3) What's The Best Brand Of Sewing Machines Or Sergers?
Description
This article is from the Textiles FAQ, by Lara Fabans lfabans@adobe.com with numerous contributions by others.
3) What's The Best Brand Of Sewing Machines Or Sergers?
This question comes up frequently and there are many many answers. This
summary mentions some of the names that have come up repeatedly, it is not an
exhaustive list.
For sewing machines, Bernina, Pfaff and Elna are all considered top of the
line sewing machines. However the top of the line new machines start in the
$1500+ range (with list prices typically more) which puts them out of reach of
many non-professionals.
Note that many high-end dealers are willing to "bargain" with prospective
buyers so it can be helpful to shop around and carefully compare packages,
particularly in large cities that have substantial competition. (The process
is often compared with the sort of "dealing" that is typical when purchasing a
new car.) Because the margins can be very high, sales or special deals may
have discounts as high as 50%.
For people with a much lower budget a number of people have recommended the
Bernette or Pfaff Hobbymatic. In the medium range Viking/Husquevarna has been
recommended several times. Also a number of people have spoken highly of the
New Home machines (e.g. the Memory Craft 5000 and 9000) which tend to be as
much as $600 cheaper than the comparable Bernina, Pfaff and Elna models yet
have almost as many features.
Sew News has a regular column that includes reports about different sewing
machines and sergers. The June/July 1991 issue of Threads includes an article
discussing a reader's survey. This article discusses the best machines
available under $300 and buying a used machine. The Novemeber / December 1991
issue of Vogue Patterns lists many of the features of the high end
computerized sewing machines, including machines from Baby Lock, Bernina,
Necchi, New Home, Pfaff, Singer, Viking and White. This article is a good
place to start when comparing the high-end machines. The October / November
1992 issue of Threads includes an article explaining the differences between
mechanical, electronic and computerized sewing machines.
Many people favor buying a high end used sewing machine, particularly the
1950's and 1960's Singers (model 400 and 500 series) or a used Bernina, Pfaff
or Elna. You can often purchase these from dealers in any reasonably large
city. For example, I purchased a Singer Model 400 from the early 1960's for
about $150 in Seattle in 1990. The older machines usually don't have
specialty embroidery stitches, but they often are extremely well made and sew
well with a wide variety of material. Machines made in the 50's and 60's may
not have a stretch stitch; you may need to use a zig-zag when sewing knit
materials or activewear. If you sew alot of clothing, pay particular
attention to the buttonholer on the used sewing machine.
A serger is a machine that produces a number of special stitches. Some people
use the name "overlock machine" instead of "serger"; they are equivilent. If
you look at the inside leg seam on a pair of commercial pants you will
usually find a seam that has been finished with a zig-zag like stitch that
binds the edges of the seams. This seam was produced with a serger.
A serger is useful for many tasks, including a) sewing and finishing a seam in
one step, b) sewing knits (sergers naturally produce stretch stitches), c)
making a small, neat, rolled edge on items like table cloths, napkins, or
simple curtains and d) sewing *very* *very* quickly! People who have sergers
often swear by them. You cannot *replace* a sewing machine with a serger
since a serger can never do things like buttonholes and is not really
appropriate for tasks like topstitching or tailoring.
Home sergers are a fairly new invention; they've been available since the mid
1970's and have gained popularity rapidly since the mid-80's. There have been
many changes in home sergers in the past few years. In addition to the
high-end brands mentioned for sewing machines, many people have been happy
with Babylock, Hobbylock, or White sergers.
>From the April 1995 issue of Sew News magazine:
Update Newsletters and Sew News magazine have teamed up to offer
you companion references: "Serger Update: What to Buy and Why?"
and "Sewing Update: What to Buy and Why? A Generic Guide to Buying
Or Upgrading" and the "1994/1995 Serger Comparison Chart" and the
"1995/1996 Sewing Machine Comparison Chart". These unbiased
references provide everything you need to know - from basic serger
and sewing information checklists to model/brand sepecifications
and accessory options - for making the correct serger and sewing
machine choices for you.
To order, send $5, plus a business-size, self-addressed, stamped
envelope with 64 cents postage for each packet (specify serger or
sewing machine); or send $3 for each buying guide or $2 for each
comparison chart, plus a business-size, self-addressed, stamped
envelope to Sew News Machine Offer, Box 1790, Peoria, IL 61656.
Please make your check or money order payable to Sew News.
The charts are somewhat limited. They list a few sewing machines
for each brand. Same for the serger chart. Just a checklist of
features, no recommendations. You have to decide what's best for
your sewing/serging needs.
The "What to Buy and Why?" newsletters are very helpful in explaining
different features and options. It also trys to help you identify
what type of sewer you are (simple, just mending all the way up to
curious experimenter). Included in the newsletter is a very useful
checklist for you to use when you go hunting for the best machine for
you (copy the checklist for every machine you look at). There is also
a rating system on the checklist, "how important is this feature to your
sewing needs?".
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