Sewing Machine Purchase help

[Patches]

I need some "Hive Advice" on what sewing machine to buy. Any thoughts? (Not expensive.)

Thanks!

[Firestar Academy]

i have this one

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Brother-80-Stitch-Limited-Edition-Project-Runway-Computerized-Sewing-Machine/17039054

 

purchased at wal mart. Turns out my friends has this one, too. we both love it.

 

I think mine was cheaper b/c my mom bought it on black friday.

 

Robin

[Jane in NC]

There have been a number of discussions on this topic. You might want to use the search function to find them. The general consensus seems to be that you will be better off buying an older, used machine than a new one from a box store. The latter tend to have plastic gears that do not hold up.

 

You might be able to find a used machine at a yard sale, a charity shop, or on Craig's List. Stores that sell sewing machines may sell refurbished trade ins.

[LadyMSews]

Do you have any sewing experience? How much would you like to spend? What will you be sewing?

 

Walmart actually has some nice beginner machines for around $150. If you have some experience and want to jump up to $300-$400, look for a sewing machine store that has used & refurbished machines. You'll be able to test drive the exact machine you are buying and you can usually haggle on the price and/or get extras added. :)

 

I bought my most recent machine, a very nice Pfaff, used & refurbished at my local sewing machine dealer for 1/3 the cost of the newer model. :) I got a warranty, lessons and 1 yr free service.

[Patches]

Thanks!

[justasque]

I need some "Hive Advice" on what sewing machine to buy. Any thoughts? (Not expensive.)

Thanks!

 

Think of a sewing machine as a very long-term investment. The machine you buy now is the machine you'll be sewing on twenty or thirty or even forty years from now. Get something decent; if money is an issue then get something used so you can get something of higher quality than you'd get new.

 

Ask around and check freecycle to see if there are any used '60's models out there; it's worth the money to get one tuned up, and it will do all of what most people will need. You want something with zig-zag as a minimum. Most fancy stitches aren't used.

[Lady Florida.]

i have this one

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Brother-80-Stitch-Limited-Edition-Project-Runway-Computerized-Sewing-Machine/17039054

 

purchased at wal mart. Turns out my friends has this one, too. we both love it.

 

I think mine was cheaper b/c my mom bought it on black friday.

 

Robin

 

 

I just bought that one for my niece. It was on clearance for $99. It's not the best, but it has the features she was looking for at a price I could afford. She really likes it so far, and has made several things, including a small quilt. It's not a bad machine if you can find it on clearance. It's a good starter if you want to hurry up and get one. (There aren't any older machines in the thrift shops near me - I've been looking for months. Craigslist wasn't a good source either.)

[Jane in NC]

Think of a sewing machine as a very long-term investment. The machine you buy now is the machine you'll be sewing on twenty or thirty or even forty years from now.

 

This is a good point.

 

Another thing to consider is what you are going to sew. If you are just making curtains and doing the occasional mending job, then maybe any machine will do.

 

I do not need fancy stitches. But I do sew heavy duty things like layers of canvas. So I bought a basic Husqvarna Viking workhorse a few years ago. Repairing camping equipment is not a problem but not all machines are up to sewing layers of canvas and webbing. You may not need a machine that can do this. You may want a machine that has some fancy stitches or certain quilting capabilities.

 

What are your needs?

[Patches]

Thanks so much everyone for your help.

 

My need right now is just to sew simple skirts. I used to sew and had 2! sewing machines. (Both have been lost.)

 

I have not done any sewing for years, but I did make quilts as well as clothes.

 

I would like to be able to do both of those with this machine.

[Veritaserum]

I bought a used Bernina from a sewing machine repair shop for only a little more than what a cheap new machine would have cost. That was 12 years ago. I like better than the various lower-end models my mom had when I was growing up. I've never had to replace anything except for needles.

 

ETA: This is the Bernina I have:

 

http://www.berninausa.com/product_detail-n2-i18-sUS.html

Edited March 26, 2012 by Veritaserum

[happypamama]

My basic machine (that was a gift) died suddenly about seven years ago; I was in the middle of sewing holiday outfits and needed a machine, but I didn't have the luxury of time for waiting and searching for a good used machine. So I went to WalMart and bought the Brother CS6000i for under $200; it had generally good reviews, and I ended up liking it a lot. It lasted me for many projects and years, and my biggest complaint was that it was a bit lightweight, so on my plastic table, it tended to walk a bit when I sewed quickly. But I would highly recommend it.

