It is a daunting task if you do not know what to look for while purchasing anything new. So, researching about things beforehand we always are beneficial, especially in an era like ours where you will be able to learn about almost everything online. Thus, either take some time out and search more or regret things later on.
Thinking of buying a new sewing machine? But don’t know how to buy the perfect sewing machine for you?
Well, here is our brief and to the point guide for you- the ultimate 5 things that you must remember while purchasing a sewing machine:
Keep your ultimate goal- quality over quantity
While setting a budget will help you narrow down your choices, you must try to buy the best sewing machine you can with the money you can spend.
Once you have the budget, you can focus on other aspects of the machine and find the one with fewer gimmicks but better quality because this is going to be a lifelong investment.
Buying an inexpensive machine with extra bells and whistles will make your learning experience unenjoyable and probably cost you even more in the future.
We do not ask you to buy a machine that is completely out of your set budget and will become a burden on you but buy the best you can.
A plastic-made machine can easily break but a good quality metal machine will last longer and have low maintenance.
So, remember- quality over quantity.
Buy from a dealership
You have two options: either buy the machine online or buy it from a store yourself. Both the ways have their own benefits and troubles.
While buying the machine online will offer you great prices and allow you to compare customer reviews to make the final decision, buying the machine from a dealership (not a big chain store) will give you the advantage of trying the machine out yourself.
At the store, you can check if the machine makes too much noise and is easy to sew with or not based on your interests.
You will also gain more knowledge about the machine in terms of its features, cleaning, and maintenance. You can get assistance, guidance, experience, and advice from the seller regarding the sewing machine.
Make sure to go to a trustable dealer who is not just into selling machines but can actually help you for the same.
Look for the basics in the machine
You can search and learn more about the basic features of a sewing machine that will not only help you get started but prove to be beneficial in long term. We mention some of them below:
- The basic four stitches of the machine: straight stitch, zig-zag stitch, reverse stitch, and buttonhole stitch. Things will be perfectly fine if your sewing machine has these four stitches.
- A free arm- a free arm makes it easier for you to work upon smaller areas like sleeves or when you want to make tighter turns on your cloth.
- How the bobbin is changed- look for a drop-in bobbin instead of a front-load bobbin. It makes things easier because you will be able to see when you are going to be out of the thread and then you can replace it in time.
- The three adjustments that you can make to your stitching needle: Length, width, and the thread’s tension. If not all three, then at least look for the needle up and down feature in the machine.
- Know the purpose of the machine in the future
This is the major step that people usually skip. Knowing your short-term and long-term needs for the sewing machine will help you get the perfect one. You would ask what is this got to do with it? Different sewing machines serve different purposes.
A heavy machine will let you work flawlessly on heavy fabrics but a light-weight machine will only serve the purpose of working upon light fabrics.
Even if you are a beginner, you must know if you are going to work on heavy projects in the future or not because then buying a lightweight machine at this moment wouldn’t be a pocket-friendly idea.
So, know the future use of the sewing machine you will buy today to help make a lifelong investment.
Know about additional beneficial things of a sewing machine
Knowing the basic features of the sewing machine is helpful but you should also know about the additional things that come with it and are helpful.
For example, now you already know the benefits of looking at the weight of the machine. Try to buy the heaviest machine that you can carry.
Learn about computerized and fully mechanical machines. And if buying a fully mechanical sewing machine, look at its foot pedal. You can ask the seller to let you try different foot pedals and then buy the most comfortable one.
Ask about the presser feet that come along with the machine and the ones that you can buy separately. There are numerous presser feet that are available and each serves a different purpose. So, learn about the ones that you can utilize.
A threader or cutter in the machine will make things easier for you.
So, look for such things, know their purpose, and decide accordingly.
Final Verdict:
The best way to find the perfect thing is to know your needs from that thing, then learn its basics from different sources and compare and come to the final decision.
Luckily, we did all the research part for you and brought you the 5 most important things to remember while purchasing a sewing machine and talked about them in detail above.
Our purpose is to help you purchase the ideal sewing machine that will last long and won’t make you regret things later on.
You can also check out our other blogs to know more about sewing machines and other important things related to it. Do comment down below and let us know if this article was helpful to you or to ask your doubts.
