Sewing machine
 

I need a sewing machine. I would like to know witch is the best ? I’m coming to the experts. I know you will know. Thanks 😊

Hi Blossom from another 'Blossom :)

I currently have one of the low end Brothers like you said you had in the other thread. It is chugging along making masks and such but I will be much happier when my expensive machine gets out of the shop. I had a slightly nicer Brother that I got from Costco and it was a good little portable machine for about 7 years or so, but eventually I started having problems with it.

So the first question is always what is your price range? Sewing machines go from under $100 to over $10,000;

Secondly, what features do you want/need, or what type of sewing do you do the most? I maintain that a good straight stitch is all I really need and that's true -- but I do like some of the bells and whistles too.

Third, some of us love our vintage machines, do you want new only, or even if you want modern will you consider used? A used machine from a shop with a warranty can be a good deal.

Picking a sewing machine is such a personal decision and it isn't easy. IceBlossom addressed a lot of the possibilities. You need to go to different places and try the machines out. Can you thread it? How easy is it to fill a bobbin? When turned on, do you have enough light? How large is the harp?....that's the space between the needle and the back of the machine. Five inches looks big when nothing is in there. When you are trying to quilt something, 5 inches is a killer. One of my Brother's has a 10 inch harp and there are times I wish it was larger. I love the start/stop button on one of my machines, especially since my foot pedal isn't working right now.

Edited to add: No one machine is the perfect machine for everyone. Some people swear by the Singers, and others have had a lot of trouble with them, but that goes for every brand out there. My Brothers are good, but I have longed for the Pfaff built in even feed, but I don't want to spend the money to get one. Check them out on the internet and see what people like or dislike about the machine you are thinking about buying.

I just got myself a new machine. I can tell you some of the things that were important to me. One of the greatest things on this machine is the LED lighting! The throat area is big, so I can do machine quilting on it, and there are lights above the throat area! I want the presser foot to "hover" when I'm chain piecing or doing machine applique. The thread cutter under the needle plate is pretty great. And the "Jumbo Bobbin," is amazing! It holds 70 to 80 percent more thread than a regular bobbin. Service where you buy the machine is important. Where I bought mine, they give 3 years of free service, plus classes if I want them. And the owner of the store services the machines, at the store. He doesn't send them out to somewhere else. I wanted the blanket stitch for applique and the asterisk stitch ***** for hemstitching. I have total control of the presser foot tension--which I didn't have on my last machine. I have a knee lever to lift the presser foot hands-free. I have 11 needle positions. 5 built-in alphabet fonts. A stitch regulator for machine quilting. Tons of decorative and utility stitches. I got the 9mm needle plate hole, so the decorative stitches and alphabets have more detail than with the regular 5.5mm needle plate. It has the "dual feed," which is a mini walking foot that drops down behind the presser foot. It's great when I'm piecing. But I can also use my awesome walking foot, too.

I got the Bernina 590 with embroidery module about 3 weeks ago, but haven't had time to use the embroidery module yet. I couldn't be happier! I'm really enjoying it!

Good luck in your search!

I echo all of the above advice. There must be a 'hundred' best machines. After having several other machines, I have two favorites, both are Jukis. For straight stitching and FMQ, I love the TL2010Q. For other sewing, I love my F600 Exceed... includes knee lift, needle threader, lots of stitches and not too complicated screen. Good luck with your choice.

I have used all brands and for piecing and machine quilting I love Juki. Eversewn Sparrow 30 for toting around to classes and retreats. It's great. I have an older Bernina and it's great. I have two Brothers, one mid range sewing/embroidery and one feature loaded lower end model. Both are great. I have a Janome Jem for years and it has never given me or the kids that sew on it any problems. It is great. My three vintage Singers are tried and true and never fail. They are great. I had a Brother 1500 before the Juki, it was great for almost 20 years but developed problems due to a bad repair. New machines are great.

I agree with the others, there are many, many "best" machines. It depends on what you want.

My favorite machine is a Brother Nouvelle 1500s. It's a straight-stitch only, 1500 stitches per minute, not computerized, has a thread cutter, knee lift, auto threader, 9" harp, extension table. I *love* this machine and if it ever goes to the sewing machine home in the sky, I would replace it with another one in a heartbeat. It normally runs about $800, you can find sales or used ones for less.

