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#11
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On Thu, 5 Feb 2004 13:13:07 UTC, Yarn Forward
wrote: You can buy a new, quality machine for a few hundred dollars, not thousands. For a few hundred dollars I could probably buy a few older, even higher quality machines that I don't doubt would outlast any new machine. -- |
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#12
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Yarn Forward wrote:
You can buy a new, quality machine for a few hundred dollars, not thousands. I would say that it would take about $500 US to buy a decent-quality machine. But the nicer new machines are $1000 and up, and you can get an older, used machine with most of the same stitches/features for a couple hundred. That was my point. -- I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. - Mother Teresa |
#13
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Ann Knight wrote:
On Thu, 5 Feb 2004 13:13:07 UTC, Yarn Forward wrote: You can buy a new, quality machine for a few hundred dollars, not thousands. For a few hundred dollars I could probably buy a few older, even higher quality machines that I don't doubt would outlast any new machine. TOUCHE! -- I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. - Mother Teresa |
#14
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Yarn Forward wrote:
Why not spend a few extra dollars on a quality new machine, that will probably last another 35 years, rather than a used one with an unknown history, that may just cause even more frusration? Think of it as a long term investment. Roger Would you rather have a nice new Yugo, or a 30-year old Bentley? -- Joanne @ stitches @ singerlady.reno.nv.us Life is about the journey, not about the destination. |
#15
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Ann Knight wrote:
On Thu, 5 Feb 2004 13:13:07 UTC, Yarn Forward wrote: You can buy a new, quality machine for a few hundred dollars, not thousands. For a few hundred dollars I could probably buy a few older, even higher quality machines that I don't doubt would outlast any new machine. -- At the price I paid for my Lily, I could buy 79 Singer 66K's at the price I paid for my spinning Jenny, and have £9 left for needles and bobbins. Admittedly, I'd have 79 versions of a perfect straight stitch, rather than 240 different stitch patterns... I could have an infinite number of Singer 15-88's, and still have ALL the shekels left for needles, bobbins, thread, fabric... The 66K was built in 1924, and the treadle in the mid 30's. They will still be going strong and looking good for my grandchildren. Lily may, with regular servicing and mends as soon as she needs them, last another 20 years. This does not bother me at all. I know what I bought, and it's expected lifetime, when I bought it. You get what you pay for with modern machines: the manufacturers know that the technology is changing all the time, and complexity and memory are getting cheaper, so the programs are getting progressively more sophisticated. At the budget end of the market (under £500) you get two different types of machine: the simple, sturdy type with few electronics, a limited stitch choice, and the expectation that the owner will either grow out of this machine and trade up in a few years, or will be satisfied and hang on to it for 10 or more years, or the type that has more fancy stitches, feet, and gizmos than a starship full of troops, and is too light weight and fragile to do more than a garment or two a year without breaking down, suffers frequent tension and feed problems, and puts the owner off sewing! Too often I have seen the 'Oh, MY machine does *MORE* than yours, and cost less than half the price of those over rated, over priced Husvarna/Bernina/Pfaff/whatever machines' boasts turn to the 'my fancy gizmo packed machine won't keep it's tension, won't sew more than two layers of cotton, can't cope with jeans, and has broken down AGAIN! It cost me £300 and is now broken beyond repair in less than 2 years! What shall I do now?' wails of distress. My personal choice, when faced with the demise of a good machine, and a VERY low budget, was to look for and buy a good older mechanical metal machine with a similar stitch selection to the machine that died, that was sturdy enough to cope with the large volume of stuff I was putting through it, and had an excellent stitch quality. I bought a Viscount 2000 for about £80. It's my emergency back-up machine, and lives with my mother, who thinks it a marvel of modern technology compared with her very battered old Singer that has suffered from being dropped into the hold of a ship. (Those old cast irons Singers take a lot of abuse, but some things should never happen to a sewing machine!) A few years later, when I could afford it, I searched long and hard, and bought a machine that did everything I could think of needing (and more! But that's a slightly different matter... ), was sturdy enough to withstand the volume and