Best bang for the buck sewing machine

[snowplow]

My wifes singer curvy needs fixed. They want as much as a new machine so lll get another. That machine is around 200$ and does all sorts of things well never do. So just wondering if theres a better way to spend the money. Id be into less fancy stuff and more of a robust machine. Any recomendations?

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[WoodBow]

If you want more robust without being substantially more expensive, you need to look at older used machines on craigslist. You can get them very cheap or free. I have owned at least a half dozen used machines and I have had to work on all of them get them working correctly. So know that going into it. The most common problem is that they have sat unused and the oil has dried out and gummed things up. I just use wd40 and run them wide open while dousing the internals.

Sewing is a bit of a lost art, so a lot of people inherit machines and just want to get rid of them. Of all the machines I have owned, I have only paid for 2 of them. $20 for one of them and $10 for another. I have 2 industrial machines that I got for free.

 

[Gorp2007]

The Singer Heavy Duty is pretty straight forward and doesn't have too many bells and whistles but it will handled sturdier fabrics. I got the 4423 (23 types of stitches, 21 of which I will probably never use) for $150 off Amazon. The 4411 (Amazon.com: Singer Heavy Duty 4411 Sewing Machine with 11 Built-in Stitches, Metal Frame and Stainless Steel BedPlate, Great for Sewing all Fabrics: Arts, Crafts & Sewing) only has 11 stitches but the same heavy duty frame.

Full disclosure: I'm using this thing to make cheap ass dog beds, I'm not building hunting packs or doing anything complex with it.

 

[Squirrels]

An old jap clone for cordura pack type stuff.


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[KEVINSENC]

After reading this post last week I bought the singer 4411 sewing machine. i had an old kenmore that I struggled with for the last 6 months. It always seem to have an issue, with the bobbin winder, with the thread backing up, with all kinds of other crap. So I got the singer in the mail yesterday from amazon and it was like night and day. This machine is awesome, it works so much better than what I had, not one swear word the whole time I was using it. The best thing I like about it is the reverse button to lock down threads..made both these bags in under ab hour when it would have taken me several with the other machine..

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[Sharp Things]

Ive been abusing the hell out of my old single slant needle 404 for more than 25 years and it was old when I got it. All metal gears. Can sew through anything (leather, 12 layers of fabric) and never fails.

Here is one on ebay right now.
Vintage Singer 404 Slant Needle Sewing Machine With Many Attachments 172176 | eBay

 

[Beendare]

Dang, I dunno where you guys are finding these old machines for $20.

I looked for awhile and it seems folks have realized how good these old metal geared machines really are....maybe its just my area but they are going for $200 and up. It seems there are some guys specializing in buying these up and then reselling too.

I got tired of these being bought up before I could get there...and just bought a Juki.

 

[jeteb57232]

The Singer Heavy Duty Sewing Machine is pretty simple and isn't full of fancy features but it will handle a wider range of fabrics than the Sewing Machine I bought the 4423 (23 types of stitches, 21 of which I will probably never use) at a super-discounted price from Amazon. It only has 11 stitches but this tough leather has the same heavy-duty frame as the 4411. Full disclosure: I'm using this thing to make cheap ass dog beds, I'm not building hunting packs or doing anything complex with it. You can buy it from sewingmachinekits. It is the amazing site that have discount from amazon just check it out. This site also review the sewing machine with features, pros and cons

 

[sewbadithurts]

A used straight stitch drop feed industrial is going to be the best bang for buck out there. I don't know any other thing where you can buy the full on pro version of a tool for less than the crap home version of the same tool. Add a brushless servo and needle positioning sensor ftw

 

[Blockcaver]

My wife has a Juki industrial machine she bought new. It sewed too fast. I bought a 50% smaller diameter motor pulley and that straightened it right up for here. $10 vs hundreds for a variable speed controller.

 

[Dos Perros]

I get wanting to save money, find a deal, but at some point you just gotta move. Buy the machine you want and get to sewing.