Which sewing machine should I get??

[BagPipeBabe]

I have been making my grab for only a few years now, I have the cheapest sewing machine out there (I HATE THAT MACHINE).
My husband (who is tried of hearing me complain) has given me permission to star shopping for a better one. 

    I was wondering what machines all of you sew on?? My Mom always had a Singer, but is the a better brand and which model is is good for sewing grab??

[gem]

A new sewing machine is kind of like a new car--a lot of excellent brands out there, and people will "drive" their favorites. I have a Viking Emerald 183, and I love it to pieces--but another forum member has the same machine, and hates it (and we sew very similar things). It's very subjective, and YMMV. Among the good machines, some will "feel" better to you than others. Try as I might, I couldn't bond with Bernina, but Bernina owners are fanatically loyal. Some people love vintage machines (you can often get a better quality machine for less money buying used), so that's a perfectly valid direction to go in, too.

What do you hate about your current machine? I'd start there--figuring out what its current limitations are, and looking for a machine that solves those issues. Make a list of what you need your new machine to do, set a price point, and start shopping local dealers. Sit down with machines that have the features you need, and test them out. The same thing with individual features--some things will be must-haves for some sewers, but will drive others crazy. (Frex, some machines have the presser foot up/down automatically controlled by the foot pedal--you start sewing, it goes down. You stop, it pops up. This makes me come unglued, but other people absolutely love it. One's not necessarily better than the other--just what you prefer in a machine.)

An excellent resource for machine information is Pattern Review, which also has an extensive machine review section and a machine discussion forum.

Good luck! Enjoy the hunt!

[isabelladangelo]

I *adore* my heavy duty Singer.  It's ugly to look at it but it's all metal inside - which means no evil plastic parts that break if you look at them funny.  According to Amazon, I bought mine back on July 17, 2011.  I have yet to take it in for repairs.  It still works fine.  To give you an idea of what that means - here's part one of the 2013 sewing wrap up and here's part 2.   Most of the garments were machine sewn on that very Singer ( a few were with the surger that I broke the first day and have yet to get fixed and a couple were hand sewn). 

Tomorrow, the Singer will get another workout as I have to make my brother's, nephew's, and sister in law's Norse outfits by the 1st.   

Whatever machine you do go with, make sure it has all metal parts.   It doesn't matter how $$$ or cheap it is - if it has plastic parts, it will die on you pretty quickly. 

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

  I sew on a Janome Memory Craft 4900 that I bought back in 2006. It looks like it has been through two wars and is still going strong. Must have metal parts, It does need servicing because I use it every day for Alterations and Commissions. I love buttonholes in one step rather than 4, Decorative stitching, Blind hem stitches, etc.

There are many good machines out there. Get one that will match or enhance your sewing skills, be a workhorse, and last for years. Janome, Baby Lock, Brother, Hskavarna, all make decent machine.

[mollymishap]

This subject comes up every so often.  You might want to do a search through the old topics and see what others have liked/hated about their machines.

In the meantime, here's my 2 cents' worth: if you want tough, go vintage.

A Singer 201 is reputed to be the toughest, best-made of their models, ever.  I picked one up off Craig's List a few months back complete in it's own cabinet for $75.  That beast will survive the next Ice Age.  Sews through layers and layers like nobody's business AND it has a wide throat (the distance between the needle and the machine's housing) so that I can get alot of bulk in there without problems.

Now, if you want fancy-smancy stitches that resemble blackwork or embroidery, then you'll need something newer that has those features but it will probably (unless you pay the big bucks) be prone to difficulties if you try to make it sew thick fabrics or continuously.

HTH!

[BagPipeBabe]

Thanks for replying. These are the things I needed to hear.
and to  isabelladangelo: That is one of the problems I have with my machine now is that it is all plastic. The machine itself is so light that what I am working on is heaver then it is most of the time.

[Trillium]

I got a Singer Futura XL400 for christmas, it has the embroidery attachment but you can get the same machine without it (my stepmom got it for christmas).  So far, we both adore it.  Its pretty solid, has an automatic needle threader, tons of fun stitches, and soooo much quieter than my old machine.  I haven't got to test out much of the sewing side yet as I have been learning to the embroidery but I really enjoy it so far.

[Stuben]

I've only been sewing a short time (8 months) but have been quilting heavily. I killed my little singer in no time. I went on a month long quest to find the right machine back in October. All the lower end stuff from Singer and Brother (like you can get at JoAnns or Walmart) just didn't compare to what you can get from Bernina, Janome, or Viking. When it came decision time I got lucky. I was buying some fabric at my favorite quilt store and someone just traded in a Bernina 440 QE. The price was right and I was heading home with it a few minutes later. I tried a lot of machines and I must say going Bernina was the right choice. Nothing seems to faze this machine.

Like others have said, you need to think about and decide what you are going to use it for. Since I quilt I like the function where I can end with the needle up or down, I can adjust my speed so when I don't want to go to fast I push the speed down and I can still put the petal to the floor. I love being able to drop the feed dogs with a push of a button. Though I really splurged on this machine (More than I ever thought I would pay for one) the stitch regulator is awesome to use, and it comes with 168 stitches, plus some memory, and I can later add the embroidery attachment.

Sorry if that sounded like I was boasting about my machine but a good machine definitely helps me be a good quilter.