Feed back needed on small sewing machine
 

I am looking at a small sewing machine to take to classes and something that I can carry more easily. It is a Janome DC 1050. My LQS has one and I am wondering if anyone has this particular machine and likes and dislikes that you may like to inform me on. It has features that I like and it is light weight. I haven't tried to sew on it but am thinking of trying it out in the store.
Thanking you all in advance for any info.

I googled "review of Janome DC 1050" and there are many posts. Perhaps they will help you. Good luck!

Thank you Kitsie-I will go and check that review link

I have a very old Janome Jem Gold. It's wonderful, no problems at all. I think any of the smaller Janomes will be a great machine.

If you can get ahold of a featherweight, they make great take along machines and are not heavy but sturdy.

I have a Baby Lock Rachel that I take to classes. It was under $400 and nice and light. I love it.

There are a lot of decent little class machines. When I was looking for one - budget was an issue so I first purchased a Brother cs6000i - nice little machine, good stitches and lightweight. Then I bought a featherweight on a lark. I love it!! I take it to every class, take it on retreats and take it to sewing days at the guild. The Brother sits patiently under the longarm and the feather weight goes everywhere.

I have the littlest Babylock machine, The Audrey, and it is a great traveler. Only weighs 6 lbs.

Several of the ladies at the senior center have opted to get the lighter machines to take to class. These machines all have plastic gears and even though they sew nicely at first, it seems that over time their stitches don't stay really true. One example I can think of at the top of my head, is that the straight stitch started stitching at an angle. If you think of a model (woman) who walks heel to toe and liken this to a normal straight stitch, then think of an ordinary woman (non-model) who walks with uneven steps, this would be how the stitches would look on the smaller, cheaper machines. I don't know quite how to explain it any better. It did not seem to bother most of the owners, but it would drive me crazy. The other thing I noticed was that the tension seemed to go screwy more often than on a regular machine.

Please understand, I am not knocking all of the smaller machines, I am just drawing attention to the things that I have noticed and the complaints that I have heard and am suggesting that you check the reviews carefully.

If you are lucky enough to find a featherweight, it is still my go to machine to sew on and it is lighter than most machines, dependable and they rarely have any high-cost repair bills.

The Babylocks don't have plastic gears, even the cheaper ones.