[rastis]

justsewit: berninas are not pretty… a bit chunky and clunky looking 🙂 but they are good at their jobs

you know i think they’ve discontinued the Janome Horizon now (I just read that this week!)…Unfortunately I had one of the Horizons that had lots of problems (as many of them did)… I’m glad to hear you like yours though 🙂

[Tamara]

I haven’t heard that. They actually released a Janome Horizon 8800 this month and of course there is the one with the embroidery and way out of the ball park in price. I often find it confusing how some didn’t go great and some worked really well. Was that when you first got it or after a service or something like that? I’d be interested to know just in case mine decided to go doolally. My previous Janome had problems – real issues and I was constantly taking it back to be supposedly serviced and that was after I’d had it for a few years. I’m sure the machine wasn’t serviced by the person because it acted just the same when I got it home again.

Note: I just checked and googled about this info you read. Apparently it is because they have released the new machine and it is the 7700 (the model I have) that is being discontinued. Iwas actually searching for people complaining about it but jumped onto a forum of you guessed it, horizon addicts – and of course they love their machines lol.

I liken the Bernina sewing machine to a Volvo – you know the motto, “Boxy but safe” well it would be “Boxy but efficient”.

[rastis]

Tamara my Horizon had problems from the word go… mine wouldn’t sew buttonholes- they were all lopsided- one side sat higher than the other… and it freaked out every time it hit a small bump (did loads of ugly tiny stitches and veered right off course) there were a few other issues too, but those ones were the most unacceptable to me (having bought one when they were first released at over $3,000!! it was an extravagant gift from my hubby!) i never really bonded with the accufeed (found it pretty cumbersome when trying to sew small fiddly clothes)… i had an awful time with janome headquarters over the whole affair, but my dealer finally agreed to exchange my machine for the bernina 440 (plus a store credit as well) i wrote about it in my flickr stream back when it all happened… i had loads of people contact me telling me of similar problems with their Horizon machines (i’m not sure if it was just the early release machines that had issues or not?) i was really pleased to have it all over with because i was pregnant and unwell at the time!

the bernina 440 wasn’t exactly what i wanted (i was hoping to exchange the Horizon for 2 machines a lower end bernina and a semi industrial- which would have been a similar price all up) but the dealer wouldn’t go for it so i had to settle on the 440- which is an excellent machine, but has many features i am unlikely to use all that much… it took me a while to bond with the bernina (having been a janome person for quite a while), but i don’t know if i could go back now 🙂

[Tamara]

Some dealers are really picky, thinking they won’t get the bargain but really they need to see it from the customers perspective as well. I was very very lucky because I bought mine as a trade in on my old one and went to a Janome specialist dealer. When I was shopping around I asked at another place that sold a different brand (because I was looking at them also) and they wouldn’t do a trade in. The place I ended up going to has a service specialist on site and they gave free lessons to know your way around and everything. On the other hand I don’t know what they are like when it comes to the “I want my money back situation”. All I know is that they bent over backwards and some to try and work out the problem as to why the buttonhole stitch wasn’t working on my bound shirt. They even gave me a freebie foot to help in future situations where I had bound seam close to the buttonhole position.

I am lucky to have great service from my dealer but others like yourself aren’t. I’m really sorry your Horizon had problems because it really is a fabulous machine when it works properly. On the other hand though I am also glad you got to have a replacement you are happy with. I don’t doubt that Berninas are great in quality – like I said my grandma is in her late 80’s and still sews with hers. I didn’t even look at them because I guess I have blinkers on and I knew that the chance of trading in my Janome would be a better bet on another Janome. Maybe it was just a batch in the first shipment that were all wrong? It happens I guess.

[wendy]

I recently upgraded to a Pfaff Select 4.0, which is their high end domestic mechanical model. I don’t have very complicated sewing needs. I needed something that was faster than my old Kenmore and that could sew through anything. I love the IDT (built in duel feed) and the many needle positions. I was weary of the 4 step buttonhole function as I was used to a 1 step but actually prefer it in the end, and was also happily surprised at how much nicer a buttonhole it sews than my old machine. What I don’t like is that it doesn’t sew as nice a straight stitch as my Kenmore ( I get the odd slightly slanted stitch). This is what will eventually push me to replace it one day. I’m not crazy about the vertical bobbin either. But for what I payed for it (less than $500, it being a heavily discounted floor model) it’s serving me very well as a reliable workhorse.

I still have my eye on the Bernina 1008. I’ve read unanimously great reviews and think it might be my dream machine. If you favour a mechanical sewing machine I’d suggest looking into it. I’ve also found sewing.patternreview.com to be really helpful, as someone else mentioned.

On a side note, I’m definitely experiencing some growing pains with the new machine. The old one was second nature to me, quirks and all. It’s taking me longer than expected to develop a rapport with the Pfaff!

[Nicole]

Bumped!