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Sewing Machines Reviews
Updated November 2007
Sewing is making a comeback, owing to the reality show hit Project Runway and the D.I.Y. craze. The best sewing machine reviews have been slow to include the new crop of inexpensive, simple machines catering to beginners. Even so, we found plenty of user reviews to supplement gaps in coverage at Consumer Reports, Choice magazine and other publications. Experts say that before buying, it's helpful to assess your skills and needs. Experienced sewers looking to buy tried-and-true sewing machines can turn to reports with the best testing -- found in Consumer Reports, the website Choice.com and a handful of online forums. For beginners, we found more helpful guidance by reading user reviews on retail websites, such as Joann.com, Amazon.com and Target.com. There are many forums and blogs where sewing machines are discussed, but unless you have a good idea of what you’re looking for, searching on those sites is cumbersome and time-consuming. In many of the reviews we found, commentators take the easy way out. While evaluating sewing machines is certainly a subjective endeavor, many sources don't even try. Consumer Guide lists dozens and dozens of sewing machines, slapping many of them with a virtual "Best Buy" sticker without ever testing the machines. Write-ups consist merely of specifications taken from the manufacturer's website and spun into a narrative. One of the most recent reports on sewing machines comes from Consumers’ Institute, a New Zealand-based nonprofit that provides unbiased information. While the report available on the institute’s website offers great advice on how to choose the right machine according to your needs, it doesn’t recommend specific sewing machines. Rather, the author includes favorite manufacturers based on interviews with sewing experts - leaving readers to do more digging on their own. We found several websites that offer forums on sewing machines, including Gatherings.com and PatternReview.com, to be very helpful, especially for those searching for a particular brand or looking to narrow their search. Bear in mind that all of the individual comments from owners don't add up to much if you're trying to pinpoint the best machines, since most owners praise their own sewing machines. These sites don't try to aggregate owners' opinions or rank machines in any way, so they’re not a great first stop. The best sewing machine
reviews come from sources that test machines in a methodical way, using a
well-defined set of criteria to differentiate performance from machine to
machine. Reviews from Consumer Reports and Australia's Choice.com offer the best sewing
machine advice, using expert tailors to test machines with a wide range of
fabrics from silk to velvet to denim. But because sewing machine models change
quickly, many models tested have either been discontinued or, as is more often
the case, have been updated slightly or renamed with a different model number.
For example, the Sears Kenmore 15218, our top pick among mechanical machines
in our last report, is no longer available, But comparable models, including
the Kenmore 16231 (*est. $200) are receiving good reviews from owners so far. Sharon Darling of QuiltersReview.com
tests machines with an eye toward the needs of quilters (though sewing machines
are not ultimately ranked). Threads Magazine tests 31 sewing machines, the
largest sampling we found, but authors Carol Fresia and Judith Neukam stop
short of rating models. They do, however, declare their favorites. There are thousands of sewing
machines on the market, ranging in price from $100 to $6,000; the reviews
we found just scratch the surface. In every review, experts agree that test
driving machines is a must, and although Consumer Reports' or Threads' favorite
sewing machine may not ultimately be the machine you buy, these comparative
reviews based on solid testing practices help us shorten the list. The models
in ConsumerSearch Fast Answers are a great place to start.
... Continued
Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
We found very little consensus among reviews for the best sewing machines, and many of the recommended machines have been discontinued. For ConsumerSearch Fast Answers, we chose the most highly rated models in comparative reviews. These models are a good place to start when considering which machine to buy. Advertisement
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© 2008. ConsumerSearch, Inc. A service from 
, a part of The New York Times Company. All Rights Reserved.
ConsumerSearch and ConsumerSearch.com are registered trademarks of ConsumerSearch, Inc. Other trademarks or service marks on this site are the property of their respective owners. ConsumerSearch is not sponsored by any source reviewed, and we accept no consideration or payment for including, excluding, or ranking any reviews, products or services in our reports.
* Pricing information is approximate as of the time this report was written and is based on observed market selling prices and/or list prices. Actual selling prices may differ.