However, you may decide you want a computerized machine with fancy stitches, or your budget is bigger or smaller than $800, or you want something portable, so....

I think a new machine for you would be to consider what features you want on a sewing machine. I have a Janome and love it but I have owned a Viking also and love that too. Good luck to you and I am sure you will get some great advice from members here.

As has been mentioned, there is no 'one size fits all' *best* machine. How much money do you have to spend? What kind of sewing do you plan to do? I would stay away from the Big Box stores, as they have no tech support for you. Go to some real sewing stores and try out different brand and model machines. BabyLock, Juki,... etc. They are always happy to let you try out the machines and to help you find something that is right for you. Sometimes they have gotten a trade-in that they can offer you at a better price than new. You need to get out and look. Have fun!

I'm looking at the Brother Luminaire, sewing and embroidery machine...looks like a winner to me..I'm thinking this will be my next purchase...take a look at it..you may like it too..

the Luminaire is a killer machine in all respects but one ...
it will not sew smoothly over lumpy seam intersections.

for sewing, nothing has been better than my janome machines with Accufeed.
their newest embroidery-capable machines produce cleaner embroidered text than brother/babylock, too.

that said ... the Luminaire has one thing none of the janome emb-cap machines has.
the built in scanner will make positioning your projects a breeze.
i use my Dream Machine2 for quilting. couldn't do that efficiently without the scanner.

whichever make or model you consider, make sure you can test it in person and that you can get service/repair services within a reasonable distance.

Every member my sew group has the Luminaire Brother machine. I don't. Too many features I will never use and the set up takes too much time for me. They said use it one time and you will be sold. I have used theirs and I spent more time formatting then sewing. They are nice machines but not for me as I don't do care too much for doing embroidery or edge to edge embroidery quilting. The majority of my sewing is piecing straight seams so this machine would be very over qualified for the job.

There is no “best”....the one you use is the best. Machines go from free to skies the limit in price.

That's probably the most impossible question to answer. We are as different as our machines.
I would make a list of what features you want within your budget and narrow it down that way.

To me, choosing a new sewing machine is a personal thing. I like some and don't care for others. I make a list of what I want and start there. I would recommend a good dealer instead of a big box store. A dealer will be there to help with teaching you to get the most out of the machine you chose. Also price can be a huge factor in choosing a machine. Personally, I love my Pfaff. The machine feels right when I sit down to it. It's like driving a Chevy or a Ford, both will get you where you want to go but its the quality of the ride you are after.

I find that all of the brands are really good at something, but that each model also requires a small compromise in some area. I will make up some possible examples to show what I mean.

A small, narrow feed Pfaff with IDT might make a great little traveler and the best piecer in history for a sensible price, but maybe it is too small for a big quilt, or the foot height limits your bag making. Bernina has some excellent jeans and bag makers (with their big motors, stable feet, and hammer mode), but maybe you find them too heavy or too computerized. So you try a Juki TL for that sweet mechanical simplicity with just the right amount of modern features, and although you love the performance of that vertical bobbin system for free motion work, you find the side-loading and needle threading hard to get used to. Janome has the more convenient drop-in bobbin, plus impressive, innovative feed options and large quilt space, but maybe you have no Janome tech nearby. Brother is well known for leading-edge embroidery technology, like the mind-blowing Luminaire mentioned above, but maybe the prices make you feel faint. The prices on Singer.com are really amazing right now, but maybe you would enjoy local sewing classes with friends and they all have Babylocks.

Nothing right or wrong about any of this....it is just made up just to show why we need to know what YOUR opinions and projects and sewing needs are to find you a good match. So many good machines out there to enjoy.

I have used every popular brand on the market. My first choice still is what I have which is a high end brother. Love my muvit foot more than anything. I like juki I have a serger I love but have never owned a sewing machine. Second choice would be janome, viking and pfaff are kind of even. Bernina is at the bottom for me of all the brands. It really depends on the budget and features you want. Machines are very much a personal choice and opinion. Many people say bernina is best. I have used both a 5 series and a 7 series. I hated both models and was disappointed since everyone raves about them. To me the only bernina I would shell out dollars for is a sit down q20 but I feel those are still overpriced for sit down midarm IMHO.