callen

The Bernina 830 is very expensive & before I spend that kind of money, I would definitely test drive it. It's an awesome machine BUT here in Canada it runs about $11,000 - $12,000 (depending on dealer, of course). I was so wanting this machine but just can't spend that kind of money & settled on an EMBROIDERY ONLY machine. I bought the Janome 350E machine & so far, I'm pretty happy with it. The largest size it does is 5 x 7 so if that doesn't work for you, another machine just might fit the bill. Happy looking. I will say the quality of the Bernina 830 is awesome & it does a variety of embroidery design sizes BUT definitely make an effort to test drive it.

katesnanna

I have a Janome 10000 that I bought from the husband of a friend who passed away about 4 or 5 years ago. I have loved this machine and had so much fun with it.
Recently I bought the MC 15000 and I'm loving it so much even though I have only had two lessons . I signed on for a BOM from Hoop Sisters and have had two lesson for that also. I'm using it to piece a Bargello and am loving all the space I have to work in.
Here in Australia the 15000 cost the same as the 12000 so if it is out in Scotland go for the top of the range. I swear by Janome and have five different machines. I'm looking forward to learning all this machine can do.

quilterdunn

You need, also, to consider how much embroidery you might be doing-size, etc. Janome has a great little embroidery only machine, the 350e, I think that's the name. It does 4x4 and 5x7 and is very easy to work with (I had a 300 before I upgraded to the Baby Lock Ellisimo Gold (which I really like). If you think you might want to do some of the really large embroideries (like the back of a shirt), you should really look at one of the top of the line Bernina's as they will do very large areas. My Baby Lock will sew out an 8x12, I felt the Bernina was just too costly and much more "complicated" to operate, at least for me.

Mamia

Have you thought about getting an embroidery machine instead of a combo. I would think it would be less trouble then a a 2 in 1. I don't have an embroidery machine. When I bought my Bernina 550 I was afraid The 2 in 1 would be to hard to learn on.If you have a good sewing machine and don't really need to replace it think about a separate machine for embroidery. Just a thought. I do have a friend who has both and loves them.

jitkaau

Check out the after sales service and support as well. I bought a high end machine which was a lemon and got no satisfaction.

Sheilz

I did think of a embroidery only machine but space is at a premium so had to look at a combo. The 15000 is out in Scotland but it would've been another £1500 at least and since I got a thousand of normal sale price I really couldn't complain. Today I've been experimenting with the embroidery bit. Managed to send a design to the machine however it doesn't look anywhere as nice as the one I did in the shop yesterday. Amn't sure where I went wrong. Perhaps I had it on too large a hoop? All I know there is an awful lot of white thread visible from the bobbin while there is none whatsoever from yesterday?! But, I'm still chuffed I managed to get the software working. I think the proper design software should arrive by next Monday if not before.

Stashelf

I have a Brother Quattro. I love it. I have had it for 5 years and have had no problems. It has a very large hoop that lets me do just about everything. The best feature is the camera that lets you scan your hoop so you can place your design exactly where you want it. This is a big deal when you do multiple hoopings. I never use my 4x4 hoop. I use the 8x8 hoop the most.

Wintersewer

I would stay away from an new Bernina....lots of trouble with them. They are NOT the company they used to be. And even when the problems are minor they require a trip back to the dealer/tech. I had to find a new tech because the one where I bought the machine was unable/unwilling to fix the problem. So now I drive 1 1/2 hour each way fir even a simple adjustment.
Some parts on the new 700 series machines are so fragile they they break in normal usage. The threader, for example, and the company calls that "wear and tear" and charged $107 for the part.

Whatever brand you choose be sure that the service is close and competent. IMHO, Janome is the most reliable, but I'm sure some will have differing opinions.

kbeuchert

I had a used Pfaff and I would not recommend it. I then bought a very slightly used Bernina Artista 640 but certainly not the 7 or 8 model and I love it. The hoop size is a little smaller than I would like but otherwise it works like a charm. I have also heard somewhere, but I can't remember where, that the 8 Bernina model has been a disappointment. Good Luck!

Rose Marie

Embroidery is very sewing intensive so has to be hard on a machine.
Much better to have a separate quilting machine.
I only have a small embroidery machine to see if I would use it a lot. Since I only use it for quilting it would not be worth the cost for a bigger machine. It does great on a six inch block with red work and that is all I want it for.