Best brand of sewing Machine?

[SparklyRedShoes]

I'm confused by all the different brands of sewing machine. I have 2 very old singers both given to me and they work fine but stitch options are severely limited. I'm thinking of investing in a nice new sparkly one in Jan sales preferably with some embroidery options. Now I am virtually broke so I want something trustworthy that'll last a good few years. But which brand is the uber one? Bernina, Husquarna Virking, Janome, Singer, Paff? They all claim to be the better brand!

Anybody here tried a few of these?

I think all the brands you have listed are good makes.

Personally I have had a Husquarna for over 15 years now and it is going strong, does lots of different stiches and copes with anything I throw at it basically.

Try a specialist shop for advice even if you don't buy from them in the end.

Janomes vote for me, well respected, lots of extras compared to some other brands, pay more if you need it for more heavyweight jobs (like going through lots of layers) they also make for JL own brand machines. I'm v. happy with mine 3 yrs down the line.

Trumps for Janomes or Husquarna then. Nice to whittle down the list. Thanks ladies!

Berninas get the vote from my friend's seamstress/sewing teacher mum and another sewing teacher I know. they are quite costly though.

I vote for Bernina too & again its my proffesion so I (hope) speak with experience - my old Bernina Overlocker kept on working fine even after it had been dropped down a flight of stone stairs - it took a battering, looked like it had, had it, but still worked for years :)

but if moneys an issue go for a reconditioned older model, a good old heavy solid work horse, they stand up far to time & heavy use FAR better than any of the new models & the simpler they are, the less to go wrong IYSWIM - you might even get lucky & find a reconditioned Bernina

When I was buying mine it was a tossup between a Bernina and a Husquarna, in the end I went for the Husquarna as at the time you got a lot more features for your money. It has been fantastic, apparently they have some self oiling thing, so even when it had been sitting unused for about 5 years it carried on as normal.

I have a Janome which I like but it is a bit delicate - I can only use cotton thread for example. It doesn't like polyester thread at all, on any setting. that doesn't bother me as I use it for patchwork but it could be a pain if I wanted to do some dressmaking for example.

My mother has a Janome too and loves hers but it is a super dooper top of the range thing and it should be bloody good for the money!! One of my patchwork and quilting teachers has a Janome and thinks its great, the other has a Pfaff and thinks that great (and tends to rubbish the Janome). A P & Q teacher I had a couple of years ago adored her Brother and she had several machines of various makes.

In my not very helpful opinion is that you have to try a few out and take it from there. Find a decent shop and ask for a few demos and see which feels the best to you.

well my ancestral Jones (which is now Brother) and Singer are still going strong after over a hundred years so they must be pretty good!

Assuming you want an electric one though, I am very happy with my Juki.

I have a Husqvarna Sapphire and I love it. The only thing that bothers me about it is that it can be fiddly for free-motion quilting, the thread breaks a lot which I think is a common problem with them. Other than that, I love it.

I think this means I'm going to have to go down to a good shop and try them out then, but basically i'm getting that the husquarnas, berninas and janomes are all worth checking out.

Thanks. Love Mmnet[smile

Another husqvarna vote here.

If money were no object I'd get a Bernina as they apparently last FOREVER. However Husqvarna seemed a good compromise between functionality and price.

I have a Juki and LOVE it. It was advised by a very good experienced sewing machine man, who sold my mum her machine 20 years ago and that's still going strong.

Having been shown the inside of a cheaper Brother machine I totally advise against those. It will cost you more in the long run.

Oh despite the good name, apparently Singer machines are now made in Japan and aren't anywhere near as good as they used to be.

If only I could get a treadle Singer such as I learned on in 1968!

great thread.....im also thinking of buying a new sewing machine for dress making. if i found one i liked is it cheaper / better to buy online....or from a shop. where would you buy yours from. im in yorkshire but willing to travel the north of england to find a good shop.

Carole, you may get one of those at The Wimbledon Sewing Machine Centre in Tooting, London. Warehouse of a sewing machine place, they do repairs and spares as well

Carole - I saw a 19th century hand-cranked Jones for sale for only £40 the other day (but for some reason I can't remember where, not even whether it was online or RL ) so I wouldn't be surprised if you could actually get a Singer treadle for less than a new one.
They have lasted so well and people take care of them, so there are quite a lot around. But perhaps hand-cranked are easier to find because they're smaller.

Tayto - if you are anywhere near York there are two places, Gillies, where the staff have a reputation of being unhelpful, and Flynn's in Brown's Department Store, where they are very nice.

elderberry thanks for that. im not too far from york so ill give both a go although unhelpful is not a GO for me. what s up with people you would think they would be falling over us to get our money these days.

Thank you ladies. I think I'm going hunting ...