Will more throat space really make a difference??
 

I am thinking of purchasing a second machine. I have a Bernina Activa (ten years old or so) with 6 1/4 inches to the right of the needle. I like this machine - my only complaint is that it is small. So I am considering a Juki 2010 to use for the quilting part of quilting, and keep the Bernina for piecing and regular sewing. The Juki seems popular, but I have heard that tension can be tricky to get just right with this type of semi-industrial and that a bigger Bernina or Janome might be a better way to go. But then $$ comes into play. The Juki is 9 inches of throat space (plus a taller throat) and $1000, and I can get a Janome (8200/8900) with 11 inches of throat space for about $3500 - $4000. I love Bernina but to get 10 inches of space (the 790) the price is $6500.

My questions for you wonderful quilters are: Will more throat space really make a difference? Will it make the process more enjoyable? How much throat space do I really need? Do you use one machine for piecing and another for quilting??

Thanks for sharing you insights and experience!

My machine has a larger throat space and I love it. Quilting is so much easier. I have a single stitch machine. It sews 1600 stitches a minute. With the bigger throat space I can piece and quilt with ease.

I was given a modern Bernina 820 which has a not only huge but well lit throat/work space. I have gotten spoiled because I had access to a long-arm for several years and now I don't. Although I know I could, I don't want to do anything larger than a twin right now. I know I have a simple queen or two in the future as well but I'm going to ignore that for now.

I can't go back to my old vintage work horse that had a perfect quilt stitch that I used for machine quilting for more than a decade. Just don't want to deal with shoving all that fabric under the needle again. I'm not as young as I once was and man, I can feel a day of wrestling fabric. To be honest I can feel a day of standing at the long-arm too, but at least I can still walk at the end of the day!

There were a number of problems with the 820 and it was quickly discontinued. Mine was given to me almost exactly a year ago and I've had it in heavy use with no real problems until last week and I just can't clear this message. My stitch is fine, my thread is fine, my bobbin is fine. It was one of those things were everything was just fine the night before and the next day everything is the same but it is not working.

Anyway, I'd consider a traded-in 820 that has been factory reconditioned and comes with a service warranty. Think your cost is going to be more around 2.5-3k.

I have the Juki2010 and I love it. I , personally, think the larger throat space makes a huge difference. I don't even do large quilts. Although, I only meander around or use a walking foot.

I have a Juki F600 that I use to piece and quilt. The throat is about 9". I tried a much more expensive Janome when shopping for a machine but the Juki just spoke to me. The throat space and the difference in price closed the deal for me. So, yes, throat space does make a difference and I typically make lap size quilts.

Some Janomes have larger throat space than the Bernina you mentioned
and they are not as expensive. My 9400 has 11" throat space.

I just bought a Janome 6650 for the 10 inches of throat space. It definitely helps for everything. Even when I piece, using my Pfaff with 7 inches feels a little cramped. (Now, if only I can find a decent quarter inch foot for the Janome.)

It definitely makes a lot of difference to me.

Two years ago I bought a Juki TL 2010 Q for machine quilting and I love it. This year I bought a new Bernina 770 QE and love that one too. It has the BSR and I'm finding it helpful.
I noticed something though: while the Juki has a nice harp space (as does the Bernina), the Juki is taller because there aren't any electronics ( screen etc) that the Bernina has. But let me tell you the new Bernina is amazing!!!!!! I've been sewing with a Bernina 150 for almost 20 years and the new one is a fabulous machine.

I haven't had tension problems with the Juki but I can't get the threader to work. The Bernina threader works great.

Had I known I was going to get a new Bernina I'd probably not have bought the Juki but I love it and now I can sew on one and quilt on the other without changing anything. The Juki is very affordable.

So in my opinion, yes, a larger harp helps a lot. My skills are improving much more than when I was trying with my older Bernina.

I went from a DSM with a decent sized throat to a Juki 2010 and the difference has been incredible, within weeks the Juki became my primary machine. I just completed a 90x110 on her doing FMQ and while it took some manuvering I really enjoyed the process.

I have and love the sister to the Juki TL 2010, the Juki TL2200. I had the Janome 8200 and did not bond with it at all - sold it. I recently bought the Bernina 770 and love it, too.

In my experience, I found all three machines were so very different from one another that I think if you ‘test drive’ them all you will find one that works best for you. Good luck!

Yes, it makes a huge difference , Not just the extra width but also the height from the base to the underarm of it.














of machine.

Yes, the throat space will make a difference. I suggest you look at all three of the straight stitch machines, and test drive all of them—the Brother 1500, Juki 2010, and Janome 1600. See which one you like the best. Right now, the Juki 2010 is very well priced and at two vendors includes the walking foot.

Since you only want it for quilting, you might also consider a sit down long arm. I see them for sale on Craigslist all the time for $2,00-2,500.

Yes, the throat size will help tremendously with FMQ.

I use one of two straight stitch only machines. Babylock Jane and Juki TL98QE. Both have 9" throats. I love them both. I prefer the Juki for FMQ. Never been to a shop. I keep them clean and oiled.

