Does anyone have anything to say about the Janome Horizon

[Rita C.]

I am thinking about trading in my Pfaff Expression 2 for a Janome NC6600P or a Memory Craft 7700QCP. I would really appreciate suggestions and advice. And could somebody please explain what the 'acu-feed system' and 'superior feed system' really mean? Thanks.

For all you Bernina-philes out there - this is not a realistic option here in Ireland. They don't have the machines in stock as they have to buy them upfront and Irish women can't afford Bernina prices so they don't have any in stock. And those who have bought them have had problems with proper servicing in the South of Ireland. I am, of course, hoping that I am going to win the Bernina 550 prize this weekend and then I will be sorted! :mrgreen:

[Lois B.]

Rita, I am familar with both the machines you are talking about. First of all, I have used Janome machines for nearly 20 years. My first was a Memory Craft 4800 which I love. It was my go to piecing machine and now that I have moved to a larger sewing room I have it set up all the time. Nearly 10 years ago I bought a Memory Craft 6600 because of the larger harp and wanting to begin to do more and more of my quilting by machine rather than by hand. I loved it too, but piecing on it drove me to distraction. The wide hole in the throat plate would eat the corners of triangles. They have what they call a single hole throat plate for it but the single hole is not in the center of the feed dogs and I had trouble getting a consistent scant 1/4" seam allowance using that plate. I also could not use the free motion feet with the single hole set up. Then of course, I became a member of TQS and became even more interested in improving the quality of my work which made me even more disatisfied with my machine. I loved the dual feed system on it. That system has feed dogs on the presser foot. It is like a walking foot on steroids. It is great for sewing on bindings. I use it to baste quilts with soluable thread. Of course, you still have to pin baste before you do that. I went to Janome frequently over the years looking for a single hole throat plate but with no luck. Recently, they began showing me the Horizon which has a throat plate that becomes single holed with the push of a button. It is smart enough to know the single hole is in place and it does not allow you to do stitches that would break your needle. At first that just made me mad that they were trying to sell me a machine when all I needed was a perfectly centered single hole plate. But during Christmas I was in a quilt store that sold Janomes and they had the Horizon on sale at a trememdous price. I bought it. I love it. I am still getting to know it. I have only done one fairly good sized quilt on it, but I have two large quilts nearly ready to put into a sandwich. I love to piece and doing it has been such a dream on the Horizon that I am having trouble getting me to stop long enough to be practicing my FMQ as much as I'd like to be. I think the dual feed on the Horizon is just the same as on the 6600. The extra dual feed feet I purchased for it (stitch in the ditch and 1/4" feet) are interchangeable with the Horizon. Both machines have needle
threaders, thread cutters and knee controls for the presser foot. At first, I insisted I was going to have to trade in the 6600 but the amount of the money they would give me for it was the price of a very, very low end new machine. It is a much, much better machine than that. I have 4 grown nieces who live in my town. All of them learned to sew as children, but right now they are too busy with careers or raising their own children that they have no time to sew. I have 4 great-nieces and 1 great-nephew in my town ages 3-9. Do you think that there is a chance that one of them will become my "nuts about quilting friend" for which I am searching? One of these young mothers spend one day of her Christmas vacation in my sewing room. I set her up with a FMQ project and she took to it like a duck to water. She wants a machine but she's too busy, her house is too small and her kids are too little for her to spend time sewing. She wants a machine and when the time comes she'd be looking at the low end machines. I have something better waiting for her or for one of the others. If I think of more things about my machine I will let you know. I have never had any of them in the shop for anything other than routine maintenance. And I sew a lot. Oh, Leah Day uses a Horizon. Lois
PS. The machine that Pam Holland is using in the links Karen provides a few comments down is the Janome 6600.

[ANNE E.]

I have a Janome 6600 and I like it very much, the only thing is, it doesn't have a free arm and it doesn't have a vertical spool pin which is reccomended when you use stacked threads as opposed to cross wound threads.
If I was in the market for a new machine I think I would opt for the Horizon 7700.
Go to a Janome shop with a small quilt sandwhich and try them out, it's a lot of money to spend and if the shop wants you to buy then they should let you play.
Good luck
Anne
in the beautiful sunny and warm (at last) UK

[karen f.]

Hey Rita!
I just bought my Janome Horizon Memory Craft 7700QCP in November at the Houston Quilt Show. I haven't gotten to try everything yet but so far I LOVE it. Previously I had a Viking Husqvarna Quilt Designer which I was very happy with for all but the freemotion hopping around thing. It drove me crazy and I didn't feel like I had control of the speed I could work at. The freemotion foot on the Janome is wonderful! Here are a couple videos I watched that sold me on the new machine. Also the good feedback from Hanne-Grete and her experiences with students in classes that all loved theirs helped me make my decision and I don't regret it
One of the Pam Holland videos shows the accufeed stuff.

http://vimeo.com/12212688
http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.c...izon-7700.html
http://vimeo.com/12332247

[Rita C.]

