I've been wanting to get back into sewing recently after not having touched a machine in 8 years...?
Most of what I know was what my grandmother taught me on her old Singer 5528 when I was a kid in the 80's. I'm planning on buying a new Singer and I'm baffled by all the 'new' features on machines nowadays! The following are my basic questions:
Are most machines really plastic now? Even the Singer Inspiration(s)?
Is a one-step buttonhole really that much easier?
Do I truly need an automatic needle threader?
Is an LED light brighter (and not as HOT) as a lightbulb?
What about automatic tension? Yes? No? Irrelevant?
Finally - between the machines in the Singer Inspiration line and the Commercial Grade line what's gonna be most comparable in quality to my grandmother's machine? I've heard even the CG's have plastic parts that don't last!
Personally I would steer clear of the new Singer's. They are made overseas and quality has really gone down hill.
I have the inexpensive Brother machine available from Walmart. It's a pretty basic machine but there are other models that have cool features like one step button holers (mine is a 4-step). I've had mine for almost 5 years and it runs beautifully.
My Brother has plastic outside but the inner moving parts are metal.
Mine has a needle threader but I find it too much of a hassle and just thread it by hand.
The new Singer's are absolutely no comparison to the older ones. They aren't even made by the same company. The OLD Singer closed it's doors and an overseas company purchased the name.
I would go with a name that is still manufactured in the US (Brother, Janome, White) or one of the Swedish machines (Husqvarna, Viking). Or best yet go to a sewing machine shop and pick up someones trade in machine. My Mom did that and for $300, got a machine that when new was around $800. Plus the older machines are better quality.
My sister got an old Singer she found at a second hand store for $25. She got it a tune-up and cleaning for about $50 and has a good machine that will do just about anything.
Thermionic Arachniometer ~ Steampunk Doohickey
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