Welcome and this is the place to come. What are you interested in knowing?

Oops! posted a long message and lost it. Anyway, looking at the Janome 6600 because it's so much less expensive than the newer Horizon with the 11 in opening. I have a Pfaff 6270 that's about 15 years old, but the opening is a bit small for larger than lap/twin quilts.

I have a 10+ year old queen size I thought I might quilt with the larger opening, but for the extra cost of the machine I'm guessing I'd be able to have two or three quilts professionally quilted.

Are there any great machines in the $2000 and under group that might work better than the 6600?

Welcome to our little quilting world. Not really so little when you figure the map our members cover.

Many people come here before buying a machine to see if anyone else uses the same model and might have helpful information. We're always glad to help anyone if we can.

Forgot to add. Thanks for the welcome.

Welcome! I bought a Janome 6600 last year, and absolutely love it. My only complaint is that I don't have enough time to spend with it. It is wonderful for FMQ, and I highly recommend the special FMQ bobbin case ($25). I am happy with the 9" opening...especially since I have quilted many queens and two kings with my old Kenmore that has a much smaller opening.

Good luck with your decisionmaking, and we're happy to have you here.

I don't have the 6600 but think it would be a great machine to have. My DD bought one this spring and loves it but she is not a quilter.
I feel it would work for you but better to try it out to know how it feels to you.
I am giving a lot of thought to the Horizon and probable see it in my future.

Great to hear. I have two friends who love theirs, but one of them uses her long arm for quilting and the other sends out larger quilts! You sound like a wizard at maneuvering fabric!

Welcome! I have had the 6600 for about 4 years and simply love it.
I think you can get it for less than $2000 depending on where you live and the deal you can make with a dealer. However to me it is worth every penny of $2000. Never had a machine that sewed so beautifully and was so easy to operate. My only complaint about it is it doesn't make a sound as it runs out of bobbin thread.....just quietly runs out as I keep sewing....:) but such a small thing in the scheme of things.
Good luck with your search for the "perfect" machine. and check out the website patternreview, it has a lot of reviews for all kinds of machines.
Murphy

Here is a link that might be useful: http://sewing.patternreview.com/

The Horizon is a very nice machine, but it wouldn't fit in my cabinet (I have a wonderful cabinet with quilting extension). That's the main reason I went with the 6600 instead of the Horizon. I paid $1299 for the 6600; the Horizon was $2500. With the money I "saved" and a little extra, I got a Janome 350E embroidery machine ($1399)--and I love that machine also. Embroidery is such an elegant addition to a quilt.

Of course, DH says if I keep "saving" him money, he'll end up in the poor house. LOL

Thank you everyone. So much good information. Wow Wanda va, you made a great deal.

Locally at Meisner's in Folsom it's about $2000. They're due for a floor model sale, but don't know what the price might be or if I'll snag it.

I've had my Janome 6600 for a year, and I love it too. It's a wonderful machine. I've quilted an almost-twin size quilt, and it worked well. I haven't tried anything larger yet. I'm working on a FMQ tablerunner now, and it's stiching beautifully. I paid $1600 for mine. I'd recommend it highly.

Welcome to our group. I know nothing about the 6600, but I do have a Janome and love it. It just purrrrrrs along.

beverly

I've never used a Janome, but based on reviews on the PatternReview forum, I bought a Juki Exceed HZl-F600 about 2 years ago. Juki has most of the commercial sewing machine market because of their reliability. This model is their first foray into the home quilting market. I'm VERY happy with it! And it was about half your target price.

Kay

Here is a link that might be useful: Juki website

Thank you. I'll look into it. The Sacramento area must have a dealer somewhere!

Saw a baby lock machine today that looked interesting, but the price is more than the Janome. Still looking forward to getting my hands on a Juki to try.
DH added some cash to my savings for our 45th anniversary last month.

Such a tough purchase when you know you'll probably own it for twenty years and don't want to buy the wrong one.