Janome CoverPro 1000 CPX

No complaints – I just bought my Janome CPX 1000 from the Dealer. I serged onto a jean apron and it performed perfectly!.I kept waiting for skipped stitches....squinting my eyes over the flat fell seams! but nothing! no skipping at all.I haven't tried stretch fabrics yet But thats next.It amazed me...It looks like a sewing machine...AND it feels like a sewing machine! its awesome.I had a juki 735 coverhem combo.I was always getting skipped stitches and it was a pain to thread and it took a little time to switch back n fourth to overlock mode.

I purchased the more expensive hemmer and the extension table.Im very happy with my purchase!

good solid machine – Have done a few garments on this machine, so far very happy. Easy to thread, sews well. Have found it is louder than a sewing machine or overlocker, dealer said this is normal. Would have given a 5 if the manual was more complete-it only shows the basics, threading etc. Recommend patternreview.com for extensive how to's for this machine and cover stitching in general.

Frequent skipped stitches but had great potential – Threading is nice and easy especially the looper. I liked the larger bed but didn't find the freearm feature particularly useful as it is rather too large to be highly useful. Most of the time I sew "in the round" for sleeves anyway. I liked the small extension table that can be bought to enlarge work area. The manual was basic and there was more information on accessories on the back of the packet they came in than in the manual re how to use them.

Lighting I feel could be more consistent, there are some shadows that mean I used an additional lamp often especially for low lighting situations. I did like the overall ergonomic design and comfortable flat bed on the machine but didn't like how far up the freearm the needle was placed, lessening the benefit of the freearm itself.

I found it handled some knits OK but others it was terrible at skipping stitches particularly over seam intersections. Even with using correct needles the manufacturer specified, even with butting seams in opposite direction, using fusible tape and also steam pressing the bulky intersection and finishing with a heavy piece of timber ( a tailor's clapper) and using a height equaliser of folded fabric under the foot as it sewed onto and off of a seam intersection, I still had incidences of skipped stitches.

Even with adjusting as the manufacturer recommended for specific types of knits this happened. For those not in the know with coverstitch, if a single stitch skips then the seam will unravel so it is a real issue. It would sometimes skip stitches mid hem where there was no difference in height at all, but mostly it was over seam intersections. I ended up catching the looped thread that had not properly sewn by hand on most garments or removing the seam and trying again. The dealership was not able to get to the bottom of what was causing the problem.

It went in for adjustment several times and although it did ok on very stable thin fabrics the moment anything remotely stretchy or bulky was put under the foot it misbehaved.

I liked the clear coverstitch foot optional accessory and used it instead of the metal one supplied, its so useful it should be supplied as standard. The guide is removeable so it can be used for regular coverstitching or stitching over a seam with precision. I liked that you can get binders for the machine but found Janome's prices were outrageously expensive for these.

The presser foot height clearance is not very high at all and I suspect that is half the problem with skipped stitches. Seams can tend to get caught and twist under the foot and then knarl up, and then...you guessed it, skipped stitches. Even when they were fused down with fusible tape on both sides of the seam to try to prevent movement. The machine seemed to get caught up on them. Not on every garment but enough to be really annoying.

I did like how easy it was to switch to chain stitch to baste garments together for a quick fitting assessment and then to rethread to do one of the variety of coverstitches, 3mm narrow, 6mm wide double needle or 6 mm wide triple needle options.

I just found it was immensely annoying to have recurring issues of intermittent skipped stitches that a qualified mechanic familiar with that brand and who distributes it could not solve. For this reason I'm giving the machine a bad rating because more times than not it failed to deliver complete seams without skipped stitches. I do have a couple of friends with them who love theirs and theirs seem to behave better than mine ever did so it is possible mine was a lemon. I read online some very mixed reviews however and skipped stitches does seem to be a recurrent theme even with sewers who know what they are doing.

I have parted company with it after an interstate move when damage resulted from incompetent removalists not packing it correctly with its original packaging in with other heavy items- I used the insurance payout toward a different brand of coverstitch machine that has been flawless in performance, no skipped stitches on anything I have put through it to date. It has a compensating foot that sails up and over bulky seams and much higher clearance under the foot as well.

I wonder if there is great potential with this machine but whether it just needs some improvements with greater clearance under the foot, or better feeding of fabric to take it from an ordinary machine that does not always perform to a really good design coverstitch machine. For me it missed the mark. Nice ergonomic design, inexpensive Insufficient clearance under foot, skipped stitches regularly.

Loving the CoverPro – I have had my CoverPro for a few months now. I LOVE it. It gives such a professional finish to your garmets. I bought the more expensive hem guide (actually bought it from England where it was a lot cheaper than Australia) and have found it well worth the purchase price. Adds the professional touch. The speed with which it sews, it feels solid and not at all wimpy. Nothing, that I can see - I just wish that I had known these existed a few years ago.

Excellent addition to my sewing room – I have Janome 1000CPX machine for about 6 months and I’m very happy with my purchase. This machine is not an overlocker! If you are serious about sewing, you will need additional overlocker as well as a normal sewing machine with different attachments! Janome 1000CPX machine does only cover hem (cover-stitch). That means: when you look at your regular T-shirt double stitch, around neck line, sleeves and bottom (on length of a T-shirt) that is what this machine is capable of. T-shirts seams are made usually by overlocker machine but chain stitch is also made by cover hem machine.

I was considering Brother 2340 CV Cover Stitch machine, but for the same price, Janome 1000CPX is much, much better machine. If nothing else, there is far bigger workspace under long arm of the machine.

Keep in your mind, that for full use of Janome 1000CPX cover hem machine you will need many accessories and they are very, very expensive!

I purchased some accessories from U.K.(GUR Sewing Machines Ltd), their price are much more reasonable than in Australia.

There are some accessories that can be purchased from eBay, and even they are not Janome brand, they work well with my machine.

Savings on these are considerable, and quality same as Janome brand.

I would recommend this machine to a friend but I would warn him/her about

long process of learning without DVD, sellers or manufactures help! It does the job that can't be 100% achieved with normal sewing machine or overlocker Machine comes with No DVD! User manual is very badly written with missing information. Janome sellers and dealers, including their store Janome Sales & Services in SEVEN HILLS 2147 NSW are not knowledgeable to help you when you need it!