They sit side by side in our shop, they share a name, and one can cost several times the other. Customers ask us every week what the extra money buys.
The short answer is that both come from Bernina of Switzerland, and each is built for a different sewist. Choose the right one and you will never feel you overpaid or underbought.
Two brands, two promises
bernette
More features for your money
Swiss design at an accessible price. You get touchscreens, embroidery and hundreds of stitches for far less than you would expect.
From KES 51,000
Bernina
The machine you keep
Built for people who sew every day. The engineering under the cover is what you pay for, and it shows in every stitch.
From KES 300,000
The fairest comparison: b77 against the 435
The dearest bernette sewing machines cost about the same as the first Bernina. That overlap is where the choice gets interesting, so here are two machines only KES 65,000 apart.
Which one is yours?
Choose bernette if
✓You are learning, or sewing for your family.
✓You want a touchscreen or embroidery at the lowest price.
✓You sew a few times a month.
Choose Bernina if
✓You sew most days, or you sew for customers.
✓You quilt or work with heavy layers.
✓You want to buy once and keep the machine.
Our advice
If you are starting out, learn on a bernette and enjoy every feature it gives you. If you already sew for a living, go straight to Bernina, because the hours you save pay for the difference.
Feel the difference yourself
Sew the same piece of fabric on both machines at our shop on the 1st floor of Sarit Centre. The difference is easier to feel than to read about.
Shop all sewing machinesOr call us on +254 798 316860
As Kenya's authorised Bernina and bernette distributor, we keep the needles, bobbins, feet and parts for every machine we sell.
Prices correct at the time of writing.