Lois, thank you for taking the time to give me such a detailed response. I will definitely trade-in my Pfaff Expression 2 because I already have a Pfaff Select 4 which is a great machine for piecing. The FMQ is lovely on it too but it doesn't have the needle-down facility and it just makes the job that little bit harder.
Anne, sorry to be dense here but is 'free arm' the same as a knee lift? I have a separate spool holder so that is taken care of.

Karen thanks for the links to Pam Holland's videos. I see how the accu-feed works now. I have the IDT on the Pfaff which does the same sort of thing. It's like having an integrated walking foot isn't it? I did read Leah Day's tutorial on the Horizon but as it was a couple of years ago I wanted to know if people who bought them are still happy with them. Sounds like you are? Nikki in my not so local quilt shop in Kerry thinks that the 6600 is as good as the Horizon and says that she prefers to fmq on the 6600. But I have got used to the large harp space as the Expression 2 has 11" so I would probably find it hard to go smaller again.

I have arranged to take my Pfaff for an overhaul next tuesday and the dealer I bought it from is also a Janome dealer so I can try out the two different ones.

Thanks for all your responses.

[karen f.]

Rita I got a good deal by buying one of the demo machines at Houston. I was wondering if you could get yours like that at the show in Ireland that's coming up. It made a big difference in price.

[Rita C.]

Good thinking Karen, if they have any at the show. I believe they are only having 50 vendors? Mind you, then I wouldn't be able to trade in my Pfaff :?

[Jo H.]

My husband purchased me the Horizon after I sold my sit-down longarm machine. I absolutely love this machine for free motion quilting. It is so whisper quiet too and very sound feeling. You will love the roomy throat as well. I also use it to sew customer items that include a very thick strap that is over 1/4 inch thick and rubbery. It sews perfectly through it. My other machine will not sew through it. If you can talk your dealer into either including the sewing table made for it or giving you a deep discount, I highly recommend the table as well if you need one. It is very sturdy and fits the machine perfectly.

[Jo H.]

Rita,

You will get more for your machine if you can sell it yourself. My dealer offered me a trade in on my previous machine but it was a ton less than what I sold it for because they needed to add in their profit. Not sure what your market is like but you may want to try a little before you do the trade.

Good thinking Karen, if they have any at the show. I believe they are only having 50 vendors? Mind you, then I wouldn't be able to trade in my Pfaff :?

[Lois B.]

JoJo, Your comment about the 7700 sewing through tough stuff jogged my memory regarding the warranty. It has a 25 year warranty. I believe Janome made some industrial models and this machine may be based on those. Lois

[Rita C.]

JoJo, Your comment about the 7700 sewing through tough stuff jogged my memory regarding the warranty. It has a 25 year warranty. I believe Janome made some industrial models and this machine may be based on those. Lois

Wow, that's some warranty!

Jo Jo, thanks for that suggestion. I am not sure what the market is like here for a machine like mine but it's worth a try. I will definitely bear it in mind. I am delighted that you find the fmq good because that's the thing in particular that I would like to work better on the one I have got. I know that it has a lot more fancy stitches than I will ever use but that throat space, the single hole plate and easy fmq are worth it.

[karen f.]

Just a quick note. The Leah Day video was after she had used the machine for 10 months. Made in May 2011. Not sure if it makes any difference but I just thought I'd let you know.

[Pamela O.]

Rita, you might look at this site http://www.generations-quilt-pattern...-7700-qcp.html. There are more comments than these. Good luck on your quest. I totally agree that service is a major factor in selection.

[Rita C.]

Thanks Pam, everybody seems to love the Horizon. Are there any detractors out there?

[Kathryn S.]

Anne, sorry to be dense here but is 'free arm' the same as a knee lift? I have a separate spool holder so that is taken care of.

Free arm allows you to sew all the way around a sleeve or neckline with the fabric going around the arm. The sewing machine "arm" which is where you put your fabric is open along the bottom. That doesn't sound very clear, does it? The 7700 has a free arm capability, you can convert to regular if you want I believe. The 6600 does not have a free arm. The knee lift is the lever that lets you lift your presser foot with your knee. I haven't needed a free arm for years, since I don't sew garments and even when I did, I was able to sew sleeves in just fine without it. Lots of folks like the free arm though.

I have a 6600 and love it. I also have a Pfaff 7570 which is a wonderful machine for sewing seams.

Good luck in your purchase, I am sure that you will love your new machine.

Kathy