I think a nice friendly is the most important thing in buying a new machine they are expensive and they do have to be serviced I used to love Pfaffs still do on the older ones but because of the way the dealer was treating his customers several of the ladies in our group switched to Berninas we all really like them and and the shop owner and all employees are absolutly wonderful always a pleasure to go to their shop so I would check out shops and go that way as there are several good machines out there but dealer friendliest is NUMBER ONE Good luck on your find

Whoa, what an article.. the depth of his research is wonderful.

Great information, thanks. I really like Pfaff. It's good to shop around until you find a dealer you like. Machines aren't perfect and the dealer can be your best friend in a time of crisis. Good luck.

This is very interesting and I think other countries need jobs but I am against outsourcing to China, Japan and Mexico.

During my years of sewing I started with a Singer, then a New Home and now I have my third Bernina (I kept going up a model) which I think is grand! But I know part of making this machine great is the staff at the dealership where I bought it. They are always willing to answer questions, offer classes and when it is needed a technician.

I know of one guild member that buy a new machine from Walmart and sews it to the ground, then buy another one. All of them run for over a year, some more before having problems. Less then $150 a year and she always has a new machine. She said it was like rotary blades. Works for her. I do this with vacuum cleaners. I buy cheap and toss after a year or so and get another one.

Article is great. I printed it to give to my sewing buddies. Too bad you have such a poor dealer, Janome needs to know that as they do not tolerate poor service. My dealer is great and gives us nice breaks on things. Love all my Janomes!

My mom has bought Berninia machines from the dealer and has had nothing but good luck with them. If something was not right they would take it in and fix it and get it back to my mom in no time flat. At least if it was a simple fix, but with a computerized machine sometimes that can take a little bit, but it was still not that long in comparison. I know that Berninia's can be a little pricy and very heavy but you are getting a great machine that is very easy to use and get classes on how to operate it and how to do oiling and what buttons do what on the machine. I got this also when I got my machine and it was a used machine, but still got the same great service. I think that the warrenty on a new machine is really great, from what I have been told. Best of luck deciding what macine you want.

Great article. This guy went beyond the call when he did his research. I have also been through some bad experiences with the newer Singer machines and now own 3 Berninas. Yes they were expensive, but I love them. Iknow people that have other machines and they love them as much. I agree that research is necessary and a great dealer is worth their weight in gold. I am fortunate to have a great dealer.

while it was a LONG read, it was a good read...though I think things have changed yet again since then!