Brother sewing machines

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.

--

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

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

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.

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!

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?

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

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

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

'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