I am trying to decide which sewing machine to buy. This gets really confusing. I thought if I get a lot of no :!: no :!: for certain brands I wouldn't buy them. :oops: help me

My last commercial Singer ( I think it was C390) just did not hold up well. Cost around $450, and just as much in repairs over four years. What looked like metal was spray painted plastic. It was made in Brazil. I never will get another.

Oh gosh! Lol* It's hard to buy a sewing machine isn't it?? Lol*

I don't have a very expensive machine. I have a Simplicity Quilter's Classic. I believe Simplicity machines owned/made by White. I love it! It was $159, but I traded in two older machines at my local sewing center and they gave it to me for $100 out the door. It does everything I need. It came with a dozen or more feet (zipper, darning, (2) 1/4 inch feet, zig zag, quilt bar, walking foot, and more. Some that I really honestly have no idea what they do yet!). It has about 20 different stitches, even an LCD screen. I have been using it for about a year now, and for a low cost basic machine I am very pleased. It even came with a 25 year warranty.

My Mom has a Pfaff and loves it! (I love it too!) She bought it used, and if I remember correctly she paid somewhere around $1,000. It's wonderful, and she has used that particular machine for more than 10 years now. She still hasn't used all of it's functions. It has something like 1000 little embroidery patterns that come with it, and maybe, 100 different stitches. She is now talking about an upgrade, to a machine with full embroidery, however she's not had to take the Pfaff in for any repairs as far as I know in the time she's had it. The only thing that has burned out on it is the sensor that beeps to let you know your bobbin thread is low. I'm not sure if she's going to get another Pfaff though, because she mentioned to me that the company a few years back started making the machines in a different country and she feels the quality has suffered.

I personally like the Viking machines you can get at some of the bigger Jo-Anns! They do a lot for a reasonable price, and you can take classes there to learn how to use different functions.

The best place to go, in my opinion, would be to an indpenedent sew/vac shop, or sewing center if you have one in reasonable driving distance. We have one here, it's a Father & Son run business, their main focus is machines. They of course are going to want you to buy from them, but if they have refurbished used machines, they will be very knowledgeable about many brands. You may just find a used machine at a great price, or be able to trade your old machine in and get a discount. Of course Juki, Bernina, Viking, Pfaff, Singer, all those are very trusted respected name brands, and really, in my opinion, you can't go wrong with any well known brand. You may want to take into consideration where you must go for service/repairs, but honestly there is always someone no matter what brand you buy who has had an issue. I hear a lot about timing/tension issues with every brand - I even know a girl via blogging who's had a brand new Bernina for less than a year and had to take it in for tension problems. Go figure.

I'm no epxert by any means, if anything I'm pretty inexperienced at purchasing machines! But I hope my super long post might help you out!!! :) Good luck, be sure to let us know what you end up going with! :)

Well, you know my answer, don'tcha!? I've only had brothers and they have both gave me trouble. (ironic for an only child).
I guess I got my new one fixed. It's a refurbished one, and it hasn't acted up, yet, but I haven't used it too much.

Which way you leaning so far???? Going with a combo or sewing only?

Well I learned on a Singer treadle, ten Siger electric, the old black one, Still have it big and heavy. In my 20's I got my first machine a Singer Futurama, a piece of doodoo.
Stuck with Singers until the 80's when I fially threw up my hands and got a used Pfaff. I now have a Pfaff 2056 and love it.
So I guess I'm a Pfaff person.

I have an old Singer Treadle. It's a 1905 model (if I remember correctly).
I have heard a lot of positive feedback on Pfaff machines. I've never used one, though.

While I have been searching sewing machine I found a Janome tredle. Just think we could set up shop in a tent or porch......weather permitting
:D

I learned on a Sears Kenmore that my mom bought in 1955. We never had any problems with that. I bought a Singer in 1971 and used it until 2004. It was really heavy, the only thing plastic was the base it sat in and the case that latched on. Everything else was metal. It had a straight and zigzag stitch. The only reason I replaced it was because I couldn't wind bobbins on it any more. I loved it, but I've been told that the new Singers just don't hold up -- too much plastic, I guess. I got a Bernina Bernette, which I have since given to my son, and that was a nice little machine. Very portable, with a few decorative stitches, for a reasonable price. I now have a Bernina 440QE, which I love.

