sewingpup Posted February 3, 2015 Report Share Posted February 3, 2015 I had one of the first Bernina's Aurora 440 that came out with the BSR unit you could attach....for me it was fine as I could not FMQ with even stitches especially as I was working full time and did not get the PPP time in...one thing though in those early days was that the little device that "read" the fabric so the speed would be adjusted as you moved the fabric...did not seem to read I think it was reds and whites? so it had a hard time adjusting the stitch length. I personally never had a problem with the color but then I did not ever use a lot of reds or whites...I don't know if that problem was solved and as I said, I had a very early version of it so I would ask that question on how the BSR works and if the color of the fabric makes a difference or if that is an old "urban legend . I haven't had a chance to see Bernina's new longarm....I did know that folks were putting their big 800's on a frame but I always though that with those models, I wouldn't want to dedicate one just for the quilting and would not want to put them on and off the frame as they are heavy. oh...I do have a Bernina 630 that I piece on and I really do love it and it has been a good reliable machine and has many hours on it now since I have retired. Lin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeoTech Posted February 3, 2015 Report Share Posted February 3, 2015 If you go on YouTube there is a video on the Bernina longarm. The twin BSR's are permanently located in the footplate area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimerickson Posted February 3, 2015 Report Share Posted February 3, 2015 Now I don't intend to criticize peoples products, but my guess is that anyone who did a lot of quilting, and moved from one of the first line longarms (A-1, APQS, Gammill, Innova, Nolting or Prodigy) to a Bernina with all their whistles and bells, would be pretty unhappy. All the "convenience" comes at a price. I fear that automatic tension adjustment would turn out to be a nightmare. I know the DSM's don't perform all that well on embroidery, and that's a piece of cake compared to multi-directional stitching. I've not seen a Bernina long arm, so I have no opinion on it specifically. I do have opinions on some of the other sewing machine manufacturers machine (Brother, Viking), and I for one, would not trade my Ult 2 for one of them. If you're a serious quilter, you need an industrial machine, and they don't come with the features mentioned. Machines that don't need to be oiled wear out. Just my take on the topic. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted February 4, 2015 Report Share Posted February 4, 2015 I just watched the video for the Bernina and like Jim, haven't seen one--but will try one out at the next show. No where on line can I find a price and apparently they won't quote you a price over the phone if you call a dealer. All inquiries are directed to "your local Bernina dealer". The only thing I can think of is that the commission is set up so it can be adjusted by each dealer. I guess their franchise structure is set up that way. Anyone try one of these out at a show and quoted an actual price? I also question the optical SRs versus motion-sensed SRs. And the use of regular sewing needles. Can regular gauge DSM sewing needles stand up to fast longarming? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercedes Posted February 4, 2015 Report Share Posted February 4, 2015 I looked at the Bernina Longarm and it was a disappointing experience. The dealer couldn't demo the machine, didn't even know how to fill the bobbin when it ran out. They couldn't answer any of my questions except that the price was $20,000. I would have huge reservations about customer support on a machine that a dealership knew nothing about. I expected so much more when I went to see this machine. Your dealership and their customer service is so important when making such a huge purchase. It was not a good experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepsi Girl Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 I have a Gammil Classic, don't remember the year. It came with stitch regulator and a wonderful over head lighting system. I did have one upgrade on the wheels. And I have a Bernina for piecing. I truly love my Bernina! I am a hobbyist longarm quilter so I doubt I will ever buy another, but if I did I would try to quilt on a quite of few before buying, I did not do that before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeoTech Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 Jim, the electronic tension works pretty well on DW Bernina 640. When the tension changes while embroidering you either tighten or loosen the top tension with a touch of a button. I have to believe it would be the same for their longarm. On the oiling, you still oil the Bernina, but from one central point. I am sure you are aware that Bernina does make industrial machines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimerickson Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 Geo: I know Bernina makes industrial sewing machines. I'll bet very few of them have automatic tension adjustment. As far as the embroidery machines go, I have an industrial Happy Voyager and it has 12 separate manual tension systems, one for each needle. It sure works better than our Brother and Viking DSM embroidery machines. I've looked at a lot of industrial embroidery machines, and can't say I've seen any that automatically adjust tension. Go ahead and replace your Liberty with the Bernina, and report back to us in a year and an half. We'd love to hear about the experience. In the meantime, I'll stick with my APQS Ult 2. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quilterbee1 Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 What machine do I have in my dreams or in my reality?? Lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeoTech Posted March 5, 2015 Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 Jim, Not going to replace our Liberty soon, going to give the new technology a time to prove out, but the industry has to progress and the Bernina Long Arm is going to force the industry to change for the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercedes Posted March 5, 2015 Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 I think the biggest different I noticed between the Bernina and APQS when I test drove it was that the Bernina has a needle speed of 2200 and the APQS Millie is 3500. It's really obvious if you've quilted on a machine that has the higher speed and then go to something much slower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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