Janome 8900 vs Babylock Crescendo
 

I can't make up my mind! I went to the Janome & Babylock dealer today. I was planning to test drive the Crescendo but they did not have one in the shop. He did say he could order one for me, it would only take about a week. He showed me the Janome 8900 and said it had a lot of the same features as the Crescendo. I tried it out and it is a very nice machine, but I was interested in the laser beam on the Crescendo. He would give me a really good price on either of the machines. (I think) The Crescendo is $3600. and the Janome 8900 is $2497. including that nice big white table it fits into with drawers on the side. I guess my question is - do you think the Crescendo is worth $1200. more? Thank you for any help you can give me.

I paid $3499 for my Janome 8900 plus another $499.00 for the table it fits in. The price the dealer is offering for the Janome and the table is a great deal. I don't know anything about the Crescendo.

Thank you, sewingmemories. I thought it sounded like a good price. Are you happy with your Janome 8900? Is it good for free motion quilting?

I purchased the Crescendo last September. I am happy with it.....the laser beam is worth the extra price to me. I am not crazy about the dual feed foot. It's bulky and fabric will bunch up under the mechanism with quilting. However, I seem to be the only person with this problem. There are features I have not had a chance to use that gets positive comments from other users. I have never used a Janome.

I would get the crescendo, it has better reviews that I have seen, I have the brother version of the combo and to me right now it is a force to be reckoned with, just my opinion based on reviews, I don't know if the one that has both is on this board but she much prefers her vseries over her 8900. Does the dealer have the aria or unity to try out, those have most if not the same features and would give you an idea, the unity should have all the sewing features, the aria would just be missing the laser and pen but would let you know how well it sews if he does not have a crescendo to try

Jo ford you really need to just spend some time with the foot, because it really is one of the best features of the machine, you really should not be having bunching maybe your presser foot pressure is too high, just a thought. the muvit foot handles anything and does it well in my experience. I would recommend buying the open toe for it as it creates better visibility for quilting. SA195 i believe is the part

I had a BL Symphony and now I have an 8900. My Janome dealer took the BL as part of the trade. Part of the reason I did not want the BL has to do with the LQS--however, I also had issues with piecing, etc. I do like the Janome much better in terms of how solid it feels and how it sews. I have had some issues with piecing on it too, but I think I have those figured out. It does much better for me on multiple layers. I like the stitch quality more...in the end, I believe it is going to be personal preference, both of the machine and in your confidence regarding the place from which you purchased it.

I have a crescendo and to me it worth every penny I paid for it!! I love the laser light and pen and use it every chance I get!! I have no experience win janomes so no help there. When I bought mine they didn't have a crescendo in the shop either but had the unity and told me it the same minus the embroidery and after getting my cresendo they do feel the same while sewing.

I really like the pivot feature of the crescendo but also have trouble with the fabric bunching up behind the dual feed foot. $3600 seems like a good price for that machine. I think I paid way too much, $4400: the dealer though is great as he did the cleaning and adjusting of my 1948 Singer, BL quilters pro and fixed the bent base of my Bernina 153 with maintence adjustment and cleaning for free. I have no experience with Janome so can't compare the 2 machines. Buy the one you can afford and like the best.

I had a Janome 7700... and while I liked it, I sold it because I didn't want two 7mm wide machines - the one I have here now is a BL Ellisimo Gold.

The one thing (and call it old-dogs-new-tricks) ... is that the foot on the Janome is not centered to the ankle. This might not bug anyone else on the planet but me... but it drove me crazy after 30+ years with my old ElnaGirl that has her footie centered to the post that holds it.

You can't beat the dual feed on the 7700s... but I never tried an 8900. I'm assuming they should function similarly.

Still love the sweetness of sewing on the BL... so smooth.

All I can say is that you really need to sit down - breathe - and be alone with each of these for about 30-45 minutes with fabrics and tasks from home to compare them out.

They're both wonderful machines... it's going to be a personal preference thing. Have fun!