For straight sewing, I've been told that the Singer Featherweights are the best, and they are great travel machines, since they only weigh 11 lbs.

FYI, I was told by a salesperson in JoAnn's that the Whites are made by Husqvarna.

Sounds fun to me.

Things just aren't made the way they use to be...I guess they can't make them to last forever or they'd all go bankrupt instead of the purchasers...

Personaly I think that any brand can have its ups and downs. I have Three Brothers right now, embroidery that sews also, sewing machine, and serger. I have never had to have one serviced. But then again I have a Kenmore that is from the eightys and as good as new. Just does not have all the newbies on it. I have in the past had Singer and had problems, but I found out at the time that Singer no longer owned it that White did and it was there lower end machine. But like I said in the beginning, it is like a car. It is a hit and miss thing. :D

Wow this is crazy new whites are made in Asia Not all Kenmores are Janome...........Janome is Asia.........You can not mail order a Viking they don't allow it......... some sites say simplicity is from white........ :roll: :roll: :roll:

I did find a nice simplicity called American Quilter SA2400........any comments these are hard to find.....a lot of good reviews when i could find them of simplicity machines

I don't mean to offend anyone by this remark but……….. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=200077362100&Category= 3118&_trksid=p3907.m29

This is the one i am looking at......from what i have read in reviews price doesn't have much to do with it. A top machine in one brand was 79 dollars............others complained about a 1400 dollar one. You just have to look and read...and find just what you need and then cross your fingers :D :D :D :D

Hi Ruth...excellent question. I've been sewing for 46 years. My first machine was a 1949 Necchi. Superb machine. Second machine was a 1985 Singer..very good machine. Third machine is a Pfaff..also excellent machine.

Lots of folks have told me they would love to sew if their machine just worked. I ask about their machine and it almost always turns out they or their mom or sister got the machine at some discount store or department store..the $199 to $349 kind. Bottom line; cheap machines aren't worth it.
If your aim is to just run up a hem now and then, or make a pair of curtains...it's ok. But even half-way serious sewing needs a good machine.
So don't skimp...it's a waste of money.

Hi Ruth. I have a pfaff and love love love it. I have had no problems with it other then the odd adjustment due to my running over pins.

I love the IDT. Its great.

When looking for a machine, I made a list of what I wanted. did I want needle up/down, auto cut off. One touch reverse. among other things.
I'm sure your in for many answer to this question. I found the list really helped me in my decision. My Pfaff is now 8 years old, and I still love it.

I did have an Elna, lets just say, I'm glad its gone, and I will never purchase another.

But like everyone, some machine are good for you and some arn't

Good luck in your search and the final decision.

Karen

I learned as a child on my mom's old singer. I love the older singers, and will go out of my way to buy one, or to let mom know where one is. I bought a singer when we lived overseas, because the one my mom gave me siezed up (probably high humidity). It was a piece of do-do. I got to where I wouldn't even sew, because it was giving me trouble. I finally let my husband know I really hate it, and that is when I got my refurbished Bernina. I absolutely love it. It is a little bernette, and I still sew all sorts of stuff on it all the time. Hope this helps!

Ruth - that is very similar to the machine I have. I think the one you were looking at might be a step or two up from mine even. Here's a link to the exact machine I have:

http://www.sewshop.com/Simplicity-quilters_classic_sw240.htm

My machine also came with the table attatchment. Like I said I've had it for a year now and I love it. I have two small children, so I'm on a budget, and this was what I could afford at this point int my life. I'm so happy, I can't complain one bit, so far I've had no problems. When I first brought the machine home my 1/4 inch foot broke, and I went online to Simplicity.com and within three days I recieved a replacement at no cost to me. The service was excellent, all they required was a serial number and my address.

