cranberry

I test drove a Brother VQ2400 yesterday and I liked it. It is a slightly used machine for $2999. A pretty good deal. Not clear if has a muvit foot or not. One salesperson said yes, another said no. While it was very nice, I guess it is not my favorite, but I can't say why really.
I also tested the new Janome 6700P and it was very very nice. More my "style" of machine, for whatever reason. They did not have a 9400 in store but are bringing it in for me to try. I'll be away for a week, so it will wait til I'm back. Unfortunately the 9400 will probably be out of my budget, based on their initial quote of just under $4K.

gshalom, when you say the 9400 is picky with needles for quilting, do you mean straight line with the walking foot, or FMQ?

Belfrybat

Both the Brother and Janome you mention have the same size harp, which I find wonderful for quilting.
I have the Janome 8900, which is an earlier version of the 9400. I love my machine. The Evenfeed foot is fabulous and the machine goes from regular stitching to FMQ without my having to dither with the tension. I've used about 6 of the gazillion stitches included, but I like the fact I have them available. I also like the 9mm stitch width vs. the 7mm on most other machines.

That said, I have the Brother 1500PQ and the little 6000i and they are both workhorses. I don't think you could go wrong with either machine and they should be around the same price.

pandamommy

Cranberry the auto presser foot automatically goes down when you start to sew. Don't have to use your hands. When you stop it raises slight. Wonderful for a pivot. I love mine but I have ended up with some messes when I have used a different machine and forgot to put foot down

cranberry

Ah, I think the Brother presser foot did that when I got to try it. There was so much going on with that machine! All kinds of new things. I've always mechanical machines so computerized is a whole new world.

And belfrybat (great user name!) I am really looking forward to a wide harp. I lean toward Janome, and hope to decide soon. At this point the Brother VQ2400 was a return that someone apparently decided to swap for a long arm, and they're selling it for 2999. And yes, both it and the 9400 have the same list price of 4999.

I'll let you all know what I decide! Thank you for the help!

cranberry

I got the 9400. Very pleased so far. I think it is going to be a great machine for me once I get the hang of all its features.

I have relegated the Juki to my class and backup machine for now since this one is just too big to haul around all the time. My husband is also eyeing it for some projects he has in mind.

romanojg

I agree with the auto tension. I have a Diamond Deluxe and the Brother nq3500d, and the one feature that I love the most is the auto tension. I've had my Viking the longest and have never adjusted the tension on it, rather sewing, quilting or embroidery. It has lots of other features but this one saves me so many headaches.