12 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
Loving this machine!
Date of Review: Aug 17, 2008
The Bottom Line: Great machine, good for beginners who don't want to spend a lot!
I bought this machine from Costco for under $200 and have used it a lot in the last couple of years. I've sewn pretty much everything with it, and it has held up well. I've even transported it (carried it around) to a local sewing class and it has survived that.
I bought this machine mainly for it's price, but also to update my older (borrowed) machine that was over 20 years old. I was worried that this light and computerized machine would not prove as dependable or sturdy, but so far I have been wrong.
I sew my own cloth diapers, as well as many clothes for my children (and sometimes even for myself!) and it has not had problems with any of the varied materials I've used. I like the walking foot mine came with for use on particularly thick materials - I don't know if it would necessarily feed through evenly otherwise.
I thought a lot of the features were unnecessary - needle up and down button? Can I not just do that myself? - but have found them helpful. I also loved the needle threader - until it broke! But this doesn't detract from the use of the machine, I just thread it myself.
It also has a foot-free operation. If you unplug the foot pedal you can use a button to start and stop the machine. I don't find this too useful - I like the level of control you get from using the foot. But it is useful when doing one-step operations like winding the bobbin, or doing buttonholes. I would also be possible for those without use of their feet to use the machine, which is a nice feature.
I haven't ever had the joy of owning the high-level machines that can cost up to and over a thousand dollars, but for the price this machine can't be beat!
FAVE FEATURE: --I love the buttonholes - they're like magic! And with the foot-free operation you only have to press a couple of buttons and it's done!
Some minor quibbles:
--The automatic threader broke. Well it's not correctly lined up anymore so it doesn't work. I think a service would fix it but the cost of a service is too much!
--the machine is so inexpensive it's really not worth servicing or fixing it when you can just buy a new one. Which is a shame!
--When you turn it off it doesn't remember which stitch you were using. A minor flaw, but if you're the forgetful type it can lead to errors
