BerninaB 325 Sewing Machine

A delightful machine, super easy to setup. Feels very high quality, if a little less feature-some than other machines in the same price range. The auto threader works really well.

This is my first Bernina and I am thrilled with it. It is a nice-looking machine and appears to be robustly built (made in Switzerland, which says it all). There are plenty of stitches to choose from, including decorative, darning and buttonhole options, and the needle threader is so very useful (worth watching a video to work out exactly how to use this). There is the option of a foot pedal or an on/off switch, and a handy slide-on table to extend the sewing area. I am hoping this machine will last me years and years. I can't wait to start some sewing projects! (By the way if you are trying to decide between the 325 and the 335, the 335 is exactly the same machine, but with additional stitches. However the 335 costs £300 more!)

I am very pleased with this machine. It seems to be good quality. I am still getting used to it as it is slightly different to my old one. I really like that it is reasonably quiet so I can sew on a night without worrying about the noise too much. The instruction manual is easy to follow. I did have a bit of trouble registering the guarantee but emailed Bernina and they sorted this out for me and sent me the warranty through the post.

Love love love my new Bernina. I have sewn, 2 quilts, 4 dresses and 4 waistcoats. I thought I would never be able to afford a Bernina but this one is perfect and has about 40 different stitches. Very pleased indeed.

This machine is a small but very sturdy. I needed a machine that was easier to lift. I have a lot bigger machines, but not ones you want to be lifting. It is easy to set up, and I have tested it out today, went through layers of a cushion cover, without a walking foot. Quiet, really am impressed by it.

Had my old Betniba for over 10 years-still working but wanted a newer model. Fantastic brand, great machine.

I really wanted to like this machine, I mean look at it, it’s beautiful and lights up like a diamond but sadly my Janome at £360 did a better job. The only thing I would say is that this machine is very well made and I’m sure it will last a lifetime without any problems or replacements needed but for the price I expected more, there were so many items I just couldn’t sew on here because there was no adjustment for the pressure foot pressure. The pressure was so strong that light fabrics and thicker fabrics didn’t get the polished look I was after sadly, everything bunched and bubbled even with a bernina walking foot, if only I could change the pressure of the foot! The lettering was not great so I wasn’t able to use it, there was no automatic thread cutter so it wastes a lot of thread. To purchase other bits to go with it such at different feet etc it’s so expensive my goodness I got 30 feet for less than £20 with janome but with bernina one foot sets you back £15 to £40. Also didn’t have a local dealer so couldn’t get the magnifier to fit without an authorised dealer. Unable to clean properly as the case doesn’t open. Ended up selling and going back to Janome. If you want a do it all machine you’ll need to spend on the series 4 or 5 but sadly these will break the bank for doing simple repairs and alterations I was shocked to learn there was no automatic locking stitch and no automatic cutter either for this price, another issue is not knowing when the bobbin thread is about to run out! Constantly oiling the bobbin area is a pain. Fixing bobbin case tension issues just makes everything so time consuming what happened to the simplicity of a standard plastic drop in bobbin now we’ve gone backwards and decided to do front loading which is such a pain to see, clean, oil, insert, adjust tension etc! The other problem is the sewing table has no legs so your elbows are up in the air and you can’t rest them on the table because the table is going to bend without legs to support it making it very uncomfortable. Heavy and not really portable at all. On top of all this there is no extra foot lift to put fabrics under the presser foot - literally my £70 brother has this feature. Needle threader never works no matter what machine although this one didn’t work straight out the box!There were a few good things but at that price they are expected to be all good! I like that the foot is not sat far under the machine I’ve noticed brother has this too but Janome is very far back and hard to see the foot and needle. It comes with a compensation tool I really like this top it helps sewing over bumpy seams it’s a great idea. It’s quite and not plasticity sounding. Screen is good for those who may be colour blind. Screen is a good size but is all imagery than words. Comes with a sewing case but I struggle to get anything more than feet in it. Also there is no on board storage in the free arm which is probably why they gave a case but the less you carry the easier it is so a case is nice but the on board case is a better which I missed.Overall I didn’t like what it was functionally in terms of asthetics it’s like 24 carrot gold and looks so blooming expensive especially with it’s beautiful LED lights and shape - I could literally have it just for display purposes it’s so pretty but I actually sew a couple of times a week so it’s not useful. I find a standard mechanical brother sees better without puckering and pulling the fabric because the pressure of the presser foot is a lot less! However I will stick with Janome as there is no way I’m spending ridiculous amounts of money on a series 4 or 5 Bernina at £1400+ to get all the features I can get with a £400 or less Janome model.

Fantastic sewing machine.