I learned to sew on her Viking and always felt like the machine would take me with it when I sewed, I joked about the cha-chunk noises it made when it sewed. It died and she bought a Janome that she didn't like, said it wasn't heavy enough to mend my dad's jeans. So I got it, and love, love, love it for quilting. It is one of the first memory craft machines that they made. Mom got a new viking and HATES it for quilting. She has a heck of a time with the 1/4" foot.
Don't forget about the extra feet. Some brands will cost you an arm and a leg for the walking foot or their special 1/4" foot.

My first machine was a Brother that my husband bought me for our 1st christmas in 71, It still works but was very basic, straight stitch. A few years later I bought a used Kenmore with cams for $25.00 that I used up until a few months ago (it works great but is very heavy, I bought a Brother from a resale shop for $40.00 with a cabinent it is pretty basic straight and zig zag but works great. I have a treadle machine but need a belt. I have never had any of them in for repairs. Maybe I was just lucky.

I think that's the one I want also :)

any kind of Brother brand from Walmart...I had to take it back twice and finally just got my Janome Memorycraft 4800...it is a dream machine, I don't regret the extra cost. The quality is well worth it.

I bought a nice new Elna computerized machine (retail $1500 but I got it on sale for under $1000) in 1992. It was a piece of JUNK. Every plastic piece on it eventually broke off. Now I drive a 35 yo Viking Turissa and love it.

Used to own a top of the line Bernina (at the time I bought it - they just keep getting better and more and more expensive ALL BRANDS) and loved it! But we then became an authorized Pfaff dealer at our quilt shop and I sold the Bernina. Started using a Pfaff and fell in deeper love. For a quilter, you absolutely CAN NOT beat the IDT! Accurate piecing, even top and bottom fabric feed whether you are sewing the top together or quilting the quilt itself. I will never buy another brand now. I believe that Janome now has a similar mechanism on some of their machines. But, Pfaff owned the patent on it for over 20 years. They have worked out all the kinks in the IDT. Pfaff is the original.

All of that being said, what we used to tell all of our customers is this: "Buy the most expensive and nicest machine you can afford now. You can always grow into a machine that has functions and capabilities you may not think you need. But, when you outgrow one, all you can do is suffer through it or get a minimal return on your investment and upgrade."

I could go on and on. Hubby being a service tech for all brands of sewing machines knows all the "inner workings" of all brands. You really do get what you pay for. I can tell you that the most well made brands out there are Bernina and Pfaff. Stitches and functions, bells and whistles aside we did the least amount of repairs on those brands and they are just simply better built.

Good Luck! I know it is a huge decision.

Ruth, you've gotten some really great advice. I can only add that in my experience, where you get it is just as important than what you get, especially as the machines move up the money ladder. When I wanted to really get into sewing, I went to a Viking Dealer. I want to be able to pick up the phone, or grab a machine and project and go for help, classes and an excuse to be around other sewers. I've been fortunate in that I was able to get a Scandinavia 400 and a used Designer 1. The 400 was new and I love her to death; I relied on the dealer for the D1 and have had many problems with it. I'm doing all my quilting on the 400.

I've been told many things by dealers and their employees; my best advice is to ask for recommendations, visit and learn who you feel comfortable with. If something doesn't sound quite right; trust your instincts and walk away until you can check it out with others who have that brand of machine. Its a lot of money, even for a smaller machine. I've found a new dealer who didn't balk at my having the service manual for my D1 (I've been that desperate!), who has classes and teachers I can learn from, who doesn't let 'user error' be the first words out and is happy when I walk in the door. I went in the other day and within the first minute of looking at the Babylock Quest I was asked if I'd like to sew on it (some dealers I've been to won't let you actually sit at a machine and sew - they don't get my money.)

