Sewing Machine Purchase Advice

[Nifty-Chicken]

GF and I have been interested to dip our toes into sewing. We don't expect to do it often, so we don't need anything fancy.

We were at a thrift store and saw these models below.

I was going to get the Brother since it seems like a great deal (assuming it works)... but I'm worried that there may be something wrong with it, and since I have no sewing machine experience, might not know what problems are from the machine or user-error.

Any suggestions?

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Ok, my impulsiveness kicked in!

We had rode our bikes to the thrift-store originally, so either-way we would need to go back. The GF mentioned that her grandma is an expert at sewing and could probably help us figure it out, so we drove back down just now.

I plugged it in at the store and it powered up fine, so I brought it home.

Closer inspection:

• A weird oily grime / stain on the top plate
• Missing the large "extension" tray that usually comes with it (no big deal)
• A bunch of the bits/bobs were in the compartment (shown in pic)
• BEST OF ALL: It seems all the original blue packing-tape is on the needle, etc., so I'm assuming it's pretty much brand-new!!!

I spent about 10 mins cleaning it up as best I could and removed all the grime, tape, sticker, etc. and it looks pretty good!

Here it is showing the blue tape and the "factory inspected" sticker still on the plate:

 

[DuckLady]

You can do it!

Maybe practice on straight seams making simple things before tackling big awkward items....

Yeah and then you can start quilting, then embroidering and then long-arming.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Tada!!!

(of course there is a VERY good chance that all that work to differentiate neutral / hot didn't matter at all)

 

[nuthatched]

The brother looks new and singers quality has degraded over the years.
I've had both, I prefer my new brother, very user friendly.
Alot of people buy machines for special projects and never actually start them or its very likely it was bought for something to do during covid and never used. $25 is a great price.
Both look to be good machines. I've never had a computerized one so I can't advise you on that.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

What are you going to make?

Me: Mostly fixing stuff (like the car cover that just tore in the wind)
GF: Adjusting clothing

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

... BTW, I remembered when I was 21 or so, I got my first "Palm Pilot" PDA device.

I got faux-leather and designed / sewed (using a machine) my own belt-clip holder. It was actually pretty damn amazing! I'm SUPER upset I didn't keep it or at least have pics of it.

Too bad sewing (for me) isn't "like riding a bike"

... my learning to sew now will be pretty much 100% from scratch!

 

[DuckLady]

Don’t buy a Brother sewing machine from Walmart. They are made to lower quality standards so the price point is lower. Thrift stores can have awesome deals. Hope you got one!
Once you get hooked on sewing, go to a sewing machine authorized dealer for the brand you want. They usually give great support and lessons that offset the higher price due to better made machines (compared to the Walmart ones).
Happy Sewing!

 

[Theorrin]

singer and brother are both amazing brands. parts are also easy to find for them

 

[21hens-incharge]

Personally my Brother machines have been far superior to the singer.
Very old singers were great but the newer ones are loaded with issues in my experience.