New Bernina

[Hannelore N.]

Okay, Roni, I want to come over to your house and play!! Lucky you. Marsha

[Hannelore N.]

Is someone scheduling a playdate? Count me in! lol

[Ruth C.]

Let us know how you LOVE it!

[Liberata T.]

I thought that there would be lots more comments on the features of the new Bernina in the forum.

I'll go first and open myself up for rebuttal. :wink:

IMHO, the physical sewing space is the biggest advantage I see and then all the bobbin features. Maybe all the embroidery advancements are very important to those whose main interest is embroidery. Many of the other features I have compensated for with attachments (eg. spool holder) or modifications to my sewing space (eg. lighting). Personally I do not like too much computer power in the machine itself. Just another device to keep updated. I already get too many "blue screens of death" with the mobile, laptop, desktop, iPod, etc.

I chose the 630E over the 730E. Maybe, just maybe I will consider the 820. My Bernina dealer here in Switzerland and I have already discussed that option. He thinks that he will have a 830 in the shop in January. He already has a order for one from someone from the UK!

What do you REALLY think?

[Judith T.]

Libbi, I personally cannot afford the big expense. I will stick with my 440QE and muddle along with my BSR and do the best I can. Maybe if I were younger and more creative and into embroidery, I would think about it. But I'm not. I knew I wouldn't ever be buying the new Bernina and honestly, never even watched the promotion. Judy in AZ

[Sherry B.]

I think I really pushed it to the limit getting the 730, so I am trying to avoid wanting the 830. I think I would love the bigger embroidery space - mainly for quilting quilts. I find that embroidery is not my passion and I don't do it anywhere near as much as I should. I heard that they are going to have another model - the 820 - that focuses on quilting. I think I would love to have that permanently set up on a quilting frame. However, once the price of that is known, I would have to compare it to a long arm before deciding. But mainly, I don't think I even dare suggest to my DH for many years to come that I want another sewing machine. He was a sweetie and surprised me with this one. So for now, I need to just be grateful for what I have.

[Lynn K.]

What I think is that there is no way in this life I would or could consider paying this much for a sewing machine! That's what I really think. Nothing against Bernina. I wouldn't pay that much for a Viking or a Brother or a Janome either.

Now before anyone gets offended, I will explain that I don't have any desire to embroider so that lets that part go. And I already have an OLD Bernina 830 (1972 vintage) and a NEW Janome 6600 and a NEW Janome HeartTruth machine. I can do everything I currently want on these 3 machines, so ......... . . .

I will have to admit that my heart did a jolt when I heard the asking price!!! :shock: :x :shock:

Yes, the wider harp would be nice .... and I guess the extra bobbin would be nice, but....... so would all vacation and no work, and a perfect spouse and perfect children and grandchildren, and perfect health, and perfect weather.....

So, maybe I'm the grinch who stole Christmas or something......

[Sandy L.]

Guess I'll jump in on this topic. I would love to have the new machine but have not done any embroidery so can't justify the new 830.

I do a lot of machine quilting and enjoy it. I've always wanted a machine with a larger harp and was thrilled when I heard this one was coming. I am seriously thinking of the new 820. I will need to wait to see more details. I'm wondering if it will fit in my cabinet or would I have to get a new cabinet. Our LQS will be having some get-togethers to give out information so I'll check one of those out.

I've also always wanted a long arm but have no room in our house to put one. After the BSR came out, I decided that I would be happy with doing my quilting on a stationary machine. With the larger harp, I think the 820 could be my "long arm".

Sorry this is so long but just thought I'd jump in.

Sandy in Phoenix

[Sandy L.]

i would love to have this new machine,but i have a730. i've only had it 2 years and i love it. but ill wait and see if there will be any problems with it in the future. the price alone is stagering.


karen in calif

[Sandy L.]

Wow! That price is heartstopping. I'm one of those really not interested in all the embroidery features, so the 830 doesn't get me excited. I'm afraid that what I see of the 820 fails to get my heart started again at those prices. I'll just have to be content with my 430.

With our U.S. economy on such a drastic downturn, I wonder about the timing of offering such an expensive machine to sewing hobbiests. This will be interesting...

[Sandy L.]

I am a self-confessed gadget girl! I don't own any bernina's. But I definitely enjoyed watching the launch. This is launch season and I'm just eager to see what's the latest and greatest. I'm perfectly happy with my machines as they are. I consider it a blessing that my DH supports myhobby to the level that he does. That being said I would rather invest in improving on what I currently have rather than going into hock over "the latest and greatest".

We have owned one too many lemons to know about buying a car the first year of that model, we'll let the kinks work themselves out, and hopefully by then all our chips will be lined up and we can splurge on a "new" machine. (DH enjoys using the short arm and the embroidery machine--men and their gadgets...) :wink:

[Hannelore N.]

When Bernina brought out the BSR I said to my friends: 'I don't understand them. Why do they bring out this thingy and don't offer a machine with a bigger throat at the same time?'

Then Janome brought of the 6600 and my comment was: 'Nice, a bigger throat. Would be even nicer with a BSR!'

To be honest, if I had $ 12.000 in a suitcase under my bed I'd go and buy a longarm.

My final comment: All these new machines have such a lot of features and bits and pieces that can go wrong, I think it would be prudent to have a second machine for when 'ASAD' (All Singing All Dancing) refuses to cooperate.

And just in case anybody from Bernina reads our messages: I volunteer to test drive the new machine!

Lorchen

[Anne B.]

I'm going to buy an 830. I've been waiting for several years for Bernina to produce a mid-arm machine, and this one exceeds my hopes and expectations!

I'm not going to go into debt for it, though. I never buy things like that on credit. Instead, I'll save my money and pay cash. It will take quite some time, but that's okay, it will give Bernina time to work out any bugs that turn up.

The newest machine I own now is an old 730 that my mother bought for $600 in 1968. At the time that was a huge amount! But man, that machine is fabulous! You get what you pay for, I figure.

I've never had an embroidery machine, and don't know how much I'd actually use one. But so what? I want to try! I didn't know how much I'd use my serger when I bought it, either (okay, it's newer than my Bernina 730, now that I think about it), but I've sure enjoyed it. I use it a lot.

IMHO, the size of the arm alone makes that machine worth the price. And the machine does waaaaay more than any long-arm I've ever seen!

Anne in Vancouver, Canada, hunting through her purse for extra pennies for the piggybank

[Betty J.]

Anne, Sounds like a good plan. I should be able to buy one in a few years, just before I retire maybe. It has SO many of the features I've wanted and I don't have room for a longarm.

[Betty J.]

I too am getting the new 830. I had planned to buy a Gammill Premier on the Monday after the unvieling...I had the cash in the bank to buy...I agree with the no financing if you can. Then the new 830 was introduced and I just fell in love. My DH, who really is a dear! has been very encouraging about the purchase. Reminding me how much his ATV and other "toys" have cost through the years and how much more the 830 will do compared to the longarm.

I'm a pretty accomplished machine quilter, I teach advanced classes and really enjoy it. I know the long bed on the 830 alone will be worth it. So on that long awaited Monday I drove 3 hours to my favorite dealer and paid cash for the 830 and the new quilt frame. She gave me a brand new 730 to use until my new machine arrives sometime in late November. Since I was the first person to buy an 830 from her, she also gave me the new bobbin on a necklace that the dealers received at BU...she's a real sweetheart!

So now I learn the meaning of patience! I figure I had three kids and waited 9 months for each of them, I can wait 4 months for a sewing machine :lol:

Happy Stitchin'
Darlene