LOL on sewing in a tent. :) Janome's treadle machine was introduced for the Amish customers as they don't have electricity. Wouldn't be a bad machine to have, you could get a work out while you sew.. LOL

I sewed on my Mum's singer, it did what I wanted it to do, but was very basic. I used my sister's singer and it had it's quirks. My sister in law owned a White and it sewed beautifully. I got my first machine, a Singer in 1980, my late husband bought it for me for Christmas, I didn't have any problems with it. In 1985 he bought me my Janome Memory Craft 7000 and I gave the singer to a friend who used it up until last year. My Janome paid for itself a few times over and is still sewing like the day I got it. In almost 23 years it never saw the inside of a repair shop. If it acted up it was because it needed to be cleaned.

Two months ago I bought a Pfaff Performance 2056 and I love it! The IDT feature is awesome. My new machine shares the sewing table with the Janome and they get along just fine. I won't get rid of the Janome because it has sentimental value :)

I bought my daughter a Janome Jem for her first machine and that machine was a nightmare!

ANd you wouldn't have an excuse when electricity was out, either! I could sew while DH was watching TV and not bug him! LOL!

No offense taken. You are right for the most part.
You can get nice things for cheap, but they usually aren't going to last as long...BUT...you don't always get what you pay for...sometimes the item (be it car, sewing machine, or anything) is just a lemon no matter how much it cost or what brand.

Now that is a wonderful post! Awesome!

:-o
Hello, I'm been sewing/quilting/crafting/garment construction/wedding gown/ you name it, I sew it person, for 46 years and am also a sewing machine tech. I can tell you to go to any place that repairs sewing machines, even the sew/vacuum places and they will honestly tell you which ones are usually or always in for repairs or updates. Pfaff was sold a few years ago and are no longer the quality that was, also with Bernina, I know, there are lots & lots of Bernina snobs out there, but just because something is the most expensive and 'used' to be the best they also have compromised and have not the quality that they once had. I personally have burned out 4 motors in several of the more notable name brands and I finally, after repairing machines for so long chose a Janome 6600 machine. These machines are built like they used to make 7 - 12 years ago. A real work horse these machines are, and warranted for 25 YEARS! Yep, 25. I don't sell any brand, I just repair. And of all the ones that come in I rarely see Janomes' - usually the yearly clean, oil, & lube, and sometimes an abused one... (dropped) Think about your car, if you never oiled it, it will seize up and not run, same w/a sewing machine. If you can afford it get quality over price. I can't tell you how many times someone has bought a Cosco, Wal-Mart, Target, Jo Ann's ...etc. machine and it has barely lasted 3 months and the repairs I have to make double the cost of the machine, & at that God only know how much use they will get with it.
Well, that's my 2 cents worth... hope it helps

I got a nice singer quilters edition sewing machine for Sew and Vac and it only cost $99.00 plus around $10.00 or so for shipping. It had a 1/4 inch foot, walking foot and needle threader and some other features. Try that website.

My first suggestion is that you shop around and talk to dealers of several different machines. If you haven't bought a new sewing machine in a long time, be prepared for sticker shock! Consider buying a used, but reconditioned machine from a reliable dealer. You might be tempted to buy a machine from the Web, but top-of-the-line machines are sold by dealers, so you're taking a chance when you buy something on the Web. You'll need the dealer more often than you think, too! Keep reading.

I used to be a Singer sewer. In 1988, my 20+ year old reliable Singer died, and I bought my first computer machine - a Viking. I loved it. 10 years later, I switched to Pfaff, because of Pfaff's built-in even-feed - you really don't need to use a walking foot! If you've ever used a walking foot, you know what I mean. That alone is worth the money you'll spend on Pfaff's computerized machine. Viking still hasn't come up with something similar even though they bought Pfaff.

