Sewing Machine on sale at Costco
 

I see that Costco has a Brother machine in their coupon book this time. Has anyone purchased this machine and can tell me how they like it? We purchased one there last year for our daughter last year, and she loves it. Our other daughter is looking for a second machine and I thought it would make a good Christmas present, but not sure about it. Any feedback would be great.

I would go for it. We have a recent thread on Walmart machines which I think are comparable and satisfaction is very high.

Do the research here on the web on Brother machines. Yes, there are lots of people who have them and are satisfied....but there are equal amounts who are not. I am one of the no's. I have purchased two different models of Brother machines, both from Walmart and neither one lasted more than a year with repairs costing more than original purchase price (one machine was $189). If the user is not an everyday sewer/quilter, they may get along just fine. If they use the machine like me and sew everyday, making lots of different things like quilts, handbags, clothing repairs, curtains, etc....you may want to consider a more heavy duty machine. "Most" low end Brother machines are made with primarily plastic parts and will not hold up with heavy usage. This is all just my opinion and personal experience.

Service is as important as price.

Costco has a great return policy. My daughter had her a year and had a problem. Got all her money back with no questions.

My very first machine 12 years ago was from Costco and i made many quilts with it until i upgraded to Viking machines. Which model is it?

My favorite machine is my little Walmart Brother. I've had it about 5 years and it's been a real work horse. I have had no problems and/or issues with it. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.

I use my inexpensive Brother machine to do my fmq. It sews very well for other projects too. Heavy materials and thick seams are an issue with it however. So no purses or couch covers in my experience.

I can't say anything about the newer brother machines. But I bought my very first machine back 30 years ago to teach myself to make quilts. It is still going today. I don't use it very often as I have since gotten the vintage singer bug and use them and my Berdinna for most my sewing. My brother cost 149 dollars and my friend loves to sew on it when she is here.

Some of these big box machines cost less than the price to clean my machine each year; much less service it if there is a problem. If you are an occasional sewer and not obsessive (who probably needs a more powerful machine), they are a really good deal. If it breaks, get a new one; it honestly costs less than maintaining a "good" machine.

(And yeah, I hate the idea of throw-away culture. But for me, it was almost 20 years before my cheap Walmart machine broke, and then I just got another. I never had any sort of service on it at all. Didn't even oil it, just brushed out the lint.)

I love my Bernina, but it was a huge expense. The big box machines work really well for the kind of sewing most people do. I know tons of people who make quilts, clothes, even skating costumes on Brothers that cost 20x less than what my machine did.