listened to his subtle suggestions.

I adore my machine so can't say there is anything i wish i new prior to buying it except don't buy when it the lastest model because it will go down significantly in price so i wished i would have waited a year but love the features, reliability, ease of use. Have never regretted my decision. I do think if you spend over 1000 like i did you can't be scared to use it ootherwise the moneys a waste. I see too many buy them and never use them because of fear of messing them up but high end machines should work for long time with no issues. I feel for those who get lemons that need work straight out of the box. But i also feel if your gonna buy a machine in the thousand its cruicial to have a dealer that stands by their machines.

At the time I bought my singer 5511 machine I was impressed that I can sew leather with it and it is heavy duty. At that time I didn't do any free motion quilting. Now that I am doing more free motion quilting I wish I had a machine with a bigger throat area. It is very hard to quilt anything bigger than a 70x70 quilt. Almost all of my quilts are 95x95 or bigger.

Never regretted buying anyone of my six machines. All have worked wonderfully for me. No complaints at all.

My Juki is a pain to thread. I have tried the "automatic" threader over and over so I just do it the old-fashioned way. But I love the machine and it isn't a deal breaker.

My latest machine was purchased by my husband as a gift, but I agreed to buy it. It is a Handi-Quilter 710. Handi-Quilter has made long arms in the USA for a long time but in the last couple years have gotten into the 'domestic machine' market. I wasn't shopping for a new machine, but I knew from their advertising that Handi-Quilters were made in the USA. So I eagerly agreed to obtain this machine--only to find out it is made in Taiwan. I can't tell you how disappointed I was!!!!!

I have always felt like machines were over priced , and getting worse. Recently I wanted a straight stitch only Juki but couldn't justify the price. I ended up buying an older model(2000) for at least $500 less than the latest model. I was disappointed that it did not come with a 1/4" foot. I don't find the bobbin area easily accessible but I knew about that before I bought. The manual is almost useless, also.

SusieQOH....I watched a utube video that showed a side view of where the thread went when using the threader and I don't have an problem now. I did when trying to follow the diagram in the manual:(.

I can't add anything about the "automatic" threader, as I don't have one on my machine, but I do find a pair of tweezers work wonders for holding the thread to thread the needle, or for grasping the bobbin thread and needle thread to put to the back of my work when starting - my fingers are don't easily fit the space on my machine as it isn't large enough to accomplish those tasks easily with my fingers. Once I adjusted to using the tweezers, it became a breeze....

My 15000 has the same set up and I couldn't figure out why my thread was breaking all the time. Discovered it was getting caught on that little cutter next to the bobbin. I put a piece of blue painters tape (all I had at the time) on the blade and have not had a broken thread since.

Handiquilter longarms are made by Handiquilter.

Handiquilter domestics are not made by Handiquilter.

Rob

I have 3 Janome machines, but it's the MC6500P that I wish i had investigated more. It has more settings than will ever use, plus alphabet fonts for making labels or monograming....I've never used them at all. What they call quilting stitches, I call decorative stitches, and don't think I've used them more than once. Wish my money was better invested in a slightly larger throat space, and more metal in the machine instead of plastic parts. Now I'm thinking about an embroidery/quilting machine so I can program it do to wonderful even quilting stitches.

I had stars in my eyes over the extended length of the bed of the machine. I never even considered the height from the bed to the underside of the arm - it is less than 3.5 inches! Thank heaven for screen lock because I changed the stitch and settings several times trying to fit a small quilt under the inadequate space. Now I do my quilting on a Brother PQ1500S which is a smidgen shorter in the bed but over twice as high to the arm. I use the fancy machine for embroidery.

that it was only going to last two years and I'd better buy it from someone I could trust to provide service . . . I've had so little trouble with sewing machines in the past I didn't feel that was important when I bought it.

Like Onebyone, I don't have expensive machines, except for my Tiara II for quilting. I haven't had any problems with any of them except the screen on the first Tiara kept freezing up. It was under warranty and was quickly replaced and haven't had a problem since. I don't require the newest and greatest features so am happy with my Bernina 1260 (gifted by a friend of my mom's), Singer Quantum 9940 (purchased new), Brother Innovis 900D (purchased new), Babylock Ellure Plus (purchased used as it had a bigger hoop than my Brother), my Featherweight, my grandma's Singer treadle, and my Tiara II (purchased new). We don't buy expensive cars or appliances either. IMHO the more features, the more likely something will go wrong and cause an expensive fix.

Thanks, Jaiade! I'll try that.
GEM- thanks to you too! I'll try that as well.

When I bought my Janome 14000, I really thought bigger was better. Don't get me wrong this machine works wonderfully and has endless potential, but it is BIG. It has all those fantastic 9mm width fancy stitches that made me ooh and ahh like a schoolgirl. What I didn't realize is that "going big" has its downside, too. This machine tends to drag delicate fabrics down the 9mm width hole in the throat plate. I have to use paper leaders when I work with delicate fabric or knit to prevent utter chaos. I have an Embroidery throat plate with a smaller hole, but it won't work with side-to-side stitching. Would I buy this machine if I had it to do over again? Probably not. I do love the machine in many ways, but I am no longer in love with the "bigger is better" philosophy of sewing machine manufacturers.

I have all Berninas and I think they're great machines. The 820 purchased was so I had more throat space, which is really wonderful. I remember reading a review that said this is a sewing computer not a sewing machine. And that really is true. It really thinks it's the boss of me, like it won't let me thread the top thread unless the bobbin is inserted and the door is closed. And if I thread the top without using the automatic threader, the tension isn't engaged. But the little annoyances are worth the good tension and large throat space. There was a definite learning curve though.

