I've had my Elna for over 40 years and it is a great machine. Mine is a steel body and uses cams. In one of my quilt classes the instructor said that she never heard such a quiet machine and offered to buy it if I'm in the market to sell. Very dependable machine. :thumbup:

I have an Elna that is about 35 years old. Sews great in spite of being dropped on its head a couple of times.

Hi from South Carolina. Well, I believe that Elna was bought out by Janome. Now I recently purchased an older Janome (six yrs old) for my grand daughter and I must tell you I am very impressed with the performance of this machine. Is the machine your looking at a new machine or an older machine? I have friends who have Elna machines and they love their machines.

Now, as far a the Lifetime Warranty from the dealer...I like to see warranties in writing from the company not the dealer. Unfortunately, he could die, lose his dealership or store and you would not have a legal binding contract. I would try another dealer that has Elna or Janome Sewing machines. Always remember "If it sounds too good to be true - It usually is." Good luck.

Bernie

I have an Elna, and I love it, best machine ever. I have the Jubye which is air driven so it never has broken I've had it 20 years. I also have the serger it's also reliable, it's never had any problems. I recommend you ask if they will give you any lessons on the machine so you get the most out of it. When I got mine they went thru all the bells and whistles.

I have a 42 yr old Elna and totally love it. I don't know about the new ones.

Years ago I used to own an Elna and really liked it. Now I have a Bernina 1130 and wouldn't part with it.

This is my understanding as well.

Elan is a good machine. Stay away from the Baby Lock

Are you sure it's not a limited warranty?

I have a vintage Elna Supramatic - the green one that folds into a steel case, and the case becomes an extension table when opened. Back then, they were all steel machines and lived up to the "swiss" legends. I don't know how they are now. They are made by Janome, I didn't realize they still used the Elna brand.
I agree with the others - if you find a new machine for $400 that has everything you want - go for it.

My MIL sewed on an Elna machine for years and years and loved it a lot. My SIL now has it, and neither of them ever had any problems with it at all.

I have an Elna 6005 and no one better ever try to take it away from me. I also own a Brother and a Pfaff Quilter 4.0 and they do not hold a candle to my Elna. I would buy more of them if I could afford it.

Elna is a wonderful line of sewing machines! They were originally made in Switzerland, a beautifully well engineered to run like a watch, practically forever.
They sew straight almost by themselves..
To be honest, I must tell you that I think the company has been sold to...I think Husquvarna Viking, and really good machines are available at bargain prices. The 25 year guarentee, is believable because the machines are so well made.
I have two Elnas. I have a newish 6600 and a little old "Stella" that has had constant use, and has traveled with me half over the world!, been through two wrecks, lived on a sailboat, and has sewed a "million" miles of thread. I do not know if the 3210 is a bargain or not....You should be getting it about half the regular price.
I think it might be one of the Swiss made ones? Those are the best anyway.
Go to Elna on your google and check out the prices!
I wish you well! ....and don't hesitate to ask me for more
information. Jeannie

I have an Elna Super I received as a gift in 1972. I've had it in for cleaning once and she sews like a champ. Mine is metal and heavy, haven't seen any of the newer ones. My Janome is plastic and lighter, but I've only had it a bit over a year...it works well too. Make sure you get lessons on the machine and make sure whoever is getting the machine takes those lessons so you can utilize your machine to the fullest.

I have an Elna 7200 Quilter's Dream and it's been very reliable. I'm using it now to stitch down some raw-edge applique because my much more expensive Bernina 820 skips too many stitches on every fusible I've tried. I chose the Elna a few years ago because at the time it was one of the few domestic machines that had more throat space.

I've had my Elna Supermatic since l961 and it still runs smoothly.

I have an Elna that I paid 1200 for about twelve years ago. It is fine and works like new. It is my understanding that the quality is down since Janome bought them. Could just be gossip, don't know.

I would think if he is 70 and warrenty is only good as long as he is alive that could end today. :) car accident or anything. If your happy with the machine and not really worried about a warrenty, plus if you have checked for prices re: same machine then you should buy it.

I have an Elna, its 17 years old and it runs perfectly all the time. I loave that machine and I am sure the new ones would ber great. A lot of times they will even give lessons on daughters and even granddauthers from my dealer. Can't beat that.

I have had an Elna 3210 since 2005. I am not gentle with my sewing machine! I do my piecing with it and have started to do some free motion. I have had it serviced twice and had a bushing? replaced. I am extremely happy with it!

by the way i forgot to mention that I paid approx. 1200 dollars for my elna dream 6300 when I got it many years ago.

wow! I didn't realize a basic quilting machine is so expensive!

This is not a basic quilting machine...it is a sewing machine. Quilting machines start higher!

I like my Elna but the lack of dealers that work on them is a problem. For me the closest one is 60 miles away. If I had thought of that before purchase I would not have gotten it.

Look for the fine print or check to see if this was a typo error.

No typo he quoted the price several times.

I looked up the machine and it liiks like a toy.
What about classes or ifyou move and have to take it to another store for repairs?
And the as long as he is here? Could be next week he decides to quit working himself then what?

The free servicing is until he's gone, the limited warranty is regardless. I won't be moving and he's been in business much longer than I have been alive, so I don't really have worries there. I can't find any classes within a fair driving distance, so I'll either have to call everywhere to find out for sure or plan to spend a weekend away to go to a class about an hour and a half or more away.

BERNINA IS THE BEST MACHINE MADE IN SWISSERLAND. ALL METAL PARTS, SEWS THIN & THICK CONTACT " THE BERNINA STORE" BOARDMAN, OHIO SHE HAS TRADE INS WHEN GALS UP GRADE.
IF YOU ARE IN OHIO THE BERNINA STORE 330-726-9396 HAS GREAT FABRIC, SEWING MACHINES, CLASSES, AND MACHINE EMBRODERY CD'S. TELL JOYCE ILENE SENT YOU. JOYCE FIXES ALL TYPES OF MACHINES. FROM ALL OVER THE USA. THE GAL IS A SEWING MACHINE WIZ.

Thanks Ladyilene but, I'm going to stick with elna since the store in town sells and service's them :)

Elna/Janome are excellent machines.

google it!

I had an Elna for almost 40 years that I bought in the 70's for about $300. About 5 years ago I decided to upgrade and bought a Janome 4900 Memory Craft. I finally had to send my beloved Elna to my daughter in San Diego so I would be forced to use my new machine! After so long with the same machine I knew every little bit and piece of that machine and was so comfortable with it. The new machine was a steep learning curve for me because the Elna was mechanical and the Janome is electronic. My daughter has strict instructions that the machine is to stay in the family. I love my "new" machine now but it was so hard in the beginning to stay away from my old friend. The Elna brand has always been very dependable and reliable. I had very few problems with my Elna through the years.

My Janome 6600P has a 25 yr warranty. But I pay the labor. My Janome is a 1600.00 machine.
Diane/Wyoming

thats what eleanor burns uses,but i dont know any thing about them,it looks like a nice machine on her show, but hers would be top of the line

Eleanor promotes BabyLock now.

your right I forgot that,thanks for the update

Update: I did get the Elna 5200! I love it! The free motion is lots of fun to learn and have finished 2 quilts on it and made one from scratch!

Elna is a good brand of machine. I have had several students who used them and loved the machine.

If I could justify buying another after just purchasing a Janome 3 years ago, I would definitely grab the Janome Horizon. Test drive one.....you'll love it!!