Bernina Sewing Machine EBay Guide & Review Becky Rice Ware
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| Bernina 830 with presser feet in trays, ruffler, walking foot pedal cord knee bar |
Bernina Sewing Machine
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April 13, 2017
Bernina Sewing Machines are one of the best sewing machines you can buy, & the older Berninas retain their value much better than nearly any other brand of sewing machine. Part of this is due to the extremely well thought out, precise Swiss engineering, and the super high quality control, particularly for the Berninas which were built in Switzerland.
The mechanical Berninas are typically considered an "all metal" sewing machine, but that is not technically true, due to there being 2 nylon or plastic gears in these otherwise high quality steel sewing machines. These gears are the cam gear that is right next to the stack of stitch design cams, and the other is the main drive gear. (I am not necessarily using technical terms, but trying to help non technicians to understand.) These are white, but often appear to be black, due to old grease, so some unscrupulous sellers claim they are metal too, even when notified that they are not. In the 700 & 800 series, there were problems with the cam gear & drive gear failing, so these nylon gears on the 700 & 800 series were apparently subject to recall or something similar, where if the owner took it in to a certified Bernina Technician, the faulty gear was replaced for free. I would be surprised if that still is the case, due to the age of the machines, but I could be wrong! These are definitely worth paying a technician to repair, these are machines that you will hand down generation after generation, at least the mechanical machines are, I have not yet had the pleasure of owning or using the newest computerized Bernina's, I don't consider the electronics in the 930 to be "computerized", though they do have an electronics board for the hands free "needle up/down" feature, & the special extra long basting stitch as well!
Don't be afraid to purchase these older Berninas, despite a fellow reviewer who appears to be a bigtime seller of newer Berninas & sewing machines, trying to scare everyone off from buying the older Bernina sewing machines by claiming that none of the parts are available anymore. While Bernina no longer makes the parts in Switzerland for these, many or most of the parts are still relatively easy to find, if not new, from other Berninas which are being used as "parts" machines, so you can still repair these fabulous machines. If it wasn't for "electronics" or "computerization", these machines would still be the "top of the line", and would still be made today, except that the company needs to make newer & different stitches & special effects available, or no one would buy new machines!
The 500 series initially did not include a built in buttonholer, so if you buy a 530, but if it doesn't have a little lever sticking down below the stitch width & needle positioning knobs, it won't have the built in buttonholer. If there is a knob sticking down there, you do have a buttonholer, and your machine is technically a 530-2, or in some instances may be listed as a 532. This was the top model at that time, & you paid extra for it. If you could only afford the cheaper machine with less of the stitch cams, according to one flyer I had (may still have) if you could later afford to purchase the extra cams, & even the buttonholer unit, you could have those features added by your certified Bernina technician.
I have not had the pleasure of seeing many of the 600 series, although I've seen a few for sale on Ebay, I haven't put much about that series, simply because I do not have experience with it. I didn't think there was a 600 series for a long time, until I saw a 640 for sale on Ebay.
The biggest differences between each series of Bernina sewing machines, seem to be the number & types of stitches, and the 500 series did not have an indicator that told you where the beginning & end of each decorative stitch was, so it was harder to match up your parallel embroidery designs. Starting with the 700 series, there was a new stitch design indicator which showed the user where to match up the design, so that was one of the advantages of buying up to the 700 series. The buttonholer appears to have become standard with the 700 series, and I have seen at least one of each of these models - 707, 708, 710, 711, 717, 730 (20 stitches, plus straight stitch), 740 is a flatbed, not a free arm, & has a full rotary bobbin that is faster than the regular CV bobbin system Bernina used.
The older Berninas which are extremely sought after, & bring premium prices on Ebay, include the 500 series, 600 series, 700 series, 800 & 900 series. Each series had a variety of models available from the most basic models, which were straight stitch & zig zag with the 00 after the first number. If the second 2 numbers were 01, it has 8 stitches, including straight stitch. Bernina does not count the straight stitch, and sometimes doesn't count the zig zag stitch in their stitch count on the sewing machines prior to the 1000 series.
There are a wide variety of variations available on these older series of Berninas, including models which were designed specially to be used in schools & colleges, and while they don't have all of the stitches, bells & whistles of the more expensive models, they stand up well to constant use by less than expert users, and still deliver a beautiful quality stitch, and can be relied on to give many years of use.
The premium models are the '30 Records, because they had the highest number of decorative & utility stitches, and they use a Bernina proprietary bobbin, and bobbin case, which is approximately 1 millimeter smaller than the class 15 bobbins & bobbin cases, but the Bernina bobbin case has a special tiny hole in the "finger" of the bobbin case, in order to give more tension control for perfect buttonholes & satin stitches.
You can get away with using high quality class 15 bobbin case, and bobbins, on the old style Bernina sewing machines, with the front facing, however, if you use class 15 bobbins inside a Bdrnina bobbin case, you may see early wear on the bobbin case, due to the slight discrepancy in size, so sticking with Bernina brand bobbins, ad bobbin cases, may last longer, with less problems.
The 931 has 18 stitches, including straight & zig zag, & the 932 also has less stitches than the 930, it does not have any of the "red" stitches (stretch stitch designs that include a reverse stitch).
