sewnsewer2

I'm not familiar with viking, but I can tell you I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Bernina! I have the 640 with the emb module.

Good luck deciding and let us know what you chose.

Lisa T

Ok- I think I was confused last night. You guys are right- the 440 does have the BSR standard, so what I would be getting is the 430. I could add it later for about $1000. Other than that, they are the same machine I think.

I tried to edit my post heading but couldn't. How do people add the extra stuff to their post titles later on? Like some people say (Update on page 7) or something.

ETA- And thanks for all the input. It really does help!

Regarding the Janome machines- I wore out (or broke?) one of the cheaper ones ($250) in 6 months and had bad service from Sears over it and so it left a bad taste in my mouth for that brand. I imagine the ones that Sears carries are not the same as the dealer ones, but I am staying away from it.

I have never even laid eyes on a Pfaff, so I don't think we have anyone local for those. I want to stay fairly local- at least under an hour.

Lacelady- your FMQ is beautiful, but I bet you would do gorgeous work even without the BSR. I have seen your other stuff and you are extremely talented. I wish I had tried it while I was there, but I can't really afford it at this point- it adds a thousand dollars and that is too much for me.

sewjoyce- I loved the wavy line quilting stitch. I would use that one right away, doing parallel wavy lines.

quiltykitty- the Joann's here is where I tried out the Viking Sapphire. They would only give me $100 off for the floor model. So the new in box one is $1999, I could get the display one for $1899. (Both places are only giving me $100 off for a floor model. My husband thinks I should get one in the box if I can only save that much. He is probably right.) I got to try the Diamond while I was at Joann's and it was AMAZING, but then I had to come back to earth. LOL! I think it was $7000? The stitching area was HUGE. I loved it. Could you pm me and maybe I can get you to forward those emails?

farscape- that is a nice "gut feeling" indicator and makes me feel better about my choice which I think is going to be the Bernina. I am up to 80/20 for the Bernina. LOL!

sewjoyce

To change the title -- you need to pm Patricej or Admin and they will change it for you.

Marcia

Lisa---my choice would be the Bernina----hands down! I have a 10-year-old Bernina and would never buy anything else. If you get the 430 and have the option to add the BSR at a later date that would be wonderful. If I could add it to my machine I would do it in a heartbeart!!!!!

The knee lifter is one of my favorite things about my Bernina. It frees both of your hands to be on the machine bed with your fabric.

I vote for the Bernina!!! (this is not a paid testimonial)

Lisa T

LOL! Marcia! I liked the knee lifter too. And it comes standard, too! Bernina seems to give you a lot more with your machine.

Doreen

I have the 440 and I love it. The optional feet are a bit expensive but sometimes you can find them at a lower price on ebay. The store will also sometimes give you a discount if you buy the machine from them. If you look on ebay they had some that included the embroidery package.

sewjoyce

You might also want to negotiate the BSR addition before you buy...you might be able to talk them down on that price (ask for a demo and you'll love it!).

kluedesigns

i'd have to go with the machine with a bigger throat (the bigger the better, in my book) and the thread cutter.

i won't even consider a machine that doesn't have a thread cutter.

Butterflyspain

Please be careful on ebay unless you are buying from an ebay shop. I nearly got caught out by someone wanting to sell me a machine for 800 Pounds. Luckily I was a bit suspicious as theykept on lowering the price and I thought Hmmm thats just not possible so I contacting ebay and they looked into it and took them off the site.

Elle

bearpaw

I have a Viking Quilt Designer and I love it. Before I bought the Viking, I had a Bernina QE (I forget the model number). Honestly I didn't like the way the stitches looked. The best way I could describe it it like this:
| | | / | | | | //| | |

They would be striaght, then go crooked. I brought it to 3 or 4 different dealers to try to straighten the stitches and nothing worked. I sold it and bought the Viking.

Be sure you test drive both. I also have to say the Bernina had a lot of thread bunching when starting to sew, the Viking not as much.

Just my experience with both machines - not saying which would be best for you. :D Good luck! :D