I probably should have tried to lift my new machine before I bought it but I would have got it anyway. Good thing my husband will carry it up and down the stairs when I have to take it to class.

I believe the non-longarm machines are rebadged Janome or Babylock machines.

Well that is disheartening! Angela Walters uses that machine for piecing and FMQ on her videos and it looks like a well performing machine!

Looking at the specs, the 710 is a rebadged Janome 8200.

I wish I had known the dealer was going to close the shop. No dealer near. Limited, limited training and no repair service for this machine. Wish I had never purchased this machine.

My only complaint on my Janome 8200 is that it beeps after every little thing. It beeps after every auto thread cut, when scrolling through stitch selections, when the bobbin is running low, when I turn it on, when anything is wrong. Having said that, I am glad for the warnings of low bobbin and something gone wrong while stitching. But I do get annoyed with the beeping, and especially when I sew while the rest of the house is asleep. They've never complained, but I am sensitive. I don't think a beep is necessary after so many functions.

I would design a different sound for low bobbin: like a whistle. I would make it go ding-ding-ding when something was wrong that could cause a bigger problem. I would not have any beeps with thread cutting (you can be assured of the cut by hearing it and seeing it).

But those are very minor. I'd buy this machine in a heartbeat. Or should I say "heart-beep" (which my daughter liked to say when she was snuggled against my chest when she was three).

My first baby boy also used to say "heart beep" 40-some years ago!

I agree with zozee about the machine signals, but on my Ellisimo there is an option to turn the sounds off. The Janome might also have this as a setting. I haven't done it because although they're annoying, I need the "reminders".

I just wish I'd realized much sooner how much I would love to use an embroidery machine for quilting. This is a high end Baby Lock machine that I bought used from a dealer who had upgraded it with a couple of bonus packs. It has an on-board camera and the designs can be rotated in tiny increments to position them just right.

I also wish I'd known how much I'd love the Baby Lock before I bought the first (low-end) Brother embroidery machine and outgrew it in 2 months. I thought all I wanted it for was to make labels for my quilts, and maybe embellish an occasional t-shirt. It would be great if that's all I wanted it for. It does wonderful embroidery, but the Baby Lock does everything.

Oh, Carol! That's a nightmare. Sorry this happened to you. I have a Singer Quantum machine that's very nice to use, but had a similar problem soon after I bought it on Amazon. I just assumed that places that sell Singers have warranty service, but this is not at all the case. Texas has (or maybe by now "had") exactly 2 warranty shops. One was in El Paso, hundreds of miles away, and the other, lucky for me, was SW of Houston, only about an hour and a half from where I lived at the time and about 5 hours from where I live now. My main circuit board went out on an almost new machine. It took about 3 months for them to get the replacement part. The warranty covered it fully, and I still have the Singer as a backup machine and like the way it sews, but would never buy another one. They expect people to box up and ship machines great distances for service, and it's just not a reasonable expectation as far as I'm concerned. If I'd bought it from a local shop, they would have taken the responsibility for shipping it out for service, but still the potential for long delays is just absurd.

I'm sorry, I know it's awful to feel that way. It really zaps the joy out of it. I wish all manufacturers would have a contingency plan for those caught in this situation.

I had an old Viking with cams so I bought another Viking. Just love it. The only thing I wish I had done was to buy the one with additional stitches. I am using them for quilting quite a bit.

That would drive me batty. I specifically purchased my microwave because it has the ability to turn the beep off. Why do I need a beep to tell me it's done? I can hear that the motor isn't running, I can see the light has turned off, and the display says "done".

To the OP's original question. I wish I had known how much I love my Brother PQ1500, I would have purchased two. Not that I need a backup, I've never had to take it in for service in the 10 years I've owned it.

Yes, the domestc HQ machines look like Janomes to me.

Rob

That it doesn't have a needle down button.

Truly and honestly evaluate WHAT you really use on a machine. Many have machines that are way more than they really need. I, for example, don't need an embroidery machine. I have a friend with one and I just pay her to do a special label now and again, or embroider the label right on the backing before it's quilted. I also don't need a million fancy stitches. In the 60+ years I've been sewing I rarely use most of them.

I have never paid more than $200 for any machine I own (nine to date) NONE are new, none are computerized. The newest machine I own, a Janome 415 (low end)($125. dealer floor model) is the worst of the bunch. I have Singers ranging from a 1910 Treadle ($200), 1952 Featherweight ($200) to a 1967 Touch & Sew 600. A 1974 Sears Kenmore and a 1938 White Rotary Electric. All have very few parts to break, just clean and oil. They all serve me well. When my in-home sewing group meets several of the ladies just use my machines which is much easier than dragging theirs along. If there isn't a price behind the model, it was free or a gift. I do love my Serger, but it was a Christmas gift from my son & family.
But in the end, buy the machine you like and can afford. Try out the machines your friends own, as that is very helpful

Check your manual - I believe you can turn that beeping off. "customizing your machine settings"

For what it's worth, there is a long history of good quality sewing machines made in Taiwan. I recently bought a rare old Singer from 1973 that was made there, and I think it's every bit as good as a Bernina I have from the same period. Of course, those are vintage, all metal types of machines, so it possibly has no bearing on today's products. Just saying it's not necessarily junk just because it was made there. A company like Handi-Quilter has quite a bit at stake putting their badge on a machine that's outsourced, and they have every incentive to maintain good customer relations. It's when a foreign entity buys some company that you might have reason to think the quality wouldn't be the same. There is no American Singer Company as there once was, for example.