Bernina 1001/1031
Helena Suomalainen
a new one. Have looked at the possibilities available in
town and have decided that want a Bernina. The store has
a 1001 and a 1031 on display, and both performed beautifully.
I do know that there are computerized ones and would like
to have one, but the prices are ridiculously high (the 1001
costs 1000 dollars and 1031 1400 dollars).
Does anybody know of any reason, why I should not buy either
of the models? Is there anything in Berninas that I should
pay special attention to? Any reason why I should not buy one of the
models (apart from the price)?
Sylvain Bergeron
Dear Helena,
I went through your dilemma 6 months ago!
First, I noticed that the prices you quoted were high. I bought a
computerized 1090 for 1329$. The 1031 was 1100 in Rochester NY where I
bought my machine. You may want to call dealers in a wider radius from
your home.
The main advice I would give you, having debated myself whether to go
mechanical or computer, once I had settled on the Bernina line, would be
this: If you go mechanical, go for the 1031! It has a few more stitches,
which is not the main advantage. IT HAS THE KNEE LIFT, which is a real
plus. When I first contacted Bernina of America to get their brochures,
someone wrote on the 1031 brochure that the knee lift was what made a
Bernina worth it. I first thought that it was only sales pitch... but
after 5 minutes of using the lift (it is a lever that you nudge with your
right knee and which both lowers the feed dogs and lifts the presser foot
sbar at the same time, leaving your hands free to handle the material. A
real saver when working with difficult projects). After 6 months of using
it, I'm addicted!
The other advantage of the 1031 would be the Electronic, DC motor.
Electronic means that your needle will stop in the UP position (a tap on
the pedal will send it down ). The DC motor means more power when sewing
at slow speeds or on heavy fabrics. Yet, with a mechanical machine, you
con't have complete control over stitch length in reverse sewing, and
with permanent reverse sewing either. However, the 1031 sews both beads
of a buttonhole in the same direction (it backtracks after the first bead
is sewn). That makes for very even buttonholes.
I was almost sold on the 1031 when my dealer told me that the
computerized 1090 was also on sale, for about 150$ more.(my dealer turned
out the best price in NY state from the scouting I did; I was lucky)
Since the 1090 came with more equipment (as a standard), the price
difference melted down to very little (I got the sewing table, more
feet). The advantage of the 1090 is complete control over the needle
UP/DOWN, reverse button neer the presser foot, permanent reverse and the
other basic advantages of a computer machine. And in the case of Bernina
(and I'm sure of other European makes), computer does not mean flaky. I
am personally glad I went for the 1090. It is very simple to use (one
button, one function. No complication). But if you go fo a mechanical
model, go for the 1031.
Here's a bit of torture for you (I'm just sharing my recent
experience...). The 1001 is a great machine. The 1031 is more expensive
but offers a few very good extra features. The extra expense is well
worth it. The 1090 is more expensive than the 1031 but offers yet a
few very convenient additional features. Again, the additional cost
offers a good return. See? In my case, I crossed my fingers, held my
breath and plunged: 1090! I have enjoyed every stitch since!
Finally, in the case of Bernina... They build their machines to last. So
you can concentrate on the features instead of mechanical vs. computer.
My final recommendation: if you can, go for the1090. If you cant ($), go
for the 1031, not the 1001. You won't believe how convenient that knee
lift is!
Good luck and let me know what you get.
Sylvain
sn...@cornell.edu
Sylvain Bergeron
Judy Colwell, D5....@forsythe.stanford.edu writes:
>>computerized 1090 for 1329$. The 1031 was 1100 in Rochester NY where I
>
Sorry to hear that! I did a lot of phone shopping before visiting a
dealer and I was lucky: one of the nearest dealers (2 hr drive) was also
the cheapest in NY State... by 150 $ at least.In
>A friend has the 1230, and the only difference that I can easily
>detect is the built-in alphabet.
The alphabet on the 1230 is rather limited compared to what's available
nowadays. So it is certainly not a reason to buy that machine for
anymore.
In fact, the main advantage of the 1230 over the 1090 is its altered
stitch memory. When you select a stitch, the computer presets its length
and width for you. If you override these with your own settings, the
computer will remember your preference. You can use another stitch and
come back to the first as you left it. The obvious use for this is to
use a straight stitch at length=0 before and after doing embroidery work,
for tying off threads. I may yet trade my 1090 in for a 1230 (preferably
used but recent) just for that reason.
By the way, has anyone been working with the 1630 yet? how is it?
I had a chance to play with one in passing at a dealership. It worked
nice but I noticed that they had ot go to a rotary hook to accomodate the
new features. Also, they had to reduce the size of the bobbin. Will this
be a significant difference?
Well, here's another nickel...
Sylvain
Marina Salume
>The obvious use for this is to
>use a straight stitch at length=0 before and after doing embroidery work,
>for tying off threads.
Other machines (like mine, a New Home) have a separate button
that does a "lock-off" stitch, which is a few length=0 stitches.
It also does a lock-off automatically before most of the built-in
embroidery stitches.
My point is, most the new machines have the same functions,
the difference is in HOW they do it. That's why it's essential to test
drive machines so you can choose the one that does things in a way that
seems logical (and easy to remember) to you.
--marina