Hi i'm new here and looking for a new machine - please help!

[Nevis5]

Hello @Joni_80  ! Just wanted to add to everyone else's welcomes.  Others are so much more knowledgeable than me about machines so I'll let them advise you.  I would just say that I have three Berninas of different ages and of the three it's the oldest one I prefer to use  x

[Elnnina]

Hello and welcome from me too.  Enjoy your sewing.

I see that you are up in Norwich, now there is a shop in Kings Lynn run by a member on here called Machine Steve, so why not treat yourself to a trip to Kings Lynn and just see what he has to offer in the way or sturdy older machines, i.e. those taken in part exchange, and also have a look at the more modern machines which I think you will find for your budget rather inadequate with regards to the weight of the machine and thus likely to move around the table.  In the past I have read from others on here that Steve and his staff are excellent, will listen to what you are wanting and help you decide what is best for you.

May I wish you well in your quest.

[StitchinTime]

@Joni_80 The shop in King’s Lynn mentioned in the previous post is Sewing Machine World and they have put an ex-demo Janome machine on their Facebook page this afternoon. It is a 360DC and is priced at £300 , reduced from £409.

I don’t think I can link directly to the post, but the link below should take you to their Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/sewingmachineworldonline/

[Joni_80]

Great Stuff,
I will have a look for sure & I’ll check out the machine on FB.
Kings Lynn could be a nice trip up to the coast for me and my pooch 

[KayK]

Sewing Machine World in Kings Lynn are very helpful - I see you are in Norwich, so maybe not too far away.

I second this - Steve often has machines that he has taken in part ex and doesn't necessarily advertise them, it's worth a phone call and a visit!

The older ones are the best, the older mechanical Bernina's hold their value, and are pretty solid, although can be a bit pricey - Facebook marketplace is a pretty good place to look too!

[William]

Hello-

After some years of working on various maschines,the only machines i have been sorry to sell have been the Singer Heavy Duty 5511 (the only decent Singer i have come across in quite a few years) and a Pfaff Smarter 150. A Victoria Graffitti comes close to this list (call it `honourable mention`).

WD

[Joni_80]

Hi everyone,
Thanks for all the advice!
Thank you especially to @Elnnina @Bodgeitandscarper and @StitchinTime i rang up Machine Steve & he was really nice and helpful.
I I ended up with the one you mentioned on the FB page - the Janome360DC with extension table.
It looks lush. I’m going to have a go on it and let all you know how it feels.

It’s not as heavy weight as I initially desired, but I decided I can always get an old straight stitch table top jobbie for anything mega thick that I want to stitch.

Thanks again. It’s very purdy  xxx

[StitchinTime]

Enjoy your new machine, @Joni_80. My machine was an ex-demo from a dealer and it was good to know that it had been tried and tested and any issues sorted.

If you are wanting to sew heavy weight fabrics you might be surprised what your machine can handle with an appropriate needle.

[Elnnina]

Thank you for keeping us in the picture, now I hope you will enjoy using this machine and all that it can do.  Have fun.

[whofilets]

I'm in your boat now! I moved here from the US (my spouse works here) and left my old machine behind. It was one of those new Singers people warn you about... It made a nice gift for the family friend who hosted me while I was in school and will want to teach her granddaughters to sew a little bit. But it was a "good riddance" gift for me. I want to step up.

I'm looking at refurbished machines, found a few on sewing4everyone though I haven't heard a lot about this website or company.
Sewing Machine World is just over an hour drive for me, maybe it'll be my next trip for a long weekend 

[KayK]

I'm in your boat now! I moved here from the US (my spouse works here) and left my old machine behind. It was one of those new Singers people warn you about... It made a nice gift for the family friend who hosted me while I was in school and will want to teach her granddaughters to sew a little bit. But it was a "good riddance" gift for me. I want to step up.

I'm looking at refurbished machines, found a few on sewing4everyone though I haven't heard a lot about this website or company.
Sewing Machine World is just over an hour drive for me, maybe it'll be my next trip for a long weekend 

 sewing4everyone - have pretty decent machines, well prepared, but very, very expensive indeed, eye-wateringly so!  i think it would be better to look for a part ex with an actual shop, or even have a look on Facebook marketplace, in areas local to you!