Best sewing machine on Reddit
304 reviews from r/sewing, r/SewingForBeginners, r/sewhelp and 20 more subreddits
304 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Brother
4.3
(104)
"I love mine. Sewed a little when I was around 12, on an old singer and hated it."
"I would definitely recommend it! It’s great for beginners."
"Brother is an excellent choice."
"I have a Brother. It’s a horse. Good machine."
"Brother XR3774 easy sturdy and nice accessories $159 or HD Brother ST371HD same price as the 'stinKer HD' but better quality."
"I think Brother, Janome and Juki offer the best value for $ in new machines, in ascending order of preference."
"Get a Brother starter XM2701 all you need to sew is straight and zig zag."
"I bought a Brother XR3774 when it was on sale on Amazon and I LOVE IT!"
"I have a Brother CS7000x and I love it!"
"Can recommend Brother XM2701 or SM3701 on Amazon."
#2
Janome
4.4
(57)
"I’m planning to invest in the Janome HD3000, and here’s why I think it’s a solid match for my needs."
"It has an all metal body and most of the interior parts are still metal."
"I love my Janome."
"Janome is a gold standard for this in my book."
"Check out the Janome MOD line, I have the 30 and I've put 2000+ hours of runtime into it."
"If you have the money get yourself a Janome Sewist 725s or check out the HD3000 if you want something even more sturdier."
"I am actually really surprised at the performance you can get out of this."
"I have this sewing machine. It works very well for smaller things."
"I love my Janome Sewist 725s."
"I have a late 90s Janome that is just fantastic."
#3
Singer
3.7
(47)
"I have a Singer machine that my husband bought for me at Walmart nearly 30 years ago."
"I have a Singer 201 and it makes the best buttonholes of any machine I’ve owned."
"The owners have to take intensive class from dealers to sell the machines like Babylock, singer, brothers etc."
"I have my trusty workhorse vintage Singer that I use for almost everything."
"Get a hand-crank vintage Singer! You can get them for a song and they literally last lifetimes."
"I loved my Singer machine, my grandmother bought it for me when I was 14 and it still works great."
"I bought a singer heavy duty for around $100 on sale."
"You’ll get a lot more for your money with an older machine."
"I personally love my heavy duty singer and serger set, they are still going well after 2 years."
"I have a singer heavy duty that I bought a year ago for $250."
#4
Juki
4.5
(17)
"I've been sewing on a 22 lb (10kg) Juki F600 for the last 15 years."
"Definitely look into an industrial straight stitch and overlock machine under the juki brand."
"I had a singer and made me question myself is sewing was for me, then changed to Juki and made me eager to keep sewing."
"I was able to get my Juki F600 for $100 off of marketplace."
"The Juki f300 has great reviews and she probably wouldn’t outgrow it."
"If she uses it for work, I think you should consider industrial machines. Juki is one of the best"
"My Juki F600 just had its first repair last fall."
"I replaced it with a Juki HZL-F300. I was stunned at the difference."
"Look at the Juki F300 (though like most non-embroidery machines, you cannot kern letters). Can use 7mm Brother feet."
"Janome or juki are probably going to be your best bet. I especially love juki."
#5
Bernina
4.5
(11)
"It's a discontinued model, but it's the best workhorse. It's an all metal body and fully mechanical."
"I bought a practically new B535 for $1800 a few months ago on FB marketplace."
"Every costume shop I’ve worked at though had Bernina 1008s or the lowest end digital Berninas."
"I gave my daughter a used Bernina."
"I have a Bernina from 1982 and it goes great."
"I have a 1987 Bernina that has basic stitches and about 10+ embroidery stitches."
"I’m a Bernina lover."
"Try to see if you can find old Bernina."
"Personally, I’d go for a used Bernina of Pfaff."
"You were unlikely to get a better machine for that money."
#6
Sailrite
4.3
(8)
"A sailrite machine is the best fit."
"You might want to look at the Sailrite® Ultrafeed® LSZ Walking Foot Sewing Machine."
"You might check out the Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ."
"The sailrite machines are pretty decent value."
"Sailrite makes some pretty affordable machines for leather."
"Love my sailrite."
"I've had a sailrite for a few years and really appreciate the small package and portability."
"Check out Sailrite they have some pretty cool little machines for decent prices."
#7
Bernette
4.5
(6)
"I loved my first machine I got at my local quilt shop. It was a bernette b05 Academy!"
"We bought our daughter a Bernette. It’s solid, simple and has nice features."
"My nephew just got a Bernette 05 Academy and he loves it."
"I’d go with a Bernette by Bernina."
"Bernette B05 Academy (mechanical) or B38 (computerized) fit the requirements."
"I have a Bernette mechanical machine which was right in that price range."
#8
Kenmore
4.6
(5)
"The kenmore 158 all the way. I have owned one and serviced a few of these and they are solid and heavier duty."
"Look for vintage Singers & Kenmores made in the 60's through 80's."
"I used to do a lot of heavy duty work on a 70s Kenmore."
"Honestly, I'd check Facebook Marketplace for an old Kenmore."
