What makes a "good sewing machine"?

[Ramblinrev]

The bottom line is a "good sewing machine" is any machine that will do what you expect it to do within the parameters you have set. Forget about brand for the moment. Forget about age for the moment. Will the machine meet your expectations now and for the foreseeable future? If yes, then it is a "good sewing machine". But there are some things you may not think about when making that determination. Let's look at a few....

If you want to do projects needing stretch stitches and other specialty construction stitches then a vintage machine is not what you want. If all you care about, now and for the foreseeable future is a straight stitch then you open up a wider range of options. So what projects do you expect to do? Making gear is one thing. Tailoring is a whole different beast and what is a "good sewing machine" for one may not be good for the other.

Maximum sewing speed is something you may not consider important. Some of the less expensive machines have a maximum speed of 650 stitches/min. That may seem more than enough for you and it may be. But as you gain experience and expertise you may find it is too slow for your preferences. You can not exceed the maximum speed of your machine, but you can slow it down. Working on a machine that runs too slowly for your taste is a frustrating experience leading to some fundamental mistakes. A machine that is too slow can make you want to pull the fabric through at a faster rate. Bad idea. Compare that to a machine with a maximum speed of 1200 s/m. That is roughly double the speed. For a home stitcher you may not want to go faster than that. Some industrials can put out 2-3000 s/m. That is really whipping along. If you are an experienced stitcher and used to working on industrial machines you will not be bothered by that speed. For me... it is too fast. But I surely would not outgrow it. 650 s/m on the other hand _for me_ is a turtle pace. I would not be happy. It would not be a "good sewing machine".

The slower the speed the less vibration is created, the less heat is generated, the less precision in component finishing is required so the cheaper the machine can be produced. There are trade offs. Make sure you can live with the trade offs you make.

Feed dogs are an integral part of any sewing machine. How many times have you studied a picture of a machine to look at the feed dog configuration? I do it every time. Some machines have a three feed dog configuration. There may be some two dog configurations still out there. Other higher end machines have 5 or more. The more feed dogs, the surer the feed especially close to the edges and end of a seam. If you want to do a lot of edge top stitching you won't like a two dog configuration. It won't be a "good sewing machine" for you.

Durability is something that may or may not be important to you. A machine which carries a 2 year warranty simply does not appeal to me. Not when I can find machines that are warrantied for 25 years. But you pay for that added durability. Is it worth it? Only you can answer that. For me... it is. For you... maybe not.

Bobbin configuration can make a difference to some people. My wife likes the drop in transparent bobbins. She can see how much thread is left on the bobbin. You won't find that on a vintage machine. Is it worth the trade offs? Your decision.

How much is the needle up/down stop feature worth to you? Some folks wouldn't be without it. You won't find it on a vintage machine.

These are some of the parameters you might not think about when you are looking at machines, particularly if you are new. Are you willing to buy a machine you might grow out of? Do you want to be able to surprise your lady with custom lingerie for an anniversary? You need to have some of these decisions in mind before you hand over the money. You won't make all the right choices the first time out. You will outgrow aspects of a machine that does not exceed your reach at the moment. Do you care? Maybe not.

To restate... a "good sewing machine" is any machine that will meet your expectations within the parameters you have set for performance. Forget about brand, forget about age until you have some of these decisions ironed out. Then you can make an intelligent choice for you.

[WaffleBox]

Great post, Rev!

I think in a lot of ways, sewing machines are like hammocking gear. Before you get any, you can research and research, think about it, imagine it, etc. But as soon as you buy something and actually start using it, you will realize that some features you hadn't thought were important to you are actually a big deal. Or you'll realize there was some aspect of the gear you hadn't considered. I think that's why people churn through so much gear. As you have more experience, you learn what you like/want/need.

That's certainly true of sewing machines. I've been using a borrowed Brother machine for some time. One feature I REALLY wish it had, and which will be mandatory for any machine I buy, is the availability of a straight stitch needle plate and presser foot. I wouldn't have thought that was a big deal since straight stitch is like the simplest thing ever, right? But I work almost exclusively with really, really, really lightweight fabrics, and it is quite common for the needle to push the fabric down into the needle plate, causing thread tangles. I spend a lot of time ripping seams and rethreading the machine as a result.

It has also taught me about features that I really want the machine NOT to have. It's a computerized quilting machine, and one feature is that it will warn you when the bobbin thread is low. Sounds great, right? The problem is that when the warning pops up, the machine will stop sewing until you press "OK" on the touch screen. And then if you start to sew again (because let's say when the warning popped up you were only a few stitches away from finishing, and you have enough bobbin thread left to finish), the message will pop up again after one stitch. So in order to finish a small patch you have to sew, stop, press okay, sew, stop, press ok, and so on. Very annoying.

