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From: liz's creations
Date: 01-05-2005, 10:41 AM (1 of 8)
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I have been looking a the baby lock sewing machine i narrowed my search to the Esante 2 and the Ellure , but I'm still confused and frustraded. The difference in the price is so much. Can anyone give me there opinion in comparison to these two machines.Should i invest in the esante or should i settle for the ellure. I do sewing and embrodery on a daily basic during the holidays mostly. Also i don't know if these machine require any additional equipment to operate or download images to a disc. Like i was told for the JAnome??? Please help I need all the advise i can get. Liz Pledge of Allegiance: I promise never again to do any free work.Unless my mother or father are involve.
Some of the items I have done:http://lizscreation.shutterfly.com/a...8Abt2jhq1atmIm |
User: liz's creations
Member since: 09-20-2006 Total posts: 12 |
From: mamadus
Date: 01-05-2005, 03:01 PM (2 of 8)
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I believe that esante and ellure are comparable to the Brother 6500 and 8500 (sorry, but I'm more familiar with the Brother line than with the Babylock line) with those you can use the Amazing Box, the Vikant Ultimate Box, PEBasic, the Pes2Card3 ..all of which are good choices and I believe all run under $300... My Brother ULT takes floppies, but my first embroidery machine, the Brother pe150, used a card..for that I have the Vikant Ultimate Box..which I bought from Allbrands.com for about $160, which included a blank card... just my 2 cents.. MO life is too short, not to explore
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User: mamadus
Member since: 12-31-2004 Total posts: 492 
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From: soverysewey
Date: 01-06-2005, 12:18 AM (3 of 8)
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The Esante/8500 and the Ellure/6500 both would require the use of a box to get designs off the internet.The Ultimate box is good and it runs $169 online.They are both very nice machines but the Esante can do a bit more than the Ellure and the screen is larger. If you plan on buying Embird or some other such program so you can manipulate your designs [and perhaps eventually digitize] then they become more comparable...The main difference in the two machines is Esante/8500 has a huge amount of built in sewing designs and the Ellure/6500 does not.If you would enjoy a lot of decorative sewing stitches seperate from the embroidery unit then you would want the Esante/8500. Both machines can take Brother/Babylock cards but the boxes are cheaper in the long run. |
User: soverysewey
Member since: 12-19-2003 Total posts: 56 |
From: JulieS
Date: 01-13-2005, 11:06 PM (4 of 8)
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I know it is a bit intimidating to make this decision... I was in a similar place just a few months ago and ended up going for the Janome 9000. It is comparable to the others but is a model they are phasing out (it has been upgraded to the 9500) so is significantly cheaper than the Ellure and Essante. (The 9000 is the directly comparable to one of these... I can't remember which.) All in all, I got my machine almost 1/2 price for $1300 and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I also have two friends in my sewing circle that went with the other machine and they like it. The 9000 came with more feet. It is v. easy to use (I am a relatively new sewer... I made the investment in this machine as one to grow in, knowing that I wouldn't have to replace it as I grew in skill level. I have never regretted the purchase.) While all the machines read the pre-programmed embroidery cards you can purchase, to do any customizing you need to purchase software for your computer that comes with an external rewritable drive and RW cards. I was surprised that for most of the embroidery I want to do (monogramming and such) I need the software. I will be investing in it sooner than expected!!! Good luck... Julie |
User: JulieS
Member since: 01-11-2005 Total posts: 26 |
From: soverysewey
Date: 01-14-2005, 12:56 AM (5 of 8)
| Does the Janome 9000 have a 4x4 embroidery field or a 5x7? |
User: soverysewey
Member since: 12-19-2003 Total posts: 56 |
From: soverysewey
Date: 01-14-2005, 12:58 AM (6 of 8)
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Argh! Can't edit for some reason.. The Ellure has a 5x7 field and is $999 which really seems like a great deal to me. |
User: soverysewey
Member since: 12-19-2003 Total posts: 56 |
From: BrokenNeedle
Date: 02-10-2005, 07:58 AM (7 of 8)
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Liz, It is a very frustrating decision to make. May I suggest the following: Since technology is always advancing rapidly, get the newest machine you can afford. It is important to get a large hoop. Designs seem to be getting larger. The 4X4 is the most popular, but you may wish to combine designs or use a larger design. It's best to have more than one hoop size. Get a machine that uses a popular format. The PES format is easy to find and all the designs I find are offered in PES. Janome has changed their format twice, that I know of. Pfaff has changed theirs twice too. That means that not all designs are offered in all their formats. Oh yes, Bernina has offered PES, ART, and now another one (forgot the newest one). You don't need to buy digitizing software at first. You can do with an editing software which is lower in price. Not all digitizing software is created equal and requires research. Think about if you want to have you sewing machine connected to your computer all the time. The newest Berninas have to be connected to a computer to embroider. Do you want to carry the machine to the computer or vice versa? Would you rather download on to a floppy, card, or memory stick then take it to your embroidery machine? Hope this helps. Pamela Pamela in NC
Bernina 630, BabyLock evolve, Brother 1500s, Brother ULT2001, Pfaff 2054/56 |
User: BrokenNeedle
Member since: 02-09-2005 Total posts: 5 |
From: paroper
Date: 02-10-2005, 09:17 AM (8 of 8)
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The Bernina line seems to be gravitating toward the ART format. The newest quilting line (Aurora) does have to have a computer (a first) to run the embroidery module but it is more catered toward the quilter with the new stitch regulator that is intended for free hand quilting. There is a lot of interest in the machine but I think that needing the computer to run the embroidery will limit the interest in the machine. There are more machines that are in the works in that line but there is nothing known about how they will work in conjunction to the computer/embroidery. The disadvantages of the machine being computer dependant are many, however the main advantage is that it really cuts the price of the machine and it allows for a much more powerful computer than the machines can currently handle internally. These machines take ART format. The new Deco machine (commissioned to be made through Janome) takes ART or EXP but takes the ART cards for delivery to the system (very confusing). The flagship machine of Bernina is still the 200 which is operated by Windows (Mr. Gates is very proud of this break through in sewing) and requires ART to run. The windows operating system will allow the machine to be updated easily. It is a self-contained system with a color touch screen and allows some download directly from the Berning Porthole on the internet, internal editing and receives its designs by CD, or computer or can read the ART cards (which are being discontinued) for the 180. The older Artista machines: 180 and below took ART and converted it to Exp, as does the new Deco, but the 200 is a pure ART machine...the first of its kind. The advantage to ART is that the design is created and the fill is added to the design dependant on density and size requested...this means that you have infinate sizing and the density is automatically adjusted according to the size of the pattern. The older Deco machines were made through a contract with Brother and used the same format as the Brother machines. Those machines have been discontinued. pam
Bernina 200e, Artista V5 Designer Plus, Explorations, Magic Box, Bernina 2000DE & 335 Bernette Serger, Bernina 1530 Sewing Machine, Bernina 1300 DC Overlock (with coverstitch) |
User: paroper
Member since: 02-03-2004 Total posts: 3775 |
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