"Look for a cam using sewing machine from the 70s like a kenmore."
#9
Pfaff
4.8
(4)
"4 years ago I bought a Pfaff quilt ambition 630. A purchase I did not regret at all."
"I started with a used 1950ish Singer, eventually added a new Viking, then became a Pfaff fan about 30 years ago."
"I love my Pfaff 130. It is a beast of a machine."
"I have a Pfaff 130 and Singer 301A that are both great!"
#10
Babylock
4.0
(4)
"I would suggest visiting a vacuum/sewing machine store. they will have a variety for you to sit down and try."
"I love Babylock and got a good one refurbished for under 400."
"Babylock is also a great brand for beginners."
"I just bought a brand new machine yesterday when my $250 baby lock couldn't handle the quilting I wanted to do."
#11
Singer Heavy Duty
3.7
(3)
"I love my Singer Heavy Duty."
"Hey not a pro here but I have a singer heavy duty and I'm pretty happy with it."
"Don’t buy a new heavy duty singer."
#12
Janome HD1000
5.0
(2)
"I really love my Janome HD1000-BE."
"I have a Janome hd 1000, i love it."
#13
Gingher
5.0
(2)
"Gingher makes a cool scissor set that would be perfect for a gift."
"Gingher scissors, thread snips, pressing cloth, pressing ham."
#14
Fiskars
5.0
(2)
"Fiskars rotary cutter (and maybe a cutting mat!)"
"A rotary cutter is game changing. I didn’t get one until over a year into my sewing journey."
#15
LDH
5.0
(2)
"A quality scissor is my best suggestion. I just ordered a pair of LDH scissors."
"This scissors, pinking shears and snips gift set from LDH is so cool and comes in its own box."
#16
Used Sewing Machine
4.0
(2)
"Also look at thrift stores. Lots of machines donated, when ladies go into homes."
"Please go to a sewing machine repair place and ask the repair people if they have any good used machines for sale."
#17
Sewing Machine
3.0
(2)
"Better quality and older would be my choice."
"Under $200. New? Don’t bother."
#18
Eversewn
3.0
(2)
"At that price point, I’d look at Eversewn before Brother or Singer."
"At that price point, I’d look at Eversewn before Brother or Singer."
#19
Crescent Wiss
5.0
(1)
"Pinking shears are a must for costumers, so if you can get a good "bundle" with a set of tailoring shears/fabric scissors."
#20
Juki LS-1341
5.0
(1)
"Machines always depend on what you plan to make, but tooled veg tanned belts, wallets, and handbags would go well on a Juki LS-1341."
#21
Kai
5.0
(1)
"A high quality thread pack, bobbins that fit her machine, scissors, for costumes get glass head pins, Kai scissors, curved snips, Olfa rotary cutter."
#22
Juki LS-1342
5.0
(1)
"I’m about to pay for a used Juki LS-1342-7."
#23
Singer 4411
5.0
(1)
"I LOVE my Singer 4411."
#24
Singer Quantum Stylist
5.0
(1)
"I have the Singer Quantum stylist (about $600) its a computerized machine aimed towards quilters."
#25
Baby Lock Zeal
5.0
(1)
"I ended up with a Baby Lock Zeal and love it."
#26
Consew 145
5.0
(1)
"I use a Consew 145 walking foot zig zag"
#27
Cowboy
5.0
(1)
"I got the Cowboy because the Cobra isn't available where I live."
#28
Janome Arctic Crystal
4.0
(1)
"I purchased a Janome Arctic Crystal recently."
#29
Brother CS6000
4.0
(1)
"I have worked on Brother Cs6000 that was new and very good."
#30
Kenmore/Necchi
4.0
(1)
"I always recommend either an all metal Japanese made machine from the 1950s-1960s."
#31
Pfaff Ambition
4.0
(1)
"If you'd settle on a Pfaff, the Ambition, Expression or Creative line."
#32
Vintage machines
4.0
(1)
"I recommend vintage machines."
#33
Singer HD
4.0
(1)
"I've had great luck with a Singer HD."
#34
Singer 99 or 201
4.0
(1)
"IMO you should look for a Singer 99 or a Singer 201."
#35
Vintage gear driven machine
4.0
(1)
"For sewing through heavy fabrics, I'd get a vintage gear driven machine."
#36
Singer 15-91
4.0
(1)
"An old Singer 15-91 should handle it fine."
#37
Aldi
4.0
(1)
"My daughter found a decent/adequate (NOT FANCY) sewing machine for my grandson (6 at the time) For $49 at Aldi!"
#38
Silver
4.0
(1)
"Please consider Silver. They are a UK company and their machines are manufactured here."
#39
Shunfa
4.0
(1)
"Maybe something from Shunfa?"
#40
Viking
4.0
(1)
"Truthfully, I started quilting on a Viking Emerald, their lowest (or close to) model."
#41
Baby Lock
4.0
(1)
"I recently picked up a Baby Lock Jazz (not the Jazz II) used for $180."
#42
Singer, Janome, Euro-Pro
3.0
(1)
"These are the alternate machines I'm finding more in my budget and more kid-sized."
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