How Much Does a Janome Continental M7 Cost? (Is It Worth It?)
When you look at the original sewing machines from the 19th century, you can see the simplicity and a grand design along with a lot of care given to their creation. While expensive for their time, they have nothing on the cost of the newer modern machines.
How much does a Janome Continental M7 cost? According to the Janome website, you can expect to pay $8,000 for a new Continental M7 sewing machine. What you pay at your dealer will depend on what they pay for their models. The key is not to look at the prices for the earlier versions of this sewing machine. They are a lot cheaper.
To learn more about this top sewing machine, just continue to read our article. It has the information you need to help you decide to spend a small fortune or not. is this price worth it? That is a question you have to decide for yourself.
Janome Continental M7 MSRP
MSRP stands for the manufacturer's suggested retail price. In other words, while Janome is suggesting the price should be $8,000 ($7,999 in their language), you may be able to get the sewing machine for a lot less.
It will depend on the dealer you talk to and if they are having a sale to clear out old inventory. The question is, is this sewing machine worth the price of a used luxury car? The answer to that comes after you look at all the features and those are going to be listed later on in this article.
Computerized machines command a very high price due to the technology involved in constructing them. The problem with computerized machines is that they are very difficult to fix and if the motherboard dies on you, you have one expensive anchor for your husband’s boat.
You can be dazzled by all the features, space, and technological gadgets built into this machine but it is as vulnerable to destructive issues as any sewing machine ever made.
Janome Continental M7 Best Price
When you visit different dealers’ websites, you will usually notice one thing they all have in common. They do not list the retail price of this machine. Instead, one of the first things you see are the words ‘apply for financing...’ or something similar.
Or they make a big deal about a sewing package they are making a part of the sales price for the sewing machine. One ad claimed to be giving you over $5,000 worth of sewing extras. When you see that offer you know you are going to be paying big bucks for the machine.
The best price we found was $5,000 approx and that was for a used machine, not a new one. That price did include shipping which was about $250. Do not expect to pay much less than that as this turns out to be a highly desired sewing machine and demand always keeps the price elevated.
How Much Does the Janome M7 Weigh?
It took some doing but we were able to find the weight of this machine. It seems that dealers and Janome are more interested in talking about the dimensions and the features and have little concern in telling anyone the weight of the machine.
The sewing machine weighs about 25 pounds. This means that you will have to have a strong sewing table or cabinet to house this machine. One owner is spending $1500 AU dollars for the cabinet alone.
That is partially due to the size of the machine as well. It is a very large sewing machine and that means you will need to have a lot of space in your sewing area to give this model a home.
Is Janome M7 High Shank?
Yes, Janome M7 is high shank and you can get replacement shanks very easily if anything happens to the one on your M& sewing machine. The measurement from the needle plate to the bottom of the needle house is 3.1 inches.
That gives you lots of room to get those thick quilts through the needle area and not cause any clogging. If by chance you require a new high shank, you can get one from this online parts store and it will set you back about $15.
Janome Continental M7 Dimensions
This is an easy question to answer as everyone is talking about the size of this sewing machine. The needle is 3.15 inches high and to the right of the needle, you have 13 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches of space to work with. Overall working space is 18 inches approx.
You can add a sewing table measuring 27 by 16 inches approx to make sure you have the room you need to get your sewing projects done. This is one large machine that requires a strong cabinet or table as well as lots of sewing area for you to work comfortably.
It is not a machine that is made for small apartments or tiny rooms. When you are considering buying this machine make sure you measure your current sewing table, room, or space to see if you can maneuver your fabrics without hassle.
Continental M7 Features
There are a lot of features that are built into this sewing machine. Let's start with the control panel as it is front and center instead of being placed at the side of the machine. This location allows you to check or change your settings without taking your eyes off what you are doing.
Then you have 400 stitches that include 14 buttonhole options and 5 fonts. In addition to those features, there is the one touch needle plate removal feature. Just press the right button and the needle plate is released. This allows you to easily replace it with the one you need to use at the moment.
