I need a new sewing machine - advice?

N=1 obviously, but my mum has a Bernina Virtuosa QE that’s about 20-ish years old and I love it. Very reliable, very fast, has never needed repairs so far. Bernina feet are fairly expensive but I think hers came with quite a few feet and she hasn’t needed any other ones + you can often find them used for much less money. It also helps that our local Bernina dealer is great.

I have a Bernina 801 (that I got from my mum when she bought her QE) and I love that one as well. It’s a very simple mechanical machine without any bells and whistles. Other than regular maintenance it hasn’t needed any repairs since she got it in 1982. I like that it’s simple because there’s nothing that can break, but for some things (like buttonholes that are all exactly the same) I borrow my mum’s machine.

My Vintage 1958 Husqvarna is an absolute beast. It’s very fast, sews through anything and it has a ton of nice stitches as well, way more than the Bernina 801. It’s not as user friendly though, you really need to read to the manual and practice before you can do anything else but straight stitching. It’s the oldest one but probably the best.

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