Don't buy more than you need. For example, if you're not into embroidery, don't buy an embroidery machine. I recently bought an embroidery machine, because I can no longer hand quilt, and there are a lot of great outline quilt designs available. I've had a hard time with free-motion quilting, though I haven't completely given up on it. There's a neat (and expensive) attachment that works with both Pfaff and Viking machines that takes the wrestling with the quilt out of free-motion. I can't remember what it's called, but I tried it out at a week-long Sit and Sew sponsored by my dealer. It's on my Wish List!

It really makes sense to find a good dealer. I've been VERY lucky to find an excellent dealer in Tucson. They've been in business a long time. They handle both Pfaff and Viking, and they're really into customer service. They give free classes when you buy a machine from them - as do most good dealers. This is very important, because the new machines are pretty complicated. The handbooks are good, but they're not a substitute for classes or a dealer who is just a phone call away. They also have Pfaff and Viking Club classes. Good dealers do this, and you can learn at lot from the clubs. I have a friend who has a similar good dealer in Santa Rosa, CA, so I know mine is not the only good one!

Another thing, good dealers invite well-known teachers to give 2 or 3 day or week-long classes (like the one I mentioned above)- another great way to expand your working knowledge of sewing. Good dealers let you trade up: My dealer gives a full-value trade in if you decide to trade up within 12 months. Hard to beat that! Finally, because they take trade-ins, they usually have older machines that they have completely serviced and reconditioned and sometimes even upgraded (which they can do because they're computerized), and they re-sell them at great prices. That's how I bought my embroidery machine. And even though the machine is several years old, I still got the free lessons!

I think you'll find that Bernina owners are just as dedicated to their machines as I am to Pfaff. I hope you hear from them, too.

Good Luck!

JoanneS

[b]

Ruth:

This is your quilting friend Eunice I bought a Pfaff several years ago and I really like it and it has a built in walking foot it is called an integrated duel feed. I personally would not have anything except a Pfaff they are wonderful machines., I did not get the most expensive one either.

Good luck and let me know how you turned out and what one you end up with.

eunice :lol:

i'm afraid i must disagree wholeheartedly, dear QuiltNut.

What seems like skimping to some constitutes a major investment (that takes months to save for) to others. It's absolutely possible to get a nice machine that works well and has the most important features for under $300. In fact, very good, but basic, machines can be had for under $200 - even under $100 if you don't insist on a long list of special features. The only thing you can't get for less than a mortgage is a machine with a big enough throat for comfortable freemotion machine quilting.

I was so pleased by my Simplicity Quilter's Classic I bought a second one when they went on sale. I've had them for years and have had only one problem with each. Because they aren't completely computerized, I was able to fix them myself. Not having to drive 50 miles to spend $100 in a repair shop was just fine with me. I just gave the "spare" to a friend whose [allegedly superior brand] machine was giving her fits. she's brand new to sewing. I also have a Singer Ingenuity that i consider to have been a very good value for its price. It lacks a few of the features I value most in my SQC, but it has a wider selection of deco stitches, so it all balances out.

The only machine I've ever bought that I absolutely hate is a White. It gathers dust. I dislike it so thoroughly I hesitate to even donate it to a charity shop. (However, for all I know it's just the one unlucky lemon out of thousands of wonderful Whites that roll off the assembly line. I draw no conclusions about the whole brand because of it.)

If you have thousands to spend on a machine then, by all means, go for the fanciest shmanciest thing you can find. For myself, while I save up for the one that makes me drool, I have no regrets about buying the ones I've had over the years.

:D :D

Dear Patrice, I agree with you completeLY...I bought a cheap little thread snipper..one of those .99 bargain bin items. Loved it, but didn't think it would last, so I bought a more expensive one....that expensive one is still in its package 3 years later.

I didn't want to give the impression I am a snob, or well-to-do..I have to cut corners every way I can. I am just a glorified switchboard operator.
I have just had generally bad luck in buying inexpensive. I don't make enough money to gamble on the $199 item; every time I do, I end up in a mess. So it's been my experience that..IN THE LONG RUN, buying expensive ends up cheaper. I do without a lot of things, so I can afford the best tool I can manage to buy. It seems to be best for me.