Originally Posted by jfowles
My son and daughter in law want a basic sewing machine for Christmas, mostly to do mending but if they like it I think they may do more with it. What are your suggestions for a good, not too expensive, not alot of whistles and bells, dependable machine. I have and love my Bernina and am not going that pricey. I've looked at a lot of Brothers, the price range is huge and I have no idea which is better than another and why. I was also thinking of a Janome. Ant suggestions would be very helpful, I don't know where to start and this board has a wealth of sewing machine experience. Thanks in advance.
Go to a reputable dealer and tell them what you want or need. They will be able to give you some great suggestions. I have Vikings and love them, find them very user friendly. There are many price ranges so you really need to think about what they might want or need. Just make sure you don't get one with plastic parts, they don't hold up very well. All the machines sold at WalMart, etc. have plastic internal parts and are made to be "throw-aways". This was told to me by a friend who works for WalMart and spoke to a company representative of the machines.