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| Bernette:740e (Sewing Machine) | | Viewed 663 time(s) | | Review rated Helpful by 1 people Very Helpful by 6 people | | Reviewed by: | Lady_Mame | 
| About Lady_Mame | | WA USA | | Member since: 3/11/07 | | Reviews written: 27 | | Sewing skills:Intermediate | | Favored by: 1 people | | sewing machines reviewed: 2 | | Bio: Currently, I'm really happy to be learning how to fit clothes. I may have a TNT pants pattern soon. ...full profile |
| | Posted on: | 4/11/08 1:00 PM | | Approx price paid: | $200 | | Had this machine for: | A week | | Recommended? | Maybe | Features
- Needle Threader
- Needle Up/Down Setting
- Free Arm
- Adjustable Stitch Length and Width
- Adjustable Needle Position
| | What Lady_Mame likes about this machine
I do like that it has a 'full house' of utility stitches. I use my machines for utility more than decoration and so a machine with more utility is going to attract me everytime. It does, however, have some of the more common decorative stiches, so I don't feel like I've been left out completely.
I also like that it has a max motor speed slider that lets me make sure the machine is taking it slower or faster, as I find foot controls to be sometimes a little finicky for keeping one speed for a length of time. It also has a needle up and down, next to this slider, but I'm not sure that feature works quite right, though it seems handy.
I like that there are more metal parts than plastic parts. This is good because I'm genuinely kind of mean to my machine and I expect a lot. The metal machines just seem to take me better.
It seems very solid, and the stich is very nice. The narrow feed dogs make it easier to take cornors and curves, and I like that for garment construction. What Lady_Mame does not like about this machine
I think there are a few things that aren't working as originally intended. The machine is supposed to end in the needle-up position when stitching, but sometimes it does up to three extra stiches after I've let up on the foot pedal. This drives me bonkers.
No infinite reverse. WHAT? I need infinite reverse!
The needle threader is obnoxious, and gets in the way of the light so the machine feels a little murky at times.
The presser foot pressure adjustment appears to take place inside the machine. Ick. The drop feed-dogs is inside the machine. Also ick.
And the biggie: This machine cannot handle pins, period. If I take pins out, the stitch is beautiful, maybe even better than my Viking at times. But, if I run over one pin, the whole thing goes kablooie. It freaks, it's loses it completely. It turns into a huge mess.
Conclusion
This machine is my backup machine until I get the family Bernina. In the meantime, this Bernette works well enough for those sad, long days when the Viking is the shop being de-fuzzed. I'm happy enough and I really can't complain a whole lot. For 200 dollars, it's a lot more machine than say, a comparable Kenmore. It has a year warrantee and classes for those moments when I get good and properly stuck. I would recomend this machine to someone who gets a good deal on it and needs a sturdy machine with some but not all stich variety. I wouldn't recomend it for heavy duty tasks or sewing marathons. It's a great place to start if you are looking for a step-up machine from a lower end basic, and it's fairly easy to use. | *LOGIN to add a comment to this review
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| Reader Comments | | Mikelee | 4/11/08 | Nice review, very thorough. | | * * * | | Celeste | 4/11/08 | Thank you for your very honest and funny review! I used to sew over pins when I used my old mechanical Japanese made Kenmore (tank)--but then when I added a new Babylock to my corral in 2003 it was a big no-no to sew over pins. Now I've added a vintage Bernina 1130 to my corral and will be careful not to sew over pins on that one, too....
but my old Kenmore? I think I'd still sew over pins on that machine if I used it much anymore. I pretty much only use it for free motion quilting now, though. | | * * * | | mufffet | 4/11/08 | Thanks for a fun review! sounds like a good machine you can get some use out of! | | * * * | | johnr55 | 4/11/08 | This Bernette is the very close relative of my Necchi 4595, reviewed under the Necchi section. The main differences are the needle threader, the electronic up/down part, and of course, the name on the machine. It is quite a durable machine, also sold under the Riccar name. Thanks for your review! | | * * * | | nancy2001 | 4/14/08 | Thanks for your very helpful review. Sounds like a good machine for you. | | * * * |
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