 

Well, it died a couple of weeks ago, again in the middle of time-sensitive projects. I also am really short on cash, but I knew I wanted another Brother, partly so I could use the same feet. I didn't need the large amount of fancy stitches that the CS6000i had, but I wanted an automatic buttonhole. I ended up getting this one: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Brother-17-Stitch-Free-Arm-Sewing-Machine/17039055 It's a Brother LX2500, and so far, I really like it. It is a more limited machine, and I may well outgrow it, but that's okay -- if I want to upgrade in the future, this one would still be a reasonable backup/machine for my daughter to use. It has an automatic buttonhole, though four-step instead of one-step, and it does have different stitch widths and lengths, though not quite as customizable as the other CS6000i (but as DH pointed out, I need a few options for those but not tons). It won't let me sew quite as fast, which may be the biggest issue in the long run, but it's all livable. For the money, I'm pleased.

 

Anyway, I would recommend either of those machines, based on the price points. I also second the recommendation to take the time to look for a good used machine.

[Kipling]

I have this one

http://www.amazon.com/Brother-Affordable-60-Stitch-Computerized-Free-Arm/dp/B000JQM1DE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332728834&sr=8-1

 

I purchased it to replace my ten year old machine thar broke beyond repair. I've had it for about a year and do quite a bit of sewing with it - clothes and quilts as well as other projects. So far, nothing super heavy duty. I have really liked it. It has been easy to use and worked well.

[Jane in NC]

My basic machine (that was a gift) died suddenly about seven years ago; I was in the middle of sewing holiday outfits and needed a machine, but I didn't have the luxury of time for waiting and searching for a good used machine. So I went to WalMart and bought the Brother CS6000i for under $200; it had generally good reviews, and I ended up liking it a lot. It lasted me for many projects and years, and my biggest complaint was that it was a bit lightweight, so on my plastic table, it tended to walk a bit when I sewed quickly. But I would highly recommend it.

 

Well, it died a couple of weeks ago, again in the middle of time-sensitive projects. I also am really short on cash, but I knew I wanted another Brother, partly so I could use the same feet. I didn't need the large amount of fancy stitches that the CS6000i had, but I wanted an automatic buttonhole. I ended up getting this one: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Brother-17-Stitch-Free-Arm-Sewing-Machine/17039055 It's a Brother LX2500, and so far, I really like it. It is a more limited machine, and I may well outgrow it, but that's okay -- if I want to upgrade in the future, this one would still be a reasonable backup/machine for my daughter to use. It has an automatic buttonhole, though four-step instead of one-step, and it does have different stitch widths and lengths, though not quite as customizable as the other CS6000i (but as DH pointed out, I need a few options for those but not tons). It won't let me sew quite as fast, which may be the biggest issue in the long run, but it's all livable. For the money, I'm pleased.

 

Anyway, I would recommend either of those machines, based on the price points. I also second the recommendation to take the time to look for a good used machine.

 

But shouldn't a sewing machine last for more than seven years? I still have the Singer that my parents bought for me when I was ten. I replaced it because it could not handle the heavy duty sewing I was doing but, despite its age and many, many projects, that baby still runs.

 

Jane (who admits that having an automatic buttonholer and self threading device are great technological advances ;))

[SailorMom]

I have two:

1) An ancient Pfaff that is a pain to work with but can sew through sail and Sunbrella fabric for our boat. It has all metal gearing, sews a straight stitch and a zig zag stitch - and that's all. It works well, but even just changing the bobbin is such a pain. SO - for light weight projects, I got

2)

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Brother-Computerized-Sewing-and-Embroidery-Machine-SE-400/14237607

 

I paid $365.00 for it. It's been a lot of fun. SO easy to use, and the embroidery is a kick. I have used it constantly - no problems at all. I have sewn through three layers of denim and it was fine, but I wouldn't do more than that.

 

If you don't want/need the embroidery stuff, then the other Brother they have has all the same regular sewing parts. For the price, they are great machines.

[justasque]

But shouldn't a sewing machine last for more than seven years?