I have a Baby Lock Jazz which has a 12" throat. The Baby Lock Jazz II is the same. I believe you can get the II for about $1200. Check their website for particulars.. (Also has 28 stitches).

Throat space is very important. It will make sewing many projects easier.

Those extra inches definitely do make a difference for FMQ. I went from the usual 6" to 9" and it makes FMQ so much more doable. I do queen/king also. It still takes perseverance but can be done.

Juki is my work horse. Love it!

Get as much throat space as possible!

Yes it will make a difference. I have a Brother PQ1500 and I love it. It takes any thread for FMQ. I like that it is high shank so easy to see where I am quilting. I don't seem to need a stitch regulator but then again, I quilt for my own pleasure and my stitches are even enough for me.

I have the brother 1500 and it is for quilting. it is a real workhorse and will handle heavy fabrics with ease. I can quilt a king size easily and it is cheaper at $799 ( I got mine for $649 on Amazon) than all those others.

Try the Elna Q2 foot if your Janome has snap on feet - that's what I have and it's wonderful. It should be compatable with your machine,

I have been a faithful Bernina girl for decades-still use my 930Record. But I wanted a larger harp/throat, and the Bernina’s were out of my budget and had way more features than I want/ need. I purchased a Janome 8200 about 5 years ago, and it is exactly what I needed. I FMQ and use a walking foot (accufeed) for straight line quilting. That extra throat space has made a huge difference for me. You really should be able to purchase the 8200 or 8900 for less than what you stated in your post. Good luck!

Y more throat space is always better, but watch the throat height as well. A large throat space with little height is not a good trade off. I would also say a machine with a large throat but frustrating tension is worthless. I have a brother 1500 for about 4 yrs. never been to the shop, don't adjust the tension much and it will eat any thread I feed it. I can quilt with one color thread on the back and another on the top successfully and often do. For the price you can't go wrong.

I don’t see the point of purchasing a new machine for 2-3” more throat space. I would get the Janome with 11” if the $$$ was not an issue. You will love to have more throat space regardless of what you are sewing/piecing/quilting.

I speak from experience on buying another machine for some small item. I purchased a 9mm because I wanted larger specialty stitches than the 6mm that I had. Guess what....I still rarely ever use the speciality stitches! :-/

I have a Janome 8900 and a 9400 (two houses, two machines). Both have the large harp/throat space and that is primarily why I bought them. The price you quote is high for the 8200 and 8900 machines. When they were new models they were around that price. I would not pay that price for those machines. I paid $3000 out the door a few years ago for a 8900 which at the time was the latest model. The 8200 was about $1,000 less at the time. I got my 9400 with an upgrade (comparable to9450) used (had been used a few months and traded in on an embroidery 15000) for $2,100. Shop around if you are interested in those machines. I love mine.

I just bought an Epic Designer which has a 12.2 space...And yes, larger Harp space does make a world of difference when quilting w/emb machine or any type of FM or line by line...No more Wrestling with the alligator!

Yes. The throat space makes a big difference. I use a vintage Singer 201-2 for stitch in the ditch quilting on a king size quilt.

In my opinion, yes. For quilting you will need space unless everything you make is very small.

To answer the original question: Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! It makes a huge difference to have more space and visibility.

I would love to have a Bernina 830 for the large throat area. But I’ve heard some people have tension and thread problems with both the 820 and 830. Does anyone have one of these machines? What kind of problems come with them.
Another thing, the pre-owned machines always have a lot of stitches listed on there screen. I have seen 8- 12 million.
How many is to many stitches for a pre-owned machine.

IMHO the more throat space the better! Since I do a lot of FMQ I want to be able to move freely and not have any more quilt balled up on the machine than necessary. I too have a single stitch machine that is wonderful for any quilting. I wouldn't trade that baby when quilting for anything.

The problem I see with the Berninas for FMQ is the viewing area. The machine is thick at the top of the throat area, limiting viewing space. My Juki is about the same throat area but is a much taller space. JMHO

What Nan says is true. I have a Juki 2010Q and a Bernina 770QE. While I love my new Bernina, the computer takes away some of the height.
But I'm super happy with both.

The width of the harp is important, but so is the height, in my opinion. Some machines will offer 12 in. to the right of the needle, but only 4.5 inches in height. I have the Juki TL2010Q, and the harp height is 6 in. Visibility is great, and so is ease of handling the quilt.

With my limited sewing experience, larger harp/throat space makes sewing on any project so much easier. I had a Bernina B215 that I've been using for 7-8 years. I really struggled with large projects, to the point where I didn't want to finish the project. Simple queen size quilts, thick, bulky bags, etc.

After joining this group and asking advice, I bought a Brother 1500. I absolutely love it. The harp space being wider and taller has made my sewing so much more enjoyable. I've been having so much fun with it. (I have also started to dabble in FMQ, never thought of doing that before).

I bought my Brother through Walmart for $479 a couple weeks before Christmas. Amazon had it for the same price. Good Luck and have fun!