Other features include 1300 SPM, a great work light to illuminate the sewing area, stitch composer software, 23 presser feet, telescoping dual thread stand, 7 piece feed dog, optical bobbin sensor that tells you when the thread in the bobbin is getting low and much more.
The standard accessory list is almost as long as the features list and it includes rolled hem foot, free motion quilting closed toe foot as well as many other feet you may need when you tackle complicated sewing projects.
While you are paying a high price to own this top sewing machine, you are getting your money’s worth when it comes to features and accessories.
Janome M7 vs Bernina 770QE
The winner of this comparison will be determined by how you view each company and their sewing machines but one of the biggest differences we saw at first glance was the location and size of the touch screens.
While Janome’s is larger than the Bernina model, it also goes above the top of the machine making it harder to find a convenient spot to store the sewing machine when not in use.
The Bernina touch screen is flush with the top of the sewing machine making it easier to find a convenient location to place it. The space to the right of the needle is also smaller on the Bernina by a good 3 inches.
Both machines have interesting features that help make your sewing time a pleasure. In designing their machine Janome looks like they wanted a sewing machine that had everything in it including the kitchen sink.
They wanted to make sure their model was the ultimate one and packed it full of features and accessories. From what we can see, the Bernina 770QE is a grand sewing machine but it lacks in many of the features that are built into the Janome Continental M7.
But that doesn’t make it an inferior machine. Top professionals use the Bernina 770 QE over the M7 so it isn’t all bad.
Janome 6700P vs M7
One of the first items you will notice about these two sewing machines is that the 6700p is slower than the M&. It is only 100 spm slower but if you need the speed that could be a big difference.
Then the touch screen is smaller and fits into the machine like the Bernina 770QE has it making this model easier to store and you do not have to deal with odd shapes. Instead of a simple button to push to remove the needle plate, the 6700P has a lever at the front of the sewing machine you need to push to change those plates.
The bobbin is easy to use on the 6700P but it seems that it is not given the optical bobbin sensor that alerts you when the thread is about to run out. The M& has that feature.
While just about every control is placed in the touchscreen on the M& the 6700P has a lot of buttons spread out all over its face. You do not have just one location to look at when you want to change your settings.
It is safe to say that the M7 is a better sewing machine and an upgrade over the 6700P One of the complaints about the 6700P was that the 6600 sewing machine accessories were or are not compatible with it. You had to buy new accessories if you wanted to sew as you did with the 6600.
M7 Warranty
The warranty that comes with this model of sewing machine goes into effect the moment you make your purchase. It is a limited 25-year warranty and you will have to read all the details, fine print, and other sections to make sure you understand what is or isn’t covered.
The Janome website has a warranty register page with mandatory fields you have to fill out. This does not extend the warranty or add any special protection, it just allows Janome to send you more information when it is available.
Specifics are not placed on Janome’s web page, we looked, so you have to go to a dealer to review it before you purchase.
What do Janome M7 Continental Reviews Say?
For the most part, the reviews are very positive. We haven’t found anyone yet who has said mostly bad things about this machine. Instead, the women who have tested it or bought one have gushed over it. They love all the features, the accessories and think it is the ideal sewing machine.
One reviewer wished that Janome had placed a spotlight on this model as it did for the 15000 and the 9450 models. And she wanted a scrolling accent light added but those are minor things when compared to everything else you get on this machine.
At least one sewer said that she would buy this machine if she had the money. That is one of the biggest drawbacks most reviewers mentioned that kept them from buying one. They just could not justify spending $8,000 for a sewing machine even though it would make their sewing time easier.
It is a high price to pay for a sewing machine and you may have to use it every day like some reviewers do to feel good about buying it. That is basically what one reviewer did say. They lost their buyer’s remorse and guilt once they started to sew with this machine every day.
Some Final Words
Is this sewing machine worth the high cost? That will be up to you and how much you sew. It does have all the bells and whistles you need to make sure you do a great job on your sewing projects. But if you do not sew a lot, then this may not be the model for you.
The best thing to do is a test drive it yourself and see if this is a sewing machine that will help you upgrade your sewing projects.
