I am thinking of buying a Janome MemoryCraft 9000. It is priced at $500. Is this a good machine? Can I still get software/hardware for it? Any opinions or advice gratefully accepted. :)

I had one for several years, they are very very very good, never had to take it to the shop other than the "yearly check up"LOL. Good luck.****

I see you have made your decision - didn't see this until now. Good luck with your choice. I have a a Janome Memory 7 for 30 years and when I bought treated) myself a new machine I stayed with Janome and got the MC11000SE. My Mem. 7 is now with my DIL (kind of wish I'd kept it as first planned to do - hindsight). It is a real workhorse and now with the new one it is fantastic.
I had never done machine embroidery till now and just love it and the cuties on this site are really helpful - if you have any kind of a question, someone will have an answer for you.
You'll enjoy the machine emb. - I don't really want to do hand emb. anymore since I got my machine.
Good luck and enjoy!
Linda

Ladies, I want to thank you all for taking the time andf trouble to answer my question. I debated long and hard over this, but in the end decided to buy the machine as the seller had so many extras to gift with it -several memory cards, hoops, threads etc....that it seemed silly to not buy it. Seller also showed me the service maintenance records she had kept, so overall it looks as if this machine has been well loved. I figure it will be a good starting point! I have always hand-embroidered until now, and I own a "regular" machine as well as a serger. Someone asked where I was from...well, I was born and raised in Scotland, but I have lived in Texas for the last six years..(did you spot my accent...? lol) I look forward to learning from you all as I start this journey into new territories. My daughter is expecting our second grandchild in October, so this Nana is excited about lots of new projects...:)

Anangel mentioned Ken's Sewing Center. If it is the one in Muscle Shoals, AL that is where I have seen some very good prices on new machines. I am in Florence, AL.

Sewist1 made an excellent point about repairs. I did not realize the parts were no longer made. You definitely do not want to spend anything on a machine that can't be repaired. You could pay for it one day and it tear up the next day and you would have lost your entire $500.

You don't have to get a 'top of the line' machine but the point Anangel made about the 5 x 7 sewing field is great too. Don't limit yourself to 4 x 4 field. Most home machines now have larger and larger sewing fields.

If you buy from a reputable dealer you will get warranty, free lessons and support too. Look around for a dealer near you. You don't want to have to take your prized possession a long distance for tune ups or repairs. You won't regret buying a new one.

Some dealers offer financing for the more expensive machines. In this economy you might find some really great buying choices at your local dealer.

Good luck to you. I hope you find a great deal on a new machine and love it.

Marcelle
http://embroidery.gotop100.com/
http://embroidery.avenue.com/

2 comments

by mariahail 29 Jul 2011

Ken has a very good service I got my brother pe 700 5x7 from him....good prices too.

by marcellelewis 29 Jul 2011

Maria,

Do you live in the Shoals area?

Marcelle

I have this machine and it is a workhorse But I do not embroidery on it it is to small a E field for that but I sew on it regulary love it for that reason. get some ex feet for it you will not be sorry if you used it for regular sewing only. it was my second embroidery machine but the field is very small and it does not embroidery very fast.

I would be be very cautious, sounds like some of the cuties here have some good advice for you. You might spend a few hundred more and get a new machine or a refurbished one for close to the same price and save yourself a lot of worry and headache's. Take my advice buy from a reputable dealer even if it is a used or refurbished machine. You will be so glad you did. Good luck on your decision. By the way where are you from?

Check out www.kenssewingcenter.com for great deals on new and gently loved machines. For only approx. $300 more, you can get a new embroidery only machine with warranty. Refurbished machines are a good buy, too, and can save you quite a bit.
I have a Brother machine that embroiders and sews, but one can save a lot of money to purchase the embroidery only machine. A great sewing machine can be purchased separately very inexpensively. As I use my combo machine for embroidery only, this is the route I should have went. Get an embroidery machine with at least the 5x7 hoop size. You will tire quickly of limitation to a 4x4.
I am not affiliated with Ken's Sewing Center, just a satisfied customer. Good luck on your purchase!
Angel

Please don't saddle yourself with a machine that is no longer being made. Instead if it's embroidery only you want check into the Janome MC 350E. If you're looking for one that will sew as well as embroider look at Janome MC 9700 or up ward. Hope you find what you're looking for and that this was of some help for you. Hugs Karen

My oldest machine is a Janome 9000. Not so long back I had a board go in it and was lucky the dealer had a new one in the shop which he had ordered for someone else who didn't go ahead with repairing their machine otherwise I would have had to trash the machine like I had to with a 6000 I had. They stopped making parts some years back and when the ones in the system are exhausted that is it.

I wouldn't pay the $500 for it now.

Would you be getting the box and software for loading designs with the machine.? Are any design cards included? Do you know how many hours are on the machine? A dealer can check for you.

You could probably get a new machine with the ability to load designs from cards, USB, etc for very little more than that. I have a neighbor that has an old 8000 and she can only use the cards she bought for that machine in it. The cards were very, very expensive too. She can't use the cards on her newer machine either.

Technology changes so fast it is hard to keep up. You can really get left behind and have to buy boxes, software, etc. to work with designs.

The last time I was at the local store they had a nice new Brother for about $700 that looked great. It had many built in Disney designs plus others.

Marcelle
http://embroideryavenue.com/
http://embroidery.gotop100.com/

I probably wouldn't, though I have a 5000 in the cupboard here. Mostly because the newer models are so much easier to get designs to the machine with. If you decided to go with it, might be worth you checking first that you can attach the reader writer box (assuming that's what you'd use), to your PC. The hoop size would limit most of us a bit much too these days. If you have a look on just about every donated design in DBC, sooo many folks want the designs small enough for their limited hoops :) Good luck with your decision and welcome to this great 'family' at Cute!

Welcome to Cute and hope you can decide what machine to buy. Embroidery machines are great fun and highly addictive

I have 2 of these 9000 and I d on't have any trouble getting software or patterns for them. I like mine because I can do my regular sewing and embroidery all on the same machine.I bought a Janome 300e because I wanted a larger hoop than the 9000 uses.The 9000 is a Janome workhorse. I paid more than $500 for mine.

One of my machines is a Janome 8000, it is still running like a top. Of course, the embroidery capabilities are not what new machines have.

A Jonome MC 9000 is an older machine,about 12 or 13 years old if memory serves me right. In it's day it was a really good machine. Having said that technology has changed and it is harder to get compatible software and some of the parts are slowly going not available. Hope this helps.:)

I wish I could help you. All of my machines are Babylock machine. So ttt