New sewing machine - please help me choose from these

After my bad luck with a cheap Brother machine, and with DH coming into a small bonus at work... I can now extend my budget to around $400!

So I'm looking for something that isn't plasticy and will last! Features like a hard cover, top loading bobbin and a one step buttonhole would be good. I'm a novice sewer but would like this purchase to last for some years.

So I'm looking at the following models (and sale prices are listed) and if you have any feedback please let me know!

Janome MW3018 Limited Edition $399 (this is the top contender!)
Janome 521 Sewist $349
Janome 5027LE $399

Brother NS10 $349
Brother NS20 $399
(I am nervous about another Brother though)

Elna 2800 $399
Elna 2300SP $299

I have a brother LS 2150 and love it its been great!

Woo hoo on shopping

i have a brother innov 900 and i love it.

my suggestion is to try each machine and see what one best suits you. its better to play around with the features and have a good look then to just look at one on the shelf and decide that way.

good luck choosing one! :D

Ok just in case any experienced sewers read this - how useful are the following?
* needle up/down
* start/stop sewing button
* automatic sensor buttonhole
* computerized as opposed to mechanical

I am going to test drive a few models this week but as I'm a novice I'm not sure about these...

my machine has all of those features. i love the start/stop button. just means u dont need to worry about a foot pedal! i am assuming by this you are looking at a brother? needle up/down is useful but not always necessary as u can use the dial at the end of the sewing machine to manually do this. good luck with it all

Thanks Teresa :) Yes I am looking at the brother NS30 and NS50 and also a janome 19110 which is not stocked by many janome dealers but has some extensive features. I will post the features below for comparison :)

The brother machines have all those features I mentioned above, and I can get the NS30 for $435 (locally) and the NS50 for $499 (plus shipping).

NS 50
Direct stitch selection control panel for easy stitch selection
•A total of 135 built in stitches
•Back-lit LCD screen with digital stitch length and width controls
•Advanced needle threading system
•10 styles of 1-step automatic buttonhole
•Quick set top loading bobbin for easy threading
Easy to use with beautiful buttonholes and lettering (it does the alphabet!!). Perfect for beginners to advanced.

NS30
•Easy to use electronic jog dial, making stitch selection simple
•A total of 70 built in stitches
•Combine patterns and save your favourites to memory
•Back-lit LCD screen with digital stitch length and width controls
•Advanced automatic needle threading system
•7 styles of 1-step automatic buttonhole
•Quick set top loading bobbin for easy threading


Janome 19110 $449 plus $25 shipping

50 Stitch Patterns
•2 Digit LED Stitch Pattern Indicator
•Auto-lock
•Lock-A-Matic Stitch
•Adjustable Stitch Width from 0 to 7 mm
•Adjustable Stitch Length from 0 to 5 mm
•Buttonhole System: One-step Sensor Type Automatic 3 Styles
•External Feed Balancing Dial
•SFS (Superior Feed System)
•Box Feed System
•Drop Feed System
•Automatic Tension
•Horizontal Thread Delivery
•Lay-in Threading with Numbered Paths
•2 Different Sized Thread Caps
•Built-in Needle Threader
•One Hand Thread Cutter
•Snap-On Feet
•Conveniently Located Reverse Button
•Electronic Foot Control
•Speed Control Lever
•Failsafe Device: Electronic Beep
•Jam Proof, Magnetic, Top Loading, Full Rotary Bobbin System
•Auto Declutch Bobbin Winding
•See Through Bobbin Cover with One Touch Release Button
•Extra High Presser Foot Life for Extra Clearance
•15 Needle Positions
•Free Arm Removable Accessory Tray
•Needle Stop "Up"
•Memorized Needle Up/Down Key
•Retractable Carrying Handle
•Weight out of box (8.2 kg)
•Front Position Halogen Lightbulb
•DC Motor
•Sculpture Stitch (2 Lengths)
•Bi-directional Blanket Stitch
•24 Heirloom Stitches
•6 Satin Decorative Stitches
•Star Stitch

the janome sounds like its got a lot of good features! tho halogen light bulb will be quite warm/hot to work with! i honestly cant go past my brother at the moment! i love the automatic needle threader! it means that i dont have to sit there and try and thread it myself! :lol:

Hmm good point about the halogen. Also I won't be able to see a 19110 in real life so would have to buy online and hope its ok - which I'm not sure I want to do.

The brother NS30 has a dial for selecting the stitches, which I think is better than pushing a button to scroll through them... both brothers have good reviews online.

In reality, I doubt I would use the alphabet stitching on the NS50 a lot, but then I wonder if in 3 years time I would wish I'd spent the extra, say $100, to get it IYKWIM. And although the NS50 has 65 more stitches than the NS30, that includes the alphabet and 0 - 9. So if you exclude those, there's not too much difference. Hmm. Decisions!!

I was hoping to check out the brothers and some other janomes tomorrow but DD is getting over a cold, so daycare may not take her... and next week I am back at work part-time so I have way less time to do stuff like this! Fingers crossed she is well enough to go :)

good luck with whatever u choose! you might actually use the alphabet stitching more then u think too! i hope your DD feels better soon

which machine did u end up choosing mrs p????

Hi Teresa :)
I got the Brother NS 30 and I love it! It practically sews for me! Haven't managed to use it a lot but what I've done was great. Thanks for all your comments!

not a problem! i am glad u like it :D

hello...just so you know I have NS30 brother as well and have been using it everyday since I first bought it nearly 3 years ago, this is my 3 rd machine and haven't got any problems since!
My piece of advice...so long as you wind the bobbin properly and use a good quality thread you won't have any problems!
I'm sure you will have fun with it each time you sew!
happy sewing!
~M xx

Ooh thanks maries!! I am definitely only using good thread on this machine, don't want to risk using cheap stuff. I'm booking in some general sewing classes over the next few months, can't wait ;)