I need a professional sewing machine — which model is best?
Supernovea asked:
I need a professional sewing machine. I'm using a $200 sewer and it is horrendous. The bobbin thread gets way too loose and it takes hours to get it to sew straight and wastes time.
If you can tell how frustrated I am, good. What is the best model to buy? I need something completely professional, a model a seamstress would use. I don't care about fancy features, but I need a machine that will work well consistently for years, with no thread or tension problems.
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Tags: Bobbin Thread, Fancy Features, Seamstress, sewing machine, Tension
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December 9th, 2008 at 3:39 am
you have just described my machine. I have a Bernina 830. you should visit a few different sewing centers and ask for a demonstration. my machine sews through anything and I’ve never had a bit of trouble with it. the only thing that I wish I had on it is an automatic buttonholer. sears has the Kenmore and they are reasonably priced and have a good reputation. I used to have a Singer and it was a pain. hope you find one just right for you.
December 12th, 2008 at 1:50 am
Ask your neighborhood Dry Cleaner who does alterations. They can tell you the good ones along with the bad ones.
December 13th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
The one that suits you and the way you sew. Berninas, for instance, are excellent machines. But they’ve got two strikes against them, imo… they’re pricey for what you get, and the controls make me feel like I’ve just traded my fingers for toes.
As I said… great machines, but not for me.
I, on the other hand, have never met a Viking that I didn’t feel instantly comfortable with. We just seem to have a rapport. And I get along with Pfaffs, though I don’t find any real use for the dual feed foot for my sewing. Elnas are good machines, too… but they’re another that just aren’t for me. Janome makes some nice machines, good value for the money, but again, not my machine. Juki and Toyota also make good machines, but they tend to be pretty industrial/commercial for most who sew at home. But if you like to feel the wind in your hair when sewing, they’ve got the speed.
I’ve sewn on Singers, I can fix the old black Singers, and I sewed on a 301 for many years, but we were never friends…
Singer’s reputation seems to have improved in the last few years from a 30 year or so dry spell, but they’d have to do some more persuading.
Go, try, play! And take your own fabrics and thread! When you get it down to a few models, take your shortlist over to and check them out in their user reviews. You’ll have to join to see older reviews, but it’s free, and I’ve never gotten spam from the address I used.