Bernina Aurora 440QE

The Edsel of sewing machines – I keep thinking of this as the Edsel of sewing machines. After bragging it up, they soon quit making it. Maybe it's me, but I find it awkward to use, from putting the bobbin in, changing feet, etc. It has a small area for stuffing a quilt in. I think the BSR is over-rated. It sews a nice stitch for seams, but for all a Bernina name implies, I'm not in love with it. For the price, I wouldn't buy this again.

Thread jamming – I have a Bernina 440QE and it is professionally serviced regularly; the last time being in September this year. I do my own free motion quilting and don't use the Regulator. However, I find that the thread seems to jam quite frequently. Some days it runs like a dream, others it jams over and over. I replace the needle, check the bobbin and no change. Any suggestions? Anyone else have this problem?

Fantastic!! – I am an avid sewer! I love to sew everything from quilts, to clothes to bags. If it can be sewn, I'll give it a go! I have always owned Janomes, but when I switched to Bernina, I would NEVER go back! This machine sews beautifully! Lovely stitches every time! It has so many bells and whistles on it! When I sit down to sew (sewing time is precious… Read more

with three small children), I want my machine to perform. This one Performs! The BSR, while still taking time to get used to it, is fantastic. I love it. As mentioned in the other reviews, when putting the bobbin in, you have to push it firmly in until it clicks, but its nothing horrendous. Just need to click it in. The bobbin kept falling out until i realised this.

I Love the memory! If I want to change a stitch, I can save it to the memory for future use. The three alphabets are great too!

This machine is all metal, which I love. Its going to sew forever because its built to last. You know how the swiss are with watches and machinery? Well it shows in their sewing machines. You will not be disappointed!

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I should also mention that I found this machine EASY to use. I just spent an afternoon reading the manual, and i have it all figured out. Its really not that hard :) Straight stitching, reliable, strength and power, needle up down button and foot control, knee lift, locking stitch button, ABSOLUTLEY EVERYTHING Price (I got mine second hand, but they can be pricey.....but then they last forever...you get what you pay for), and it would be good if the throat space was a little bigger. Its still a huge imrovement from my janome, and I cant afford a fancey bernina 7 or 8 series atm, so I make do :) (but i STILL LOVE THIS MACHINE REGARDLESS!)

Lemon product – I purchased a Bernina Aurora 440QE approximately one year ago. I paid almost $3,000. It went back to Bernina for repair after six months. It has now developed a problem in that each time I open the bobbin cover to change the bobbin, the bobbin and hook fall out. Endless time and frustration trying to put the hook back in place. The… Read more

manual supplied with the machine is useless making no mention of how to replace the hook and the CD is Bernina spruiking their own message.

On phoning Bernina, you are made to feel that you are just a nuisance and somewhat incidental to their day.

Would love to have my old $179 Janome back! I hoped to have a very good machine that would last me for some years - as did my old Janome Very expensive lemon from a company lacking in basic customer service skills.

Fantastic machine! Very versatile – I use this machine for dressmaking, craft projects, home decor, patchwork and quilting. It is a wonderful versatile machine that will not fail you, no matter how much workload you have. I love that so many accessories are available for the Bernina machines. While you won't need all of them, many certainly make some tasks much easier to do. I… Read more ·  1

like the way my Bernina transports all kinds of fabrics, no matter how bulky or delicate it is. It is a very reliable machine. Except for quilting and sewing denim, I don't have to change my thread tension at all. I love the the bobbin with the additional finger. By threading your bobbin thread through that little finger, it will increase the thread tension, so you don't have to manually fiddle with the little screw on the bobbin case. You get magnificent results for buttonholes and satin stitch.

I've never changed presser feet quicker than with this machine. You don't need a screwdriver, the presser feet are hold in place with a clamping lever. Lowering the feed dogs is just one push of a button away. The machine has 11 needle positions, 3 different alphabets and programmable memory, so you can program your own combinations of decorative stitches. Easy to operate, reliable, transports thick and difficult fabrics evenly, fantastic stitch quality, knee lifter, lots of accessories and sewing feet available, embroiders very neatly at different speeds, software to transfer embroidery files to the machine is easy to use I personally miss nothing, but the small harp space is sometimes mentioned by other quilters (approximately 19 cm or 7.5 inches) as a downside.

Excellent – Very good machine for quilting and embroidery- superior to similar types of machines of other makes that I have worked on. No problems despite frequent use. Also goood for general sewing. Good build quality. Advanced functions. Multiple useful stiches, easy to program, good for embroidery and quilting.Have successfully used mine with a John Watts… Read more

quilting frame. No breakdowns after 5 years heavy use, and survived trip to NZ and back. Heavy to carry, a bit complex for the novice user, the embroidery program would not work on Widows 7 or Vista - luckily had old XP laptop

OK – I really miss my old Elna! I wouldn't buy a Bernina again- that bobbin case is so fiddly- though a left hander would find it easier. Also, you can't see how much bobbin thread is left once it is in use. The BSR quilting function- that's why I bought it. After a year, it's starting to skip stitches, though. Lots of features but I rarely use any… Read more

of them, I just do patchwork. HATE the fiddly bobbin case- same on all Berninas I think. Tends to push top fabric through faster than bottom fabric. The manual is hopeless, and the CD I received was just promotional, not instructional.

Bad – I love the machine, a big jump from my 30 year old Janome. which i have passed onto my daughter. i would love to learn more about the machine. never enough time and always a challenge when i turn it on, something i have forgotten, never the machines fault always mine, as i don't know enough about it. Need a hands on manual. would recommend to… Read more

the novice any time, as i am a beginner through and through. Love the challenge. Everything. I am new at embroidery/quilting and enjoy the machine. Am amazed it goes through thickness of material, the lighting is good, although i still need more light, i think i am going blind with old age, (51). the Machine tricks me by not doing something that i want it to do, but i forget to pull the foot plug out when doing embroidery. the machine does tell you to do that, but i always miss it. Tells you when you have done too much sewing, need to oil it. I need to learn more about the machine. Not enough time on my behalf. When using other programs for embroidery unit, converting to ART or Pes and using on the Bernina, watch out, it doesn't stitch out properly.