If the second two numbers were 40, they were the 'Favorit model' which appears to have been aimed mostly at cottage industry, semi-industrial sewers, alteration shops, dressmakers & tailors, and uses a different style of bobbin, a faster rotary design, but it has the same stitch designs as the 30s. I have seen an 841 which appears to have only 8 stitches as well. It seems that anything with 50 as the second 2 numbers, was designed as industrial, depending on the setup, and some models sold as industrial, sometimes are sold under the brand name Tacsew, and usually has a high number of stitches as well.
I will try to add more information to this over time, but these machines often sell for very high prices, even on Ebay. It does depend on the month & the economy, but I've even seen a 730 sell for $1,200 with feet & accessories! That is more than it cost new! That was an exceptional price for an exceptional sewing machine & accessories & attachmnents. Berninas are a dream to sew on, have extremely well designed presser feet, which are much easier to change, therefore saving time as well! I hope you will all be blessed someday with your very own Bernina sewing machine! Happy sewing!
BEST REASONS TO BUY A BERNINA
High quality machines that last forever! (With proper maintenance, of course. Depending on how they are used, they are well worth repairing, even if the repair cost is as much as the cost of a new plastic modern machine!)
Built in stitch cams, so they can't get lost!
Automatic tension that only needs adjusted in special circumstances, overall, it usually adjusts itself, even for topstitching thread!
Wide variety of presser feet that are unique to Bernina, their feet are built to remove & replace with one hand, in only 1.5 seconds or so, without any tools!
Come with their own accessory case, extension table, manual, & carrying case!
Multiple needle positions, which makes it easier to do very close to the edge, edgestitching, & helps make it easier to sew in difficult locations on a sewing project, such as mending a purse.
Bernina has an industrial style roller foot (like those used in sewing factories) available, with a single large wheel, which rides on the feed dogs, next to the needle, which makes it possible to easily sew clothing type, soft, thin leather, even something as delicate & detail oriented as gloves! I have seen both a smooth roller, & a roller with ridged teeth, similar to the texture of the machine's feed dogs, which helps make sewing leather easier. Leather does not feed smoothly, often sticking to the machines bed, as well as to the bottom of a regular presser foot, so using either the roller foot, or this special "wheel" foot, definitely makes tough fabrics like leather, easier to sew. (Do NOT ruin your domestic Bernina by trying to sew hard leather, while the machines can do some sewing on hard, or thick leather, it puts extreme stress on both the mechanical parts of the machine, as well as on the motor, & can shorten the life of your machine. Look for an industrial leather sewing machine, usually with a built in, steel walking foot, and/or post & super narrow free arm machines. Leather is solid, unlike fabric, so the needle has to punch a hole in the leather, & while a leather machine needle will lessen the stress on the machine, the stress put on the nylon type gears, & any thing metal mechanical parts, may cause breakage in your machine, & will definitely cause stress & wear, leading to an early mechanical failure.
Be aware, that if your Bernina sewing machine starts smoking, it does NOT mean (unplug it, & take it outside, to let it cool down) your machine is ruined, it is just a capacitor failure. Capacitors were installed to prevent static interrupting the old radios & television signals, when you used appliances on the same electrical circuit. Some technicians say that these capacitors simply need removed, not replaced, because the new radios & tvs do not use the old analog signals anymore, & the sewing machines do not interrupt the new digital signals.
The capacitors usually look a lot like a battery, you need a soldering gun, to remove the solder, to take the old capacitor off, & if you choose to have new capacitors put on, make sure they are the same strength as the original. Some electrical shops will replace these for $15 or so, if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself.
Multiple needle positions, which makes it easier to do very close to the edge, edgestitching, & helps make it easier to sew in difficult locations on a sewing project, such as mending a purse.
Bernina has an industrial style roller foot (like those used in sewing factories) available, with a single large wheel, which rides on the feed dogs, next to the needle, which makes it possible to easily sew clothing type, soft, thin leather, even something as delicate & detail oriented as gloves! I have seen both a smooth roller, & a roller with ridged teeth, similar to the texture of the machine's feed dogs, which helps make sewing leather easier. Leather does not feed smoothly, often sticking to the machines bed, as well as to the bottom of a regular presser foot, so using either the roller foot, or this special "wheel" foot, definitely makes tough fabrics like leather, easier to sew. (Do NOT ruin your domestic Bernina by trying to sew hard leather, while the machines can do some sewing on hard, or thick leather, it puts extreme stress on both the mechanical parts of the machine, as well as on the motor, & can shorten the life of your machine. Look for an industrial leather sewing machine, usually with a built in, steel walking foot, and/or post & super narrow free arm machines. Leather is solid, unlike fabric, so the needle has to punch a hole in the leather, & while a leather machine needle will lessen the stress on the machine, the stress put on the nylon type gears, & any thing metal mechanical parts, may cause breakage in your machine, & will definitely cause stress & wear, leading to an early mechanical failure.
Be aware, that if your Bernina sewing machine starts smoking, it does NOT mean (unplug it, & take it outside, to let it cool down) your machine is ruined, it is just a capacitor failure. Capacitors were installed to prevent static interrupting the old radios & television signals, when you used appliances on the same electrical circuit. Some technicians say that these capacitors simply need removed, not replaced, because the new radios & tvs do not use the old analog signals anymore, & the sewing machines do not interrupt the new digital signals.
The capacitors usually look a lot like a battery, you need a soldering gun, to remove the solder, to take the old capacitor off, & if you choose to have new capacitors put on, make sure they are the same strength as the original. Some electrical shops will replace these for $15 or so, if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself.
Becky
