My sewing machine recommendations
So you are thinking about buying a sewing machine or upgrading - what should you get? Here are my recommendations, based on my personal experience, being a maximizer, and spending a lot of time consuming sewing media.
If you are brand-new, buying for a kid, or unsure if this is something you will actually be into:
First, ask around - your friends and family may have a sewing machine collecting dust that they’d be happy to lend to you (I still have my Brother cs6000 for this reason!) If you were my friend, I’d bring it by with some thread, scrap fabric and bobbins and give you a tutorial on how it works, and if something happened while you had custody, it would be no loss to me, I’ve had it for 16 years and it owes me nothing.
A lot of people will then swear by vintage machines, and I am sure they are fantastic, but I do not have the bandwidth to source one, find a tutorial on how to use it, etc. If you have a vintage machine from a trusted source, go for it! I am not saying don’t go vintage - just explaining why I’m not including it here.
Many machines come with an embroidery feature - machine embroidery hasn’t been an interest for me, so my expertise is in sewing only, and those machines aren’t included here.
My first machine was a mechanical Brother, it was under $100 from WalMart and I bought it when I was quitting smoking 25 years ago to keep my hands busy. It worked freat for my needs for many years, but when I upgraded to a computerized machine, I appreciated the extra features. For big box computerized machines, my recommendation will be a Brother. I know the Singers are popular, even Costco sells the Heavy Duty, but spending a lot of time in sewing spaces I hear so many stories of those machines leading to disappointment, and so many stories (like my own!) of Brother computerized machines being reliable for years.
I just did a search to see what I could pick up today, in my town, if I wanted to start sewing RIGHT THIS MINUTE- like I did 25 years ago. Walmart has a mechanical Brother LX3817 (still under $100!) and a computerized SQ9285 similar to the one I upgraded to (now around $250).
So, what if you have some time and maybe a bigger budget? Go to a sewing machine dealer. My true love is Janome, I would visit a dealer and see what they have for used machines - many dealers take in used machines as people trade in and upgrade. And even if they don’t have used machines, their new machines will almost always be a better deal than you will see advertised online. There are rules with Janome (and Bernina, and Babylock - all the big names of sewing) that prevent dealers from sharing prices online or by email.1
First, think about what your must-haves are: for me, it was a free arm, speed control, stop/start button, needle down, needle threader and a variety of stitches. I figured out what I wanted as I grew in my sewing, my first basic mechanical machine was great to help determine that - from the mechanical I knew what would be an appreciated upgrade, and I went from there. It’s also hard to know, if you’ve never sewed at all, if it will be something you stick with - as my skills developed I understood better what upgrades would be worth investing in.
Brand new - just want to dip your toe into sewing?
Free: Borrow from a friend2
$100 - Brother mechanical
$250 - Brother computerized
Ready to move up, buy your own machine, or want to start with more features:
Janome3
QDC Series - I see these regularly on Facebook Marketplace, or used in the dealer’s store
Elnita EC60
Travelmate
Leveling up - looking for wider throat and more upgrades:
Janome Skyline Series
Elna 580+
Elna 680+ = S5 (discontinued, but was my first higher end machine)
Bernette (made by Janome)
B77 - $1700 this is one of the lowest price points for a rebadged Janome with a wide throat and the presser foot lift button
ALL IN, LET’S GOOOO - ready to commit to the Cadillac
Janome
6000 series - $2-3k Flatbed/ no free arm but wide throat
Elna Excellence 720Pro
9480: $6000 Only ASR capable machine with a free arm and wide throat (ASR sold separately)
Elna782 - ASR is included with Elna by default
Continental Series - flatbed/ no free arm widest throat
Elna Excellence 790Pro
M8 - includes ASR ~$8000
Elna Excellence 792Pro
Straight stitch only
Juki
HD9v2 - $1600 (this is a sale price since the new model is out)
Bernette B08 - ~$2k (this is made by Janome and is a clone of the HD9 - look for a clearanced HD9 unless you absolutely need to own a machine that starts with “bern”)
1600p - $1600
Elnita EF1 - ~$1200
HD9 QCP - just released, with some upgrades
I, of course have the 9480 with ASR and love it. It’s been a fantastic machine.
If money and space were no object, I would add a couple to the fleet. After getting into making more bags and working with thicker fabrics this year, I can definitely see the draw of a straight-stitch workhorse, like the HD9 or a Juki. And when I get to a place where I could do a retreat or a class, I would love a QDC or TravelMate model to be more portable. (My ultimate dream would probably be an M8 that lived in a dedicated space, a QDC or travelmate for on the go, and an HD9 for really hammering through the tough stuff. My 9480 gets as close to covering all those bases as you can get, that is for certain.) Because I have such a high end machine, I don’t want to push it past it’s limits with the heavy stuff, and I do sometimes get nervous that that’s what I am doing.
Finally, you don’t need a fancy machine to sew, but a high quality machine will make sewing more enjoyable. When you aren’t fighting with a low-end machine or spending extra time threading a needle or messing up because you can’t slow your speed down as you learn - you are able to get to the satisfaction of sewing and finishing a project more quickly.
Happy Sewing!
Any prices you see here are from googling, and/or the posted prices at JanomeJunkies or JukiJunkies - same company, different storefronts, but a great resource and trusted vendor if you don’t have a local dealer (in the case of Janome) and for Juki in general (as they don’t really have a dealer network.) Their YouTube channels are a fantastic resource as well.
Seriously, ask around! I keep my first machine around for this purpose and would happily give anyone a lesson when they borrow it!
Janome makes Elna and Bernette machines, their equivalents are noted