type of sewing I do, had the stitch quality I needed (for paid work, this must be impeccable), and would fit in the small space I have available (no room for industrial machinery). The HV Lily fitted the bill perfectly, suited me and my sewing style, and I have never felt I paid too much for it. In fact, as the list price at the time was £1099, and I paid £799 on the day and got interest free credit for 10 months, I think I got a bargain! After four and a half years of HAAAARD use (every day, sometimes for hours at a time! I make quilts as well as sewing for others, and doing household stuff for myself), I have a step motor problem: after discussing this with my little man in the shop, he says: 'This is VERY unusual', and 'I think this is a guarantee matter: I'll check the date you bought it, but remember, we are only at the START of '04, and you bought it in the autumn of '99!' Along with a sturdy machine, with HV and the other top makes, you get a good guarantee, and when you buy from the right place, you get every helpful service forever. -- Kate XXXXXX Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk Click on Kate's Pages and explore! |
#16
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On Fri, 06 Feb 2004 02:10:02 -0800 in rec.crafts.textiles.sewing, Pogonip was alleged to have written:
Would you rather have a nice new Yugo, or a 30-year old Bentley? Which one does a better zig-zag? |
#17
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Pogonip wrote:
Yarn Forward wrote: Why not spend a few extra dollars on a quality new machine, that will probably last another 35 years, rather than a used one with an unknown history, that may just cause even more frusration? Think of it as a long term investment. Roger Would you rather have a nice new Yugo, or a 30-year old Bentley? -- What Machine Should I Buy FAQ: www.cet.com/~pennys/faq/smfaq.htm good time to post this. While cheap Big Box store machines may suit someone's needs, as a general rule there are enough problems with stitch quality and no support that for many it's a poor choice. Just the other day I was at one of my local dealers... he had several great old Vikings ( 6000 series) for the same price as a new piece of junk. I know what I would choose if that were my budget. Penny S |
#18
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David Harmon wrote:
On Fri, 06 Feb 2004 02:10:02 -0800 in rec.crafts.textiles.sewing, Pogonip was alleged to have written: Would you rather have a nice new Yugo, or a 30-year old Bentley? Which one does a better zig-zag? probably the old mechanical one over the new cheapie one. Penny S |
#19
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Penny S wrote:
What Machine Should I Buy FAQ: www.cet.com/~pennys/faq/smfaq.htm good time to post this. While cheap Big Box store machines may suit someone's needs, as a general rule there are enough problems with stitch quality and no support that for many it's a poor choice. Just the other day I was at one of my local dealers... he had several great old Vikings ( 6000 series) for the same price as a new piece of junk. I know what I would choose if that were my budget. Penny S Yep! The machine that clothes my family is over thirty years old. It has all metal parts (which don't fry and go brittle after long use) and the bits of my Nanna's antique machine still fit it! (eg. the rolled hem foot, ruffler foot etc). It has all the stitches I need: good, honest straight stitch, selection of zig-zag widths and a handful of decorative and useful stitches. If I need to embroider anything, I really love to do that by hand - I doubt I'd ever own a you-beaut-mega-phantastic-top-o'-the-line machine. They have computerised bits that are anathema to the way my mind works... But that's just me. Your milage may vary. My best advice would be to suss out second-hand or reconditioned machines at a reputable dealer's. There have been a few lemons made (and clever me bought one years ago!), so ask about those and avoid them. FWIW, my machines are all Singers. My DMIL has a *wonderful* Husqvarna machine, also about thirty years old, that runs like a dream and has *everything*! Don't be fooled that spankin' new is best! Look about! -- Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia |
#20
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'This is VERY
unusual', and 'I think this is a guarantee matter: I'll check the date you bought it, but remember, we are only at the START of '04, and you bought it in the autumn of '99!' And, too, Kate, Husqvarna Viking, at least in this country, is the only domestic machine manufacturer that does NOT exclude professional use in its limited warranty clause. (Some of the TOL machines may have the exclusion in their extended warranty clauses. It's definitely worth reading this, if you plan to use the machine in a business.) Something to think about when you're choosing a machine, especially for business. Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati |
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