This is part of my "looking for the perfect machine" project, and as mentioned before the 80's is where it has come together for me.
Of course it needed service when I got it and it may be that I felt more comfortable with it because I have the best service Tech about a 1/2 hour away at the Fabric Affair
Rich is great; a collector restorer and refixit guy that loves sewing machines.
As I have mentioned in other posts I have a huge background in what we at Chrysler called Human Factors, I was tutored by the great Howard Estes and many years of product development.
Human Factors now may also include HMI, Human Machine Interface. With the omnipresent "touch screen" HMI includes this difficult task.
We all have a touch screen or two that we are not fond of, they are fine for running electronics BUT when it comes to running a machine with it they are behind several systems. How would you like to ride a bike with a touch screen?
So simply; the 1230 has a computer that is controlled by physical buttons, buttons that have dimension, move a noticeable distance when depressed, have a feeling when depressed, and a light when they are activated. So in direct opposition is the Viking Designer 1 which I love but it has none of this "feedback" from the screen. "Haptics"attempts to mitigate this problem by creating a actual "thump" and a noise (thud) when activated and is in place in my Cadillac touch screen (although poorly) to mitigate the effects the problem; the problem is not knowing that you actually hit the button WITHOUT LOOKING AT IT.
The dials combined with the LED "temperature" style bars are the "home run" part of the machine.
SOO easy to understand and use. The trick is to have the dial on the right side of the bar so I can see the bar, AND to have the side of the dial closest to the bar move in the same direction as the bar, hard to describe, easy to understand. This is what Human Factors is all about. The stitch width works in the same friendly way.
So Kudos to the experts at Bernina back in the day, they really knew there stuff and set out to do it right.
I have a Bernina 1230 that I bought used about 7 years ago...has been to the Bernina store twice ....I love this machine. It is quiet compared to the noisy sewing machines I hear everywhere around me when I go to classes...It sews a great stitch and the decorative stitches are so easy to choose and use. No issues so far. I have heard that the boards go out eventually and people just opt to have them replaced. Nice purchase for you!
ReplyDeleteluve2sew
I have bought this sewing machine
ReplyDeletelast year and it work very nice. This is a very good machine. With any confusion you can purchased it.
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ReplyDeletethanks for the information i recently purchased one machine . sewing machine for leather
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ReplyDeleteThanks for the information it was a great help for me. best sewing machine for leather
I didn't realize until today that I had a vintage sewing machine. I bought the Bernina 1230 when it was new and vowed to never part with it. I knew the stitch quality was second to none. It works great. Has never given me any problems.
ReplyDeleteSo you remember what you paid for in when you bought it? I also have one that I bought in the 80's and cannot remember what I paid for it.
DeleteI bought my 1230 new and it's still running beautifully. I love it.
ReplyDeleteI bought my Bernina 1230 in 1988 and I have made over 30 quilts and 47 quilted Christmas stockings plus some clothes. I have taken it in twice in 32 years for a checkup, never needed any repairs and it still sews like a dream. For travel, I also have a vintage Singer Featherweight and my granddaughters are learning to sew on it. If I didn’t have sisters-in-law who embroiders and another one who has a long arm quilting machine, I might update, but for now I’m grateful and enjoying my 1230. BTW, you can get a manual on-line.
ReplyDeleteHi, I bought mine in the 80's and can't remember what I paid for it. Do you happen to remember its cost? Thanks.
DeleteI bought my 1230 in 1992. This past year it locked up on me and I had to bring it in for repair. Seems like the insides got packed with dust/thread. After I got it back it sews okay but the needle now will not stay in the correct position and I have broken several needles. So I'm bringing it back in but concerned that the service tech may have messed it up during servicing. They've had trouble keeping a good tech in my area. I love my Bernina and hope it can still be fixed.
ReplyDeleteMy 1230 serial number starts with 00. What year was it made? I bought it used in 1993. The next numbers are 29.
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