Janome 8080 - A So-So Sewing Machine
Written: Feb 10 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great selection of stitches; three one-step button holes. You'll never avoid buttonholes again!
Cons: Doesn't do well with thick fabrics. Fussy bobbin area.
The Bottom Line: Despite great stitch selection, design of the machine sometimes makes it a pain to use.
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| gracef's Full Review: Janome 8080 Computerized Sewing Machine |
I buy sewing machines the way I buy cars. I buy a the model with the most features that I can possibly afford then drive it, drive it, drive it until it refuses to move any longer. I can’t afford to get a new model every time I see some whiz bang feature, so I stick with the old one until I can’t possibly put off getting a new one.
Such was the situation in late April 2004 when my old sewing machine died mid-way through a rush sewing job for the spring musical at my daughter’s school. With three costumes mostly done and two yet to start, the zigzag feature on my old Kenmore machine (bought in the late 80’s) stopped working. My husband, peach that he is, saw my dilemma (and an impending nervous breakdown) and took me to Sears for an early Mother’s Day gift.
The Janome 8080 has tons of features, some that are nifty and some that I will never use. It can do 50 different stitches, almost all of which are variable length (1.0 to 5.0 mm) and width (up to 4 mm). These include a variety of smocking stitches and not one but three types of buttonholes. Stitches and stitch length/width are selected through a series of labeled buttons and a two-digit LED readout. The drop-in bobbin is visible through a clear cover, so it’s easy to see when the thread is running out. The machine comes with seven snap on/snap off feet, which makes changing feet a breeze. The selling feature for me was a built-in needle threader, which I imagined would be a huge timesaver.
The costumes that I worked on when I first got the Janome 8080 were from the Victorian era: lots of gathers and buttonholes. While the machine did not come with a gathering foot, I was delighted to find that the special feet that I had purchased for my old machine could be used with the new machine. All I had to do was unscrew the removable foot holder and screw on the gathering foot! This was certainly no more trouble than using feet on my old machine, and I wanted to shake the hand of the guy who decided that it would be a bad idea to force people who bought a machine from Sears previously to purchase all new accessories.
I also was thrilled with the one step buttonholes. My old Kenmore had one style of buttonhole that required four steps. It took me the better part of a day to do six buttonholes on my daughter’s dress that I sewed on my old machine, and I’m sorry to say that the results weren’t that terrific. All of the buttonholes were slightly different lengths and widths. On the Janome 8080, I sewed eight buttonholes, all exactly the same size, in less than 15 minutes. I just attached the buttonhole foot, put the button in the buttonhole foot, chose the type of buttonhole I wanted (I like #8, square on one end, rounded on the other), and started sewing. It sewed forward, across, back, and across, stopped, and beeped to let me know it was done. It was almost like magic!
I wasn’t quite so happy with the built-in needle threader. I really wanted this feature because I always sew on my daughter’s Girl Scout patches with invisible thread. It was so hard to thread the needle on my old machine with invisible thread unless the light was just right. Unfortunately, using the needle threader on the Janome 8080 is tricky business. The needle has to be lined up just right and the thread has to be aligned just so in order for the needle threader to work. It took quite a few tries for me to get it to work at all. Now, I can get it to work most of the time, but it’s hardly the dream timesaver that I’d hoped for.
I’ve also found that the machine doesn’t work well with multiple layers of fabric or with thick fabrics. I occasionally make stuffed animals, and the blanket weight material is quite thick, especially when two layers are placed together. My old machine would sew right through the stuff with no problems at all. With the Janome 8080, the fabric gets stuck frequently. The included walking foot helps, but I hate having to change feet when I previously didn’t need to change feet at all.
My biggest annoyance is with the bobbin area. My old machine was designed such that I could completely take apart the bobbin case and holder without tools. If the thread snarls in the Janome 8080 bobbin area, I have to unscrew the faceplate with the included tool, which is not a screwdriver but rather a small piece of flat metal thing that is difficult to manipulate. Then I have to remove the bobbin case, clear out the snarled thread, and then load it back into position. I haven’t quite figured out the magic of getting it back into the right position the first time. At one point, it was so stuck that I didn’t think I’d get it out! These snarls seem to happen most often with the invisible thread I mentioned earlier. (Quite a pain considering that I’d hoped to off-load the patch-sewing duties to my daughter!)
Overall, I’ve found the Janome 8080 to be a capable machine, but not necessarily the machine of my dreams. It makes quite a few tasks easier than when I used my old machine. But it makes many other tasks more difficult. If you’re looking for a machine to sew lightweight articles, this is a good machine. Otherwise, look for a different model.
Recommended:
No
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