[CountryRoads]

Good advice Ramblinrev. I never looked at the feed dogs too closely and just realized I have 5 on my 25 year old Viking, which sews like a dream, so not surprising.

WaffleBox, I have that problem with thin fabrics, and you can't rip too many seams out without shredding the fabric. I have seen threads showing you how to modify your plate to make that hole smaller. But what has worked well for me is keeping little squares of news paper near by and puting on of them between the fabric and the plate on corners.

[gmcttr]

Good food for thought RR.

In another thread, the potential for inexpensive light weigh machines to 'walk' across the table was mentioned. If you plan to sew on a card table (or other less than rock solid surface) this is can be a problem. A solid table top will help to some degree, but low end, poorly balanced machines on a bouncy surface can leave you chasing after them.

WaffleBox...you might try tape over the needle hole to simulate a straight stitch needle plate.

[briana26]

Nice post. Thanks.

[Snowball]

Regarding the tangled threads it can sometimes be fixed by increasing the speed.
The tangled threads is often caused because the feed dogs haven’t got a proper grip on the fabric. For the most part it happens for me when I am starting a new seam. We try to start at the very edge of the fabric but if you look you haven’t got a full grip all the way to the back side of the presser foot. To get the maximum feed performance the fabric must be covered by the full length at the presser foot. The reason is most presser feet has a joint so they can go over bumps in the fabric. When the foot tilts the pressure decreased in the front and then it won’t feet as it is supposed to if there is nothing on the back end and then it tangles because it does not move and try to sew in the same place.
A while back I got a new straight stitch needle plate and presser foot. I was convinced it would fix this problem with the tangled thread but it did not but it was better. These days I hold on the thread for the first 3-4 stitches and I do not start at the edge but reverse as fast as I dear and can guide the fabric. It has decreased the problem for me. Another thing is the needle. In the past I used smaller needles but after I moved up in size it has also helped. The thread and the tension is also a factor and the last part do not pull or push the fabric.
As said what makes a good sewing machine depends on the user and what its used for. I only have one machine but today I keep the sewing in webbing to a minimum. If I had the need I would have a dedicated machine for that because it is a hard job for most machines. Most machines can do the job but they are not made for it.

[CamoDeafie82]

I went the opposite way; because my 15+ year old Singer home machine couldn't handle the 1000D Cordura and heavy webbing of the ammo pouches I made, I went and got a 60s Canadian Singer 328K machine, all metal running gear.... it is way heavier duty than really needs be for hammock fabrics, BUT that is an advantage to me... because it handles ripstop nylon and other fabrics really easily.. currently its only straight stitch, until I can acquire the 60s Fashion Discs that would enable me to do bar-tacks and zig-zags properly. (it has a checkerboard pattern fashion disc cog in it right now) I did not know it could also reverse until I moved the stitch length lever all the way up. Imagine that, a year and a half of owning this machine and not knowing it could reverse (not marked Reverse). I have two presser feet on it, and I used to have a problem breaking the cheap clear plastic bobbins every so often... solved it by going to a reputable sew/vac store and getting a bag of the original metal type bobbins for the machine. It was a knee bar machine, but it was awkward, so I moved the control unit to the ground and used my toe to run it. Stitch lengths from very small to 6mm maximum, zig-zag size is from 0-4mm max, but uses the Fashion Disc cog to control stitch pattern. (looking for a set of fashion Discs with the zig-zag and button-edge stitching pattern)

[ryanawall]

I recently bought a sewing machine from Goodwill to learn on for $40. A great deal for something I wasn't sure I would get into.
The price is what made this a good sewing machine for me, although it does run a little rough.
Thanks for the tips though. I'll be sure to keep them in mind when shopping for a better machine.

[geneaut]

To add to all the good advice in this thread from some extremely knowledgeable members, and without getting 'philosophical' I would say one of the criteria for a good sewing machine is simply ... it's the one you have.

I worried a long time over what machine I was going to buy. In the meantime, I passed up a lot of opportunities to get into the DIY game because I was over-thinking the entire process. I spent far too much time hand sewing stuff sacks as I debated.

So finally I just took the plunge and bought a cheap, generic modern machine. This let me get sewing and most importantly ... LEARNING. I'm sure I'll eventually run into something I don't like about my machine, or simply wear it out. However, at that point I think I'll know more about what I really want in a machine.

So I consider the $80 I dropped on my machine as more of an educational fee. I learned to sew for $80, and got a cheap plastic machine for free in the deal LOL. If I decide to move on in the future to a new machine, then my current machine can be allocated to my daughter who has been using it already.

Win win.

Don't let analysis paralysis keep you from getting into the gear making business. If it's a modern El Cheapo like I got, or a yard sale find, or a machine found in your grandmother's attic, etc ... get some machine and start sewing! You will be glad you did. Whatever machine you end up with will almost certainly be better than hand stitching