Yes indeed, Pfaff has had dual feed for years, however, these days I find the Bernina to be a more solidly built, quality conscious and dependable machine than the Pfaff machines, even the top of the line Pfaff models. A Bernina with a dual feed is an awesome combination, and when the Bernina Stitch Regulator is added in, it’s a heady mix.

As an aside, it’s been my experience when teaching machine quilting classes that machines with a drop-in or horizontal bobbin were exceedingly more difficult to coax into producing a high quality free motion quilting stitch. A vertical bobbin system like you’ll find on most (maybe all?) Bernina and Pfaff machines (and other brands I’m sure) is far likelier to produce a high quality stitch during free motion quilting.

I talked with a machine repair technician about this issue during a Pfaff Dealer Training a few years back, and he said it’s absolutely normal, and that it’s just the physics of the whole operation that makes the vertical bobbin set up out-perform the horizontal for free motion quilting. For folks like me who machine quilt everything on a domestic machine, a vertical bobbin is a must, IMO.

There will always be brand-loyal machine buyers out there, and I’m one of them (I’m that way about cars too). I stuck with Pfaff for 16 years, until Pfaff was bought out by Viking Husquvarna and the quality went way down on the newer models. The proof of Pfaff’s declining quality was sitting on my sewing table in my 2056 machine.

At that point I used a Bernina 440 in a three day workshop and discovered I could love it. No, the prices on the Bernina 8 series machines are definitely not pretty, and some hard thinking will go on about it in many minds, I’m sure, but I don’t think Bernina will find it’s made a mistake and go bankrupt over it. The features will sell the machine, not just the name.

For the huge price tag that has been rumored, my Janome 6600 works just fine for me and doesn’t cost an outrageous price.

Not bashing Bernina..but I think I have the better deal. Bernina is way to late..but being a Bernina this machine will sell big time to those who can afford to.

It’s like the difference between a Ford and a BMW; they both have wheels and some of the same features, and get you from point A to B. It’s the level of luxury and quality that separates them. I could have waited to buy a new car until I really felt able afford a BMW M3 without killing the budget, but my Mustang gets me there just fine, in plenty of style and fun, for much less money up front.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking the 8 Series and I’d love to have one (just as I’d still love to have an M3), but I’m not sure that I’d really want to drop the cash on it when all is said and done.

Thanks for stopping by, Kerri!

I’ve been tossing around the machine quilting frame/longarm machine idea for years, and maybe this new Bernina will prompt me to take the plunge. If I was going to drop that kind of cash on a machine, it would be great if it had something besides a regulated straight stitch.