Rating

I waited awhile before deciding to write a review for this item because I wanted to see how the machine would perform. I’m not an expert sewer and I mostly do light sewing, a lot of hemming and alterations and items for around the house. I’ve made a couple of garments on this machine as well. I haven’t had any trouble with it at all. It’s easy to use and it was an easy transition for me to this machine from my old one. I’ve used it on various fabrics, from denim to lace and I think it was worth the money we spent on it. I wasn’t totally surprised that a lot of the parts are now plastic. At least I can lift it! I remember how heavy my mother’s old machine was. The machine provides a great service to me however, so I don’t mind the plastic components. I did buy new bobbins though. Plastic bobbins, I don’t particularly like. I also don’t use the threader bec I just never got into that habit. I love that it can make different decorative stitches too and I’ve only started playing with those. So far, I don’t regret having bought this machine at all.

Rating

Wonderful machine! Beautiful stitches and so easy to use. My thirteen year old granddaughter loves using it.

Rating

I can’t really say enough good things about this machine. I inherited my first sewing machine from my mother-in-law, an old manual workhorse Kenmore from 1981 that still sews really well. I wanted to get an all-electronic machine mainly for the pre-programmed settings and updated threading system.

Like most electronic machines, this one is pretty easy to use. Pick your stitch with just a few presses of a button, then you’re ready to sew. Of course, you can modify your stitch length and width by sliding a lever or two, but it is nice to have everything set to optimum length and width automatically. The machine comes with a good number of stitches, although I honestly don’t stray very far from the regular old zig-zag and straight stitches. I will say that the overlock stitch looks absolutely identical to the ones created by a professional serger.

The threading system is pretty nice, too. While it’s not quite as easy as the one on the Singer Curvy (where all you need to do is pull the thread through a slot and press a lever) I’m used to the complicated ins and outs of my old machine, so anything is a huge improvement. Singer calls it their “six second threading system” and, so far, I’ve found that claim holds up. The drop-in bobbin is very handy, especially for someone like me, who is used to fussing with an old-school side-loading bobbin. I guess it would be nice to have a bobbin that didn’t need to be drawn up (as seen in the Curvy and several newer machines) but it’s not exactly like pulling teeth with this machine. The presser foot lifts up enough so that you can fit your fingers underneath and grab the little “loop” that the bobbin thread makes, so now I don’t have to struggle with it at all.

One small gripe I have with the machine is that the needle always ends in the up position. I know this is for easy withdrawal of materials, but it would be nice to have the option for the needle to end in the down position, if one so chooses. I do a lot of applique work that requires pivoting around tight corners, so it would be nice to have this option. However, I’ve just learned to release the foot pedal a bit early and then hand-crank the machine into the next stitch, leaving it in the down position so I can pivot smoothly.

I think you’ll also find that the feeding system is pretty reliable. The machine has a six-piece feed system that has been very nice so far. There’s no feature to drop the feed dogs, but the included darning plate should suffice. The presser foot is pretty good at accommodating materials of various thicknesses without having to manually readjust the height (as in older machines). Finally, the little light is a nice, bright LED that remains blessedly cool no matter how long you sew.

Overall, it’s just a really nice machine for the price. If you’re interested in upgrading to something with all the bells and whistles, I suppose that the Curvy would be a better option, but if you want something that works well, is easy to use, and nicely priced, try this one out.