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**Sandy**

In article
,
wrote:

Hello all,

This was to be a surprise for my wife, who is just getting into
quilting. We had decided to get her a good tool that would last for a
long time, and some local quilters convinced us that a Bernina 220
would be a good option. I guess other people had the same idea, since
the dealer that had several 220s when I called didn't actually have
any left when we got there (in another town). She did have a used
1530 for $100 more BUT that machine came with a walking foot, the knee
bar, and the several other extras. I figure that stuff is worth at
least a $100, so the question is would a used 1530 be better or worse
than a brand new 220?

I'd agree with some of the others here that the 220 -- while it might be
okay at first -- is something that your DW will "outgrow" in no time at
all. I think it's mostly meant as a "second" machine -- one that travels
to classes and that sort of thing.

If your only other choice is the 1530, I'd stick with it. It's a
reliable machine, and lots of people still have and love them. However,
you will run into a few little frustrations. First, as you noted, it's
an older machine that is no longer under warranty; any failure to its
circuit board could run into some serious expenses. Second, and not
quite as dire, is the fact that it takes the older-style feet. While
this in itself isn't a bad thing, you should know that Bernina isn't
making any new types of feet in that style. You can still get the feet
they've always made for it, but any of the newer ones are not available
these days -- at least, that's what my dealer says.

If you can look at a few other machines, I'd suggest the 430 or 440.
Both of them are outstanding machines that do everything a quilter could
want. It all depends on your budget, of course. I had a 440 for almost a
year before deciding to get the 630 instead; I loved that 440, but the
630 was even nicer, and I don't regret my decision. G BTW, you may be
able to find some gently-used 430s or 440s -- I'm not the only one who
turned one in after the slightly-newer models came out.

Good luck!

--
Sandy in Henderson, near Las Vegas
sw.foster1 (at) gmail (dot) com (remove/change the obvious)
http://www.sandymike.net