busygranny

Am interested in all the remarks and find them interesting. I have a Husqvarna topaz 30 that is 3 1/2 yrs old and have had nothing but problems with it from day 1. It was even replaced once with a brand new one..mother board burned up. Have spent more money on repairs, that my husband wont even let me put another dime into it. Like was said when you pay thousands for a machine, it should LAST!!! I have Aa Singer that I bought when I turned 18 and I am now 78 and it has NEVER had a problem. My Topaz main problem is all of a sudden I have a "bird nest" on the back of my fabric. No amount of rethreading, etc fixes it. Has to go back to shop for another $100.00. I hate this machine and they will only give me $1000.00 trade in and I don't want another Husqvarna. So I feel for you and your pain when it doesn't sew.

onemoe

sometimes when the needle jams it causes the timing to be off. check that out

Lady Diana

A needle jam can cause a timing issue, it can also bend a shaft slightly if the needle hit the plate or bobbin case....did it break the needle? I would trade it in on the 8900. I love my 8900. I have a 6600 that is also a great machine. I wasn't the best FMQ'r when going around curves....I got the 8900 for the extra harp space, BEAUTIFUL decoratibe stitching since it is a 9mm machine, and guess what....Right out of the box, I decided to go for FMQ. Looked in the instruction book....set the machine, no tweaking, no special thread, started FMQ...lots of curves, Turned it over NO EYELASHES. It is great for piecing and free motion...I love this machine so much, I purchased a second one for the cabin.....Oh, I had a problem with the Accufeed FOOT,,,...NOT THE MACHINE. The foot is what the problem was with this machine...my dealer sent me a new one free of charge. No problems since. I think the ones coming with the machine from the factory, or at least some of them had feet with plastic that either broke or would not stay in place.
This machine is perfect, at least for me. If you have any questions, go to the Janome 8900 group. I used to belong to the Janome 7700/8900 group. Too many issues being talked about the 7700, so an 8900 group was formed. I have yet to see a machine problem on this yahoo group. That should say something about this machine. Best wishes in your quest.

llong0233

You will find so much information here on this subject it will make your head spin. Unfortunately, only you know your circumstances. Brother makes some very good lower-end machines. I own three and the only problem I've had with them (one is mechanical the other two are computerized) is bobbin and tension. Others will say the opposite. So, do your cost/benefit analysis, withing your budget constraints, and decide. Good luck and keep us posted as these are the kind of choices many of us are interested in.

llong0233

Addendum to my reply...P.S. Your machine, any machine, coming from a repair shop should sew a nice, straight, even stitch. If not, take it back and let them have another go at it until they get it right. If you paid for the repair you should expect a straight stitch!

Z Any Mouse

Your story sounds very similar to mine. I had a 7700, loved it and sewed with it nearly every day for two years, then suddenly it started having issues. I took it in for the annual service, issues still not resolved, brought it in a couple more times, then decided to trade it in for an 8900 while it was still worth something. I've had the 8900 for a year and have not regretted my decision at all. My dealer also gave me a fabulous deal on my trade-in which made the upgrade even more sweet. The only drawback, and this is very small, is that the 8900 feet are not interchangeable with my 6600, which I have had for many years and is a true workhorse.

madamepurl

I was worried about that reliability thing as well now that they are owned by SVP, Inc. The last Pfaff I had said West Germany on it, it had been so long. However, I was so unhappy with the Janome and all the gals I sewed with sew on a Pfaff. I said - ok I'll just try the little Passport and see if I like it. Well it was like coming home. My sewing immediately felt better and my results were better. Of course if I would've started off with a Bernina, which back when I learned to sew was my other choice, I may be crooning over a Bernina like this. I just think in the end I'm a Pfaff girl. The funny thing is I picked the Pfaff because I was learning to make a plaid shirt and they said, well you'll never have trouble matching seems with the IDT. Well all these years later, I had no idea I would be quilting away and would need to also match seams on the dot.

I've had no issues on sewing through multiple seams or reliability with both my Pfaffs. One things is I like to do small quilts - so sometime the blocks are no larger than 3" unfinished. Well, the Janome would have a hard time piecing it or just shoot it out the side even with the O2 foot. The Accufeed foot would eat it as it was nearly as large as the fabric I was working on. I do love the auto pivot feature as well on my QE4.0. I have not tried the machine you have mentioned. I would suggest take some blocks and try it out. I like the Perfect ¼” Foot with guide for IDT™ System part #821063096, but the other 1/4" foot works great as well. This one lets you move it the needle slightly to the left if you need a perfect 1/4" foot.

I think the overall problem today is that they don't want us to get 10-15 years out of a machine. Well if you use it once a week maybe, but electronics degrade and businesses have "planned obsolescence." Basically if a machine lasts so long, then you're not buying a new one and they count on people buying new machines. Sure they'll give us 20 year warranties, but after 5 years, they'll quit making the parts. I think the iron folks have this planned obsolescence thing down to a science. I'm not saying machine people set stuff up to fail, but with hard use they just aren't going to last like a vintage machine.

caspharm

I love my 8900. It has taken on anything I have asked of it. Any problems were mostly operator error, but I agree with Geri B that there may be a problem with the machine or the tech, if the problem isn't being resolved. Maybe you can do a trade-in for the 8900.

I did a lot of research before I bought my 8900 and 99.9% were positive. No machine is ever an absolute perfect fit. I've had a Designer I and a Pfaff before this and sold them. My 8900 does pretty much whatever most of the Berninas do and for less money.

wolf3349

I have the 8900 and have not had any problems with it . two friends also bought it and are very satisfied with it . It does a great job FMQ ing and I have really put my machine through a lot. I average 30 to 40 quilts a year and quilt most of them on this machine.
I just have it serviced to get it checked and cleaned up every year. So far so good .

irishphoenix

This is brilliant- thankyou so much for all your help and replies. I personally thought the shaft was a bit off kilter, because the jam was so unusual. Generally the needle would break, but this time it jammed hard and the tech said he thought the needle had bent which was why it was so difficult. I am still mulling things over regarding a trade in. I got a backdate on my pension so... I do have a small lump sum to play with. I had hoped that the 7700 would be with me for a few years when I bought it, but of course high end machines in anything are so twitchy, if one thing is slightly off then of course it wont perform to its highest capability, a bit like formula 1 cars!
The thing I would love to have on the 8900 would be a pivot for the foot so you dont have to keep lifting the presser foot for weenie applique pieces but of course, DH has pointed out more computerised things mean more stuff to go wrong.
I didnt know anything about the Pfaff machines which on paper are comparable and they have all the bells and whistles. I am going to do a more in depth check as I ahve always had Janomes.
By the way, I adjusted the bobbin case as suggested to about an eighth turn to the right and the stitches are reasonably even now. Not a 100% but do-able