need LOTS of help picking a machine

Just an off-the-wall sort of beginning question - but what is the general reputation of the SM dealer in your town? Having a fine one close by is wonderful, however, he could be a total jerk and no advantage at all. Polly

"gardenmom"

Take a look at my sewing machine buying essay:

I have learned that I don't particularly like computer machines. They are finicky and need more service than a mechanical. If I was in your spot I would look for the TOL Bernina mechanical. Pfaff in a similar model might work for you too. Test out as many as you can. What fits you may well be different than what works for others. Know that buying sewing machines is like buying a car. The price is what you can negotiate. That stinks but is the way they go these days. A sewing or quilt show with lots of vendors is a great way to see a lot of machines in a day. Often they have show specials prices too. HTH, Taria

Whatever you do, wherever you go, carry with you a list of what *you* want the machine to do for you. The ones you look at may have loads of other things that they can do; but, if they don't do even one of the things on your list, they are no good to you.

I moved from mechanical to computerised, but not a terribly fancy one, and I don't use all I could! But, I love it.

If you are going to quilt, then I would say you really a machine that will let you lower the feed dogs (you can do free-motion quilting with the feed dogs up, or with them covered, so there are alternatives - if all else is better). Of all the things that I have on my machine, the most useful and invaluable to me things are: the larger than usual harp space - it is only 9", but those couple of inches make a huge difference; the fact that I can move the needle from left to right so that I can place it in exactly the right position for what I am doing - centre for best visibility, to the right for an accurate seam and so on..

If you local dealer seems knowledgeable, you could go with either of the brands he sells.

You really must test whichever one you think you like. Some people adore a make, and others dislike it. There is no way of know until you try it. I always remember that I loved a model of car once and went for a test drive, only to find that the angle I had to keep my foot on the throttle was so high that I couldn't last more than half an hour - and I'm very tall! Take something with you as a trial piece - don't just work on the piece of fabric they will have there ready with the machine.

Don't throw your old machine away, or sell it on, you will need a back up. . In message , gardenmom writes

I have a Pfaff 2030 which is a workhorse! It's about 10 years old but it's been wonderful. I also have a 7570 Pfaff -- which is also a great machine. The newer Pfaffs don't seem to be holding the reputation that the older ones have. (the new ones aren't being made in Germany any more)

I have about 5 or 6 friends with a Janome 6600 -- every single one of them praises it beyond any machine I've ever heard of. Thread cutter, low bobbin indicator, knee lift -- lots of featuers that quilters love. Makes me consider buying one (like I need a 4th machine!)

What kind of sewing do you do? quilting only? clothing? home dec? the type of work you do may dictate the features you want.

Mine is the same as Pat's, and the other thing I really missed when I had to use my backup machine when mine was serviced was the ability to chose to stop with the needle down - wonderful for pivoting or just stopping mid seam. It means the fabric stays steady. Sally at the Seaside~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~uk

Patti wrote:

I'm one of the very, VERY happy owners of a Janome 6600. It seems to be The Machine built with quilters in mind and having every option and feature we could possibly need. But it does a great job on clothing construction, mending and draperies, etc., too. And it handles every type of thread and combination of threads that I throw at it with hardly ever needing any tension adjustments- a biggie for me!

It will take a really amazing machine from Janome to make me trade this one- and I usually trade machines every 3 years. My only 'local' dealer is Janome (they are wonderful for all my needs in sewing!) and that keeps me always looking at their machines. But after using Janomes for about 20 years, I have absolutely no desire to look at other makes! I have a 1950 Singer 15-91 and an old 1920s Singer treadle- I love both Singers but use the Janome 6600 almost exclusively- oh! and I have a Janome Jem Gold for a back-up machine and portability, too.

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

I dropped my J. 6600 in for servicing today. Mechanic on vacation so it will take over 2 weeks to get it back. Gosh, wish that they would have mentioned that when I called and asked how long their turn around was this morning. (I was told a week) I got to nosing around at the new machines while there. That Fancy-schmancy Bernina kind of made me laugh. I suggested to the sales gal that at some point you might as well just pay people a lot of money for a quilt. Kind of ridiculous. I think without the embroidery module is was around $7500. They are nuts. I did ask about the TOL Bernina these days. A model 1008 at around $800. Great looking machine, good price and should be pretty dependable. I know John is like me and doesn't get along with computer sewing machines. Are we alone on that or are there others that feel that way? Taria