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If you’re in the market for a new sewing machine, you have your work cut out for you. It’s very easy to get taken in by brands or certain models that your friends or even relatives recommend.
But the problem is, just because a particular brand and model works for them, it might not necessarily be a good fit for you. Everybody has different sets of circumstances. Everybody has different needs. Maybe they have fairly light pieces to sew.
If they recommend a particular model to you but you have heavy-duty sewing loads and stitching, you’re going to have a problem if you buy that product.
So instead of asking around for referrals regarding the “best sewing machine” you could buy, use some objective selection factors. These are the selection criteria most sewing machine buyers would agree on.
The Model Must-Have Key Basic Functions
It doesn’t matter whether you are a light sewing machine user or a heavy-duty one. You should use a machine that has the following basic functions. These are non-negotiable. All machines of all types that addresses all needs must have the basics.
1. Metal full rotary hook
This feature is crucial because the designs that don’t have this tend to jam a lot. If you’re sewing anything, you want it to be a smooth, easy experience. That’s good luck getting that experience if your machine doesn’t have a metal full rotary hook.
It’s going to jam and jam again after you fix it. Now, it doesn’t always jam but when it does, you can bet that it’s definitely going to take you quite a bit of time and effort to fix your sewing machine and get back on track.
2. Open assembly
Whatever model you buy, it should be easy to open. This way you can clean out whatever debris or lint piles up in the internal parts of the machine.
3. Open arm
It’s a good idea to use a machine that has an open arm design. Nowadays, this is a fairly common feature but you have to insist on it because there are older designs out there and there are specialized machines that don’t have this feature.
An open arm architecture enables you to quickly and conveniently sew a lot of pieces in a very short period of time.
4. Universal pressure
You should probably really know, if you’re going to be sewing a lot of clothing, you’re going to be feeding your machine a lot of materials and many of these materials have varying thicknesses.
You want to want your machine to just stick to one particular thickness so you don’t sew other pieces uniformly.
It’s really important to make sure your machine uses a universal adjustable pressure mechanism. This way, it automatically shifts up and down depending on the thickness of the material you are feeding it.
Easy Threading Feature
Depending on the particular machine brand that you buy, some are easier to thread than others. This is non-negotiable.
You want to use a machine that is very easy to thread with so you can get from one piece to the next without breaking a sweat. If you have to re-thread the machine, it shouldn’t take forever.
This is why it’s crucial to look for some sort of easy threading design or feature.
Other Selection Factors
Now that we’ve got the non-negotiables out of the way, let’s focus now on other factors that you might want to consider depending on your needs.
Remember, your choice of sewing machine really depends on the kind of materials you’ll be sewing as well as the volume that you’re looking for.
So, it’s really important to look at other factors to see if they closely fit the kind of usage you have in mind for your new sewing machine.
1. Stitch options
What kind of stitching are you looking for? There are all sorts of stitch features among a wide range of machines.
It’s important to make sure that you identify the most common operations that you’re going to be using for your machine and the kind of stitching that they require.
You then, look for this range of stitches and find machines that would accommodate them. You don’t have to reprogram the machine or modified it.
This stitching support is already built-in. The most common stitches are buttonholes, blind hem, tri-motion, stretch straight, zigzag and a straight stitch.
2. Power type
Another factor that you need to consider, is whether you’re going to go with electric or mechanical.
A mechanical machine requires you to turn dials. You have to manually work with the dials so you can get the precise stitching that you’re looking for.
A lot of expert tailors use mechanical machines because they have some sort of input so they can get the precise stitching that they want.
On the other hand, if you’re fairly loose about the stitching that you want and you would like the machine to do the adjustments automatically for you, an electric model is probably the best fit for your situation.
3. Portability
Do you see yourself using your sewing machine on a fairly consistent basis? Are you thinking of owning a custom tailoring or dressmaking business from your home?
If so, then you probably would be better off with a fairly larger size and heavier machine. As you can well imagine, these are not as portable as lighter and more compact units.
On the other hand, if you see yourself sewing every once in a while so you can just add buttons or fix tears in your wardrobe, you probably would be better off with a fairly compact machine.
These have a small footprint and they’re very easy to unpack and store away. Don’t let their size fool you however, that they still do a good job and pack quite a bit of power despite the fact that they have a very compact form.
The final word, keep the selection criteria above in mind. Correlate them with your budget as well as cross-reference and compare the warranties and service packages that they come with.
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