Sewing Machine Reviews
Posted on Wednesday, February 25th, 2009 and is filed under Other News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Project Runway and Trading Spaces have made sewing machines hip again, so Consumer Reports (CR) has conducted sewing machine reviews for its March 2009 issue.
Out of the 18 sewing machines they tested, Consumer Reports stated that the sewing machines that received the most sales were not necessarily the best performing sewing machines out of the bunch. The Singer brand, for example, lead in sales, but not in testing. Singer models were easy to use and relatively inexpensive, but ranked fair to average, at best.
The Brother sewing machines–which makes the official Project Runway models and is one of CR Best Buy–and Bernina performed better. Another one of Consumer Reports’ Best Buy, Kenmore 15358, which is $120, can sew heavy denim and is a good choice for making and mending curtains. It’s also lightweight enough to carry to sewing classes, if necessary.
All the electronic models tested were easy to use and had a programmable memory to save stitch and letter settings. The Brother Innov-is 40 Project Runway Limited Edition, $400, is a Consumer Reports Best Buy, and it combined fine sewing performance with a reasonable price. If you’re a quilter, consider the $1,350 Bernina Activa 230PE, which combined fine quilting with excellent sewing. The $900 Janome Memory Craft 6600P trades some sewing prowess for a lower price.
“While all the machines we tested could handle straight seams and zigzag stitches, plenty for basic sewing and repairs, you can use our ratings to match the machine to the type of projects you’ll make and the fabrics you’ll use.” says Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman, deputy home editor at Consumer Reports. “Beginners and intermediates might consider buying more machine than they need because their skills and interest may grow.”
Their readers also told them that shopping for a sewing machine was worse than shopping for a used car.
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