My problem with the cheap ones from wally world is simply the weight, or lack thereof. Their gears are plastic, but that's not the same problem as the first generation gears. But the dang things can skitter all over the place when you get them going. A machine should have a certain heft to it so it stays put. The thing I dislike most about my wife's serger is I have to chase the stinking thing all over the table. Not a good thing for straight and even stitches. It's got suction feet too. Non-skid mats can help with that but are a bit of a pain imo.
Zig zag is a useful option but totally and completely unneeded for the vast majority of work gear makers do. It is useful for medium stretch fabrics, which are almost never used in making gear. (I said almost...) Even the backstitch is not absolutely required but very handy.
When it comes right down to it... A cheap machine will do the trick but not for as long. If you use it a lot you will exceed its capabilities in a fairly short time. It will seem slow and not very powerful. But it will work until it doesn't. At that point, you are probably looking at a disposable paperweight. The cost of getting it fixed (even if possible) would likely be extravagant.
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series
Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
mine can move around some ...but i fixed that with some straps...since i use my old desk as my sewing table i just strapped it down and no problems with it moving now
some of them do have plastic gears....i know mine has a few
but so far it's held up fine after a year of hard use...as long as you take care of it ,you will get your money worth out of it i feel
and look at it this way...if it break..just take it back
if i was making quilts non stop...i would not want to use my brother
i would go out and get something that can handle that load of work
but for light to Med use...i feel the $80 brother is more then fine
It puts the Underquilt on it's hammock ... It does this whenever it gets cold
Here's the reply I received back from the place with "Over 25,000 machines in stock".
Thank you for your e-mail.
We would like to quote you the following Equipment:
Consew Model 230, Used, $450.00 ea.
Lockstitch, Self Oilier, Reverse,
Made in Japan, Table, Motor
110V. Complete Unit.
Export Packing on a pallet $75.00
Shipping & Handling $175.00
F.O.B: OUR STORE IN MIAMI FL
GOOD THRU: 15 DAYS
TERMS: 100% WITH PURCHASE ORDER.
DELIVERY: IMMEDIATELY, IN STOCK.
This sort of gave me an idea of what kind of people I would be dealing with when I showed up at the store. "You want to pay only $100?" So I headed off to Wally's.
$80 later and a Singer under my arm I'm now a tailor. Hemmed some work pants. Even did a rolled hem. This is a lot like painting. It's all in the prep. The act of running the stitches is the easy part. I'll see how this little cheapo machine works. I do see what y'all are talking about though. This is nothing like the machine my Mom has.
Thanks for the input.
It puts the Underquilt on it's hammock ... It does this whenever it gets cold
I don't know what you told them you wanted... but that is a fabulous price for a quality machine. Overkill for your needs. But still and all.... I suspect they would have had different selections. Just saying.
The Singer you purchased will do the job that you have laid out for it. It probably won't last as long as the machine your mom has... but by the time you decide to replace it, if you do, you'll have a better idea of what you want in your machines.
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series
Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
True dat rev. Just for S&G I googled that machine and saw it was a good price. I told them I was in need of a used, consumer grade sewing machine and I didn't need a lot of stitch features.
When I'm in the area I will stop by their store/shop and report back.
I have a Bernina machine and I swear by it. They are straight-forward, robust machines. I used them at school and haven't looked back. I've heard great things about Brothers machines and I do like Singers, too. Though, I do agree the quality of the lower-end Singers has gone down in the last few years. Too bad. I have a Singer serger, too, which does what I need it to do, but, boy, I'd sure love to upgrade to a nicer serger.
Sounds like you made a great choice for what you need! Congrats!! I wish you many happy years of thread injection!
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