I’m not inexperienced but I don’t know much about different models, aside from the big brands. I’ve already had bad experiences with used ones, so I definitely want to buy new. I mainly sew stuffed animals and do small repairs on clothing. If I can sew through light leather, like sheepskin, that’s an absolute bonus.
Any help or advice is appreciated!
I saw a pretty nice one at Costco the other day, I was tempted, but have other things going on:
$190:
https://www.singer.com/products/singer-heavy-duty-8832-black-sewing-machine
I saw that one on amazon, too. It’s a great price and has decent reviews. I like that it’s all mechanical, too.
My wife has the grey version and she loves it!
Whatever you get, make sure you can replace the light if it burns out. A relative bought a fancy Brother not too long ago. The light burned out. It requires a repair shop because it’s not a changeable bulb, it’s soldered in.
Good to know! Thanks.
People recommend vintage because what we now call enshittification has hit consumer sewing machines hard for the past half-century. If you can find a local technician who works on vintage and has refurbished units that they guarantee, that’s the best value you can get at your price point. This is also the most affordable way to get the kind of overbuilt machine that can handle light leather well.
If you insist on new, I believe you’ll have better luck with the likes of Brother or Janome than you will with the ubiquitous Singer Heavy Duty. The lingering credibility of the Singer brand is being strip-mined by its current owners.
I’ve heard the same thing about brother and janome, so good to have another opinion on that. The machines I use at a local makerspace are all Janome, and I love them, but they’re all well out of my price range. I have seen cheaper brother models that can handle a range of tasks though.
Any good thrift shops in your area? Sometimes you can get lucky.
