apiarist

I have the chance of buying an ex demonstration Bernina 830. I have read so much about this machine and all the things that have gone wrong with it and I just wondered if you thought I was mad. I like the idea of the larger throat space to ease my quilting, but I also want a reliable machine. Any suggestions would be gratefully received.

ManiacQuilter2

If this is a third party sale, you will not have any support or technical help. Be sure to ask when it was last service. I assume that you are talking about a newer model 830. You also will need to have it serviced every 12 to 18 months. I have been quilting on my Bernina 1530 for over 16 years and never needed a wider throat.

Tartan

My first Bernina was a demonstration model. If it still has the warranty and a really good price, I might go for it. I couldn't justify the cost myself for an 800 series and bought a B440 and kept my demo also. They both used the same bobbin so I can switch between them.

CanoePam

Do you do garment sewing and embroidery also? The B830 is a multi-purpose machine, and the cost and trouble reflect that. If so, a demo model from a dealer will have had all the kinks worked out and could be a good deal. If you are looking for a machine just for quilting, it isn't worth it. You can buy a sit down quilter from Handiquilter or Babylock for $5000-6000, depending on the options and deals going at the time, and use your current machine for piecing. If you want a more traditional machine, Juki has some nice bigger throat machines that aren't just quilters.Pam

Onebyone

The only thing I know from my friends that have the new 830 is that it is very finicky. All say they wish they hadn't bought it. One said she felt she was stuck with it for the rest of her life as it cost so much. I love my Brother 1500 for machine quilting. Big harp, easy to maintain, and built to last and inexpensive.

Nammie to 7

I've had mine for at about 9 years -- I really love my Bernina. I've not had one problem with the machine.

rusty quilter

Had one....Don't Go There!! Don't care what the price...always needed to be "adjusted" at $200 a pop!

Prism99

I love my older Bernina 1230, but I would not buy a new 830. It costs way too much money. I'd rather use less money to buy separate machines, each of which does a really good job -- e.g., a Sweet Sixteen or other sitdown machine with wide throat for quilting (if I didn't want to do frame quilting) and a separate embroidery machine with the largest hoop I would want to use. If I didn't have my Bernina 1230, I would probably get a Juki 2010 for piecing and perhaps a Janome for fancy stitches.

My point of view is that a single machine that can do everything is going to be very complicated, which means it is likely to need more maintenance and/or break down more frequently, and it is also likely to not be able to perform each function as well as a machine specifically designed for that function. Also, it's putting all my $ eggs in one basket. What to do if I don't like the machine down the line? Because it's so expensive, it's harder to sell used because fewer people can afford the cash.

Pennyhal

I just bought my 4th Bernina, a 580. I had taken a class on the 830 that my husband wanted to buy me. However, after taking the class, I realized that it had too many features that I'd never use...like using it to paint on dishes. Even if I wanted to use all those features, like painting dishes...it'd cost a lot of money to buy the foot needed, the type of paint needed, etc. The machine is too heavy for me to lift as well. So I'd not be able to take to a class, or even move it to different locations in my house. People I've talke to seem to love the 830 or hate it and no inbetween. If you want a machine to do machine quilting on, I'd get one with a bigger harp. If you want a machine that can do machine embroidery and quilting, I'd look for one that has bigger hoops than the Berninas...except the 830 does have bigger hoops and those hoops are $$$.

faykilgore

Bought mine from my dealer as a trade-in, so was about half the price. They are all of the above, pros and cons. I love it, but it is heavy, finicky, costly and demanding to maintain. I LOVE the large throat and the large embroidery hoop. That said, I recommend people thinking long and hard before purchasing. I wish I'd bought the sit down quilter but I wanted an embroidery machine and I've used that monster hoop that only the 830 will accommodate on many projects. One drawback is the time/space required to convert it from embroidery to sewing. It sews/quilts in a table so it sits down in it. It does embroidery sitting on top of the 6' cutting table. It's not difficult to switch back and forth, but I'm terrified I will damage something in the transitions, including myself picking it up! It's very title says it all. It's called a SEWING COMPUTER.