Thanks Kathy, yes it's clear - now I know what a 'free-arm' is. I don't sew any garments so it's not a deal-breaker for me. Thanks for taking the time to respond. It all helps me get a clearer picture of what I want in my next machine.

Reetzbobeetz wrote:
Free arm allows you to sew all the way around a sleeve or neckline with the fabric going around the arm. The sewing machine "arm" which is where you put your fabric is open along the bottom. That doesn't sound very clear, does it? The 7700 has a free arm capability, you can convert to regular if you want I believe. The 6600 does not have a free arm. The knee lift is the lever that lets you lift your presser foot with your knee. I haven't needed a free arm for years, since I don't sew garments and even when I did, I was able to sew sleeves in just fine without it. Lots of folks like the free arm though.

I have a 6600 and love it. I also have a Pfaff 7570 which is a wonderful machine for sewing seams.

Good luck in your purchase, I am sure that you will love your new machine.

Kathy

Thanks Pam, everybody seems to love the Horizon. Are there any detractors out there?

Rita, you might look at this site http://www.generations-quilt-patterns.com/janome-memory-craft-horizon-7700-qcp.html. There are more comments than these. Good luck on your quest. I totally agree that service is a major factor in selection.

Just a quick note. The Leah Day video was after she had used the machine for 10 months. Made in May 2011. Not sure if it makes any difference but I just thought I'd let you know.

loise98 wrote: Wow, that's some warranty!

Jo Jo, thanks for that suggestion. I am not sure what the market is like here for a machine like mine but it's worth a try. I will definitely bear it in mind. I am delighted that you find the fmq good because that's the thing in particular that I would like to work better on the one I have got. I know that it has a lot more fancy stitches than I will ever use but that throat space, the single hole plate and easy fmq are worth it.

JoJo, Your comment about the 7700 sewing through tough stuff jogged my memory regarding the warranty. It has a 25 year warranty. I believe Janome made some industrial models and this machine may be based on those. Lois

Rita,

You will get more for your machine if you can sell it yourself. My dealer offered me a trade in on my previous machine but it was a ton less than what I sold it for because they needed to add in their profit. Not sure what your market is like but you may want to try a little before you do the trade.
Reetzbobeetz wrote:

My husband purchased me the Horizon after I sold my sit-down longarm machine. I absolutely love this machine for free motion quilting. It is so whisper quiet too and very sound feeling. You will love the roomy throat as well. I also use it to sew customer items that include a very thick strap that is over 1/4 inch thick and rubbery. It sews perfectly through it. My other machine will not sew through it. If you can talk your dealer into either including the sewing table made for it or giving you a deep discount, I highly recommend the table as well if you need one. It is very sturdy and fits the machine perfectly.

Good thinking Karen, if they have any at the show. I believe they are only having 50 vendors? Mind you, then I wouldn't be able to trade in my Pfaff

Rita I got a good deal by buying one of the demo machines at Houston. I was wondering if you could get yours like that at the show in Ireland that's coming up. It made a big difference in price.

Lois, thank you for taking the time to give me such a detailed response. I will definitely trade-in my Pfaff Expression 2 because I already have a Pfaff Select 4 which is a great machine for piecing. The FMQ is lovely on it too but it doesn't have the needle-down facility and it just makes the job that little bit harder.
Anne, sorry to be dense here but is 'free arm' the same as a knee lift? I have a separate spool holder so that is taken care of.

Karen thanks for the links to Pam Holland's videos. I see how the accu-feed works now. I have the IDT on the Pfaff which does the same sort of thing. It's like having an integrated walking foot isn't it? I did read Leah Day's tutorial on the Horizon but as it was a couple of years ago I wanted to know if people who bought them are still happy with them. Sounds like you are? Nikki in my not so local quilt shop in Kerry thinks that the 6600 is as good as the Horizon and says that she prefers to fmq on the 6600. But I have got used to the large harp space as the Expression 2 has 11" so I would probably find it hard to go smaller again.

I have arranged to take my Pfaff for an overhaul next tuesday and the dealer I bought it from is also a Janome dealer so I can try out the two different ones.

Thanks for all your responses.

Hey Rita!
I just bought my Janome Horizon Memory Craft 7700QCP in November at the Houston Quilt Show. I haven't gotten to try everything yet but so far I LOVE it. Previously I had a Viking Husqvarna Quilt Designer which I was very happy with for all but the freemotion hopping around thing. It drove me crazy and I didn't feel like I had control of the speed I could work at. The freemotion foot on the Janome is wonderful! Here are a couple videos I watched that sold me on the new machine. Also the good feedback from Hanne-Grete and her experiences with students in classes that all loved theirs helped me make my decision and I don't regret it
One of the Pam Holland videos shows the accufeed stuff.

http://vimeo.com/12212688
http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/2011/05/piecing-quilting-on-janome-horizon-7700.html
http://vimeo.com/12332247

I have a Janome 6600 and I like it very much, the only thing is, it doesn't have a free arm and it doesn't have a vertical spool pin which is reccomended when you use stacked threads as opposed to cross wound threads.
If I was in the market for a new machine I think I would opt for the Horizon 7700.
Go to a Janome shop with a small quilt sandwhich and try them out, it's a lot of money to spend and if the shop wants you to buy then they should let you play.
Good luck
Anne
in the beautiful sunny and warm (at last) UK