tatteredgarden

Bernina 820- No I would never buy this machine again. Way too much money for such a touchy machine.

bjgallent

I have a Janome 11000 and 15000. Love them both.

shasta5718

I do love mine, but use it so much I end up taking it in every 6-8 months to get something fixed. Wish they were as well built as the old machines.

ShirlinAZ

I have a Pfaff Quilt Expression bought right at 5 years ago, and yes, I would do it again. I love this machine. It makes clothes for DGD, hems jeans (I'm a shorty), pieces quilt tops, and fmqs. It has never been in the shop. On the other hand, I have a Brother PE770 embroidery machine that has been in the shop twice in 3 years for repairs. I now use it with part of the casing off and have devised my own way of preventing thread from tangling up with the mechanism in the upper case. I bought it because it was the largest embroidery area at the time.

I would still keep a backup for DGD to learn on, and a treadle to use during lightning storms.

As for the price of machines, my Dad paid $105 for my Mom's Singer in 1937. It took him 21 days to earn that much money working in the silver mines. With the other expenses of life, it took a year to pay for that Singer. According to 1 chart I found online, that equals nearly $2000 today. What did you pay for your machine?

Rhonda Lee

I bought a Baby Lock Ellisimo about 5 years ago and have really enjoyed my machine. I was talked into buying it. (weak moment) I did not go into the dealership thinking I would get a sewing machine that could embroidery. There has been a big learning curve for me and I've spent a lot of money. It turned out to be a good thing and I love what I can do with it. In the beginning I was sure I'd made a mistake. Not now.

imsewnso

Bernina 830....Yes, I would do it again I love my machine. Mostly I love that I have a dealer that has classes for learning how to use the machine and the software for embroidery. They also have a tech for repairs, and updates. I never sewed before I got this machine and it was a retirement gift to myself. I also have a Bernina 200 and the feet are interchangeable. I have used my machine a lot and have absolutely no complaints.

aeble

If you had to do it over again - would you?
Absolutely, I've been able to do soooo much more with this machine than I could with my Walmart special Brother machine.

Has it been reliable?
Very. I only had to have it fixed once, and it was a user error that caused it (I used the wrong foot).

Has it been picky about threads?
Not at all, and I've used just about everything on it, including some old thread from the 80s/90s that I had kicking around.

Have you had it in for repairs and/or adjustments more than a couple of times?
No, just the annual cleaning and one, oops wrong foot moment that threw off the needle alignment.

Would you still keep back-up machines?
I still have my old Brother machine, but it's only here to give to my daughter when she's ready to start sewing on her own. I haven't used it as a backup since I got the Janome Horizon 7700 several years ago.

SooBDo

Another vote for the Elna 740. LOVE that girl! I also have a 6003 for backup and taking to classes, etc. My 740 is somewhat more picky with the amount of lint buildup it will tolerate, and one time I had an Aurifil spool that was low and it objected, but other than that, what a wonderful machine. Wide harp, will just sit happily in front of me taking what I throw at her. These machines can tolerate bulk, like making bags, etc. with ease.

caspharm

I love my Janome 8900. She is up for most anything. I have had it for over a year and no big issues.

When I started quilting, I bought a Viking Designer 1 and ended up being disappointed with it. It was picky about what it would sew and I didn't really care about the embroidery unit. It also had too small a harp for the size quilts I was starting to make (I like king). Then I switched to a Pfaff, which also turned out to be a bust for me. I did like the IDT foot, but it was also picky about what it would sew and again the small harp. At least, both machines were made in Europe. Now many of the machines are made in China.

DH has wanted me to repair Ballistic nylon and leather, which the Janome has no issues with, but the other 2 did.

callen

Bought a Bernina 820 machine & no, I wouldn't do it again. Bobbin great size but picky about getting the slightest bit of lint or small pieces of thread caught in bottom. Sometimes picky about top thread also but it is a quality machine, no plastic & NOT made in China. I really wanted a combo embroidery/sewing machine but the Bernina 830 was out of my budget. Just traded in my 820 for a Husqvarna Diamond Royale & so far am very pleased with it. The quality of the built in stitches is better than on my 820 & the embroidery designs that I have done so far are spectacular. Don't get me wrong the Bernina is a QUALITY machine but is a bit picky. You can't go off your material or start off your material or you will have problems. You should use leaders or enders & I can't be bothered. My advice is always: do lots of research & try, try & try again BEFORE you buy. In Canada these machines are all over $10,000. & up.