Question about an older Bernina
 

I'm looking for a lighter weight, but sturdy "travel" machine and wondering if Bernina has anything that fits that description? I have a light weight computerized Singer and frankly the stitches are not great and the bobbin thread has to be just right or it doesn't work. My sister has a mid 70's Bernina that she just dumps into her car trunk to travel with and it continues to work great despite her neglect. So wondering about a Bernina. My regular machine is a very nice Elna that I love---but so heavy and don't like to drag it around.

thanks!

i have a mechanical bernina bernette 720 that is light weight and runs pretty well.

If you have a local sewing machine repair shop they may have some machines that you can test drive. I have a light weight EuroPro. I got it years ago for taking to classes and on vacation. It doesn't get used very much - it does sew well enough for piecing and even mending while away from home. I also have a little FW that is fun to use. But my EuroPro has the little acrylic table and I do not have one for the FW.

Keep your eyes open for the local Craigslist and maybe something will show up there too. Thrift stores also get a lot of light weight machines that were not abused because people got them for mending and just didn't get a lot of use.

My wonderful, generous husband gave me a Pfaff Passport 3.0 for Christmas for me to take to my sewing groups and workshops. It weighs only 13.9 lbs (great for my arthritic body to manage). It has everything I want in a sewing machine - including the built-in IDT (aka built-in walking foot) and thread cutter (that I don't use). It has 100 different stitches, one being a serpentine stitch that I used for a baby quilt. I LOVE this little machine. I know the price in Canada, but not the US. The Passport 2.0 doesn't have the thread cutter and has fewer stitches.

It depends on how light weight you need it to be. I don't mind carrying any vintage Bernina (post WWII at least) from the house to the car, but walking a longer distance with them on a regular basis is out of the question. Compared to a modern light weight neither of them are particularly light, but they are not all plastic and have the quality you are looking for. The 900 Nova model is very nice and portable. Mine is a full size machine, ivory white with deep red knobs and details. It has a handle on top of the machine that sticks out of the casing when it's packed to go. The casing is sort of hinged on the hand wheel side and all bobbins, feet and accessories is stored there. It has a few utility sitches and buttonholer function (turn dial), has worked trouble free since my grand mother first bought it in the late 70s, my mother had it for a while. It's a bit lighter than my 730 Record, which is a favorite. Either of the free arm vintage models is easy to bring along as long as the car isn't too far off.

There is the Bernina 801 and 803 sport. They weigh about 18 lbs, which is much lighter than most
vintage Berninas. I have both and they are great little machines, but they don't come with a hard
sided case like most Berninas do.

Fortunately, I can still take my FW to class and it sews beautifully!

I have a Bernina 68SU that is light weight. It use to be a great machine but I have had a lot of problems with it. I loved it so much that I bought 2 more at different times from Ebay...Bad idea. They were both as bad as the one I had. Word of advice. Do not buy the SU68.

The Bernina Minimatic 807 is a great model. It did come with a carry case. The older version is the 707 Minimatic, which also came with a carry case. The Bernina Novas have a wrap around case that is quite like a spy case, with places to hide everything. The foot control on those is pretty bad, but the machine is alright. The Novas have a handle attached to the top, and are pretty lightweight.