happyquiltmom

I have the vintage '70's Bernina Record 830 and have never had any trouble with it. Maybe the problem is "they don't make 'em like they used to"? I know that the new Singers are garbage. I wouldn't own a new machine if it were given to me!

callen

Sorry to hear of your troubles. I also have the Bernina 820 & for same period of time. Mine is 20 months old & at first it scared me to death but the dealer was fantastic & helped me thru the learning curve. The only problem I have had is usually with the bobbin & it's usually something that I didn't do right. The only other issue has been thread. It seems to be pretty particular with the type of thread I use. Maybe that's what your problem is. Have you tried other thread brands to see if that could be the source of your troubles? Might be worth trying. I feel for you as it is incredibly frustrating when these "beauties" act up, somewhat like a teenager !!! LOL Don't give up just yet as you can always trade in (or whatever) when your timeline suits you. Best of luck.

quiltmama22

[QUOTE=Candace;5411039]I would imagine you'd have better luck trading up. For example, if your dealer carries longarms?---- Unfortunately, my dealer only carries a couple of brands of longarms and I'm really wanting the Innova. ----

This doesn't address the original question of trading down, but, on the subject of longarms---yes, yes, yes, to the Innova. I don't have one but have tried them several times at the Machine Quilters Showcase and Love them. For one thing they are much lighter in weight than my present longarm.

MissQuilter

I have had a Bernina 830 for 40 years with never a moment's problem. If I do have a small issue, it is usually ME that has done something wrong. It has been reliable and trouble free and I sew A LOT!

jamsbuying

I would definitely talk to your dealer. No machine should be that aggravating! When I decided to buy a new machine I had a time deciding which one I wanted and my dealer really worked with me to get the one I wanted/needed, as in taking back two machines before I finally decided! I have never worked with another dealer, but would hope they are all as good as the one I use. I have the 630E (which I use to learn and do all my free motion quilting on) and an ‘antique’ 930 which I will NEVER give up. It’s a real prize. Good luck to you.

quiltinglady-1

I think if I were having so much trouble with my machine, I would really give serious consideration to purchasing a different brand. I have several friends that have Bernina's and have had them in the shop many times for expensive repairs, but I have been lucky with the brand that I have. Quilters spend a lot on these machines to only have continued expensive repairs. You could use that repair money to buy a more reliable machine. Just my two cents worth... lol

vickig626

I have a Babylock and have been using Gutterman thread too. Seems to work so much better. When my machine doesn't like a type of thread, it definitely lets me know. I only use Coats & Clark when I can't find a specific color match. Connecting Threads thread is happy in my machine too.

Never had a Bernina so can't help you out other than as mentioned to contact the company directly. Can't hurt. And, I'm actually very surprised at the comments about problems. I thought the Bernina was the best machine on the market. I've had my Babylock 4 years now and it's only been in the shop once for cleaning.

vickig626

My quilting buddy neighbor was a huge Janome fan but had a lot of problems with her 9500 (I think that's the #). She finally got so frustrated and the dealer did everything he could to help her (he went above and beyond on this machine), that she finally broke down and bought a Babylock Symphony. She loves it. It's a great quilting machine and has awesome features that some machines just don't have. I love my Babylock and would never buy anything else.

tildiemae

I have had similar issues with my Bernina 830 but my dealer is fantastic to work with. He has even offered me a limited 830 for $1900 plus trade in my old one. It's behaved fairly well as of late but just two weeks ago I was FMQ and I had the same problems you described. The only thing different I did was change color of thread but same brand and it had fits!!...I plan to quilt again next week so I'll give it another chance!!!

KnitnutBZ

There is the answer once again, they don't make thm like they used to!!