 

Yes! I sew on machines that are 40-50 years old; my mom has a vintage featherweight (gotta be 60 years old) and a hand-crank Singer she bought used; it's probably 65 years old and still going strong. But those machines were built to last a woman's lifetime, in heavy use, just like the other farm machines.

[Tarreymere]

This place http://kenssewingcenter.com/ sells quality refurbished machines at very low prices. Some are under $100. I purchased my machine from them and their service is great. I DO NOT recommend box store machines because of the plastic gears. You will end up paying more in the long run when the machine dies, and it will. Plastic gears are junk.

 

The other thing that causes sewing machines to die an early death is the electronics, only the really expensive machines have decent electronics that last. On the box store machines and the cheaper machines the electronics die early, so again you pay more in the long run.

 

I bought a machine from Ken's that has metal gears and no electronics. It is a Janome, which is a good brand. It was refurbished and I paid $79 for it while a new one of that model ran around $200 at the time. It is a real workhorse and will last forever. I highly recommend a name brand, refurbished machine with metal gears and no electronics for a beginner or intermediate user.

[justasque]

... I DO NOT recommend box store machines because of the plastic gears. You will end up paying more in the long run when the machine dies, and it will. Plastic gears are junk.

 

The other thing that causes sewing machines to die an early death is the electronics, only the really expensive machines have decent electronics that last. On the box store machines and the cheaper machines the electronics die early, so again you pay more in the long run.

 

...I highly recommend a name brand, refurbished machine with metal gears and no electronics for a beginner or intermediate user.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

And anything that's not second-hand, and is under $100 and/or sold as a toy, is utter junk and totally not worth your time, even if you get it for free. Seriously.

Edited March 26, 2012 by askPauline

[lailasmum]

After having gone through several modern sewing machines I recently got a 1973 Singer Starlet second hand. It is brilliant. Obviously all metal inside, it weighs a ton but sounds beautiful and sews very nicely. It has straight stitch and a variety of zig zags. The only down side is the manual button hole rather than an automatic one but since I only sew button holes once in a blue moon it's not a problem for me.

 

If I were to buy a sewing machine new now and could spend as much as I wanted I would probably get a Bernina or Pfaff. If I was on a tight budget then a Janome might last a while.

Edited March 26, 2012 by lailasmum

[happypamama]

But shouldn't a sewing machine last for more than seven years? I still have the Singer that my parents bought for me when I was ten. I replaced it because it could not handle the heavy duty sewing I was doing but, despite its age and many, many projects, that baby still runs.

 

Jane (who admits that having an automatic buttonholer and self threading device are great technological advances ;))

 

Oh, yes, I do think it would be better to have a machine that lasts for more than seven years. But given the choice between nothing and a cheap machine from a big box store, I opted to have *something.* For the money I paid for them, I'm relatively happy with seven years. My mom's old Singer lasted for a good thirty years before she finally switched, as she felt it wasn't working well with the threads she could get locally. So, yes, that is my longterm plan, to have a workhorse older machine, but being able to finish the projects at the time I needed to trumped anything else. :)

[SailorMom]

Oh, yes, I do think it would be better to have a machine that lasts for more than seven years. But given the choice between nothing and a cheap machine from a big box store, I opted to have *something.* For the money I paid for them, I'm relatively happy with seven years. My mom's old Singer lasted for a good thirty years before she finally switched, as she felt it wasn't working well with the threads she could get locally. So, yes, that is my longterm plan, to have a workhorse older machine, but being able to finish the projects at the time I needed to trumped anything else. :)

 

 

Yep - I wanted a new machine with all the computerized stuff, but couldn't afford or justify a $1500+ machine.

So - I have the one that cost $362 and it's been great. Even if it only lasts about 5-7 years - that would mean it would take me about 25 years to spend enough buying that machine over and over to spend $1500.

Anyway - I really like mine even though it is inexpensive. I just don't try to be unreasonable with it (i.e. - I don't sew through things that would tear apart the plastic gearing).

[Lady Florida.]

Oh, yes, I do think it would be better to have a machine that lasts for more than seven years. But given the choice between nothing and a cheap machine from a big box store, I opted to have *something.*

 

:iagree:That's exactly why I bought my niece a Brother on clearance at Wal-Mart. Nothing or cheap big box machine. The latter is definitely better than nothing, especially for the kind of sewing she plans to do.