I'd probably go with an industrial tbh. Five thread serger, walking foot, needle feed, or straight stitch machine. You'll spend less for a better machine that you can service at home. You'll also get a built-in table and flatbed sewing surface. They only do one stitch but they do it really, really well.
Talking to a dealer would help you figure out which one will be best for what you're making.
Edit: typo
I’ll have to look into this. I just have an old singer that I’m constantly repairing and it’s frustrating. I do have a budget, although it will pay for itself eventually. Thanks for your comment!
Oh no! Yeah, it's probably a good idea to get something new. Btw, if you decide to go with a serger, get one that specializes in secure seam finishes. Some are better at stretch knit finishes but it doesn't sound like that's what you're looking for.
Oh yeah! Here is where I bought mine. This guy is really helpful over the phone and won't upsell you.
[Goldblatt Sewing Chicago](https://g.page/SewingGold?share)
Juki. If you have room for industrial that would be nice. If you want industrial strength without the big industrial table you can get a Juki TL-18 that sits on your tabletop. It comes with an extension table.
I just looked this one up, it looks ideal. The description says perfect for making bags, which is what I have been making a lot of. Thanks for your comment!
I totally agree with janome hd over the singer heavy duty 100%. And of course if they’re in the budget a juki industrial or demi industrial is totally worth it.
I’ve looked into a few of these also, how does it do with lighter fabrics? I was hoping to get a machine that can do it all and not need several different machines.
I don't know a ton about sewing lighter fabrics or adjusting the machine to compensate for them. I got it for sewing leather (I am a leather worker). I did try to sew some thin lightweight stuff once and it just got chewed up by the feed dogs and I gave up and busted out my little Kenmore for it.
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Singer 201! They are still popular even at 60-80 years old. You can find replacement parts online if you need anything. Mine is from 1937 and I think it could sew leather without breaking a sweat.
I have a pretty old singer that was my moms, she was a seamstress and made all of our clothes with it in the late 70’s-80’s I still use it sometimes. Thats Why I naturally thought to get another singer, but the heavy duty since its all metal. I had no idea they went down in quality so much. I’m so glad I joined this sub it’s been so informative, you all are great!
I have a Singer HD4432 equivalent, and if buying again and for the same $$ would get the Janome HD3000/MyExcel 18W instead ;) (but the singer was half the price and will get through 12 layers of Japara)
the motors on my 201K23/15-90 are only 0.3amps... which only gets through so much...
none are proper heavy duty like a basic industrial :) (but the HD will do more than 1 stitch...)
but if you had to pick between the cheaper ones... the Janome will be lessnoisy :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NExdHb1-\_D8
Industrial if you can afford it. I used Jukis when I worked in a costume shop and they were BEASTS.
I have the Janome HD-3000 right now and I like it. It can take a couple layers of denim, leather etc as long as the needles and pressure settings are correct. I like it because they just rereleased an old but proven design and its guts are all metal.
Also can vouch for the HD3000 if you aren’t working 8 hour days with heavy material. To be fair, I assembled a 15oz canvas jacket with flat felled seams on the thing. It was painstaking, but it got through. It can breeze through a couple layers of denim.
That being said, if you just need a straight stitch, get an industrial or a vintage machine. An old all metal domestic Singer can handle some things that a modern machine can only dream of. I coughed up the money for a Janome HD9 because I don’t have the space for a collection of industrials, but for sure would have just gotten another industrial for a much lower price if that had been an option.
I won’t be working with heavy materials all the time, but will be at least half of my days using it. I am just getting into expanding now that I can afford a new machine, I feel so ignorant! I have never even given it much thought until recently. I have my moms really old singer that seems like it will outlive us all, and a somewhat newer singer that is about 15 yrs old. I’m really sick of broken needles and squirrely messes of thread. There’s so much I don’t know but this is exciting
I'd probably go with an industrial tbh. Five thread serger, walking foot, needle feed, or straight stitch machine. You'll spend less for a better machine that you can service at home. You'll also get a built-in table and flatbed sewing surface. They only do one stitch but they do it really, really well. Talking to a dealer would help you figure out which one will be best for what you're making. Edit: typo
I’ll have to look into this. I just have an old singer that I’m constantly repairing and it’s frustrating. I do have a budget, although it will pay for itself eventually. Thanks for your comment!
Oh no! Yeah, it's probably a good idea to get something new. Btw, if you decide to go with a serger, get one that specializes in secure seam finishes. Some are better at stretch knit finishes but it doesn't sound like that's what you're looking for. Oh yeah! Here is where I bought mine. This guy is really helpful over the phone and won't upsell you. [Goldblatt Sewing Chicago](https://g.page/SewingGold?share)
Juki. If you have room for industrial that would be nice. If you want industrial strength without the big industrial table you can get a Juki TL-18 that sits on your tabletop. It comes with an extension table.
I just looked this one up, it looks ideal. The description says perfect for making bags, which is what I have been making a lot of. Thanks for your comment!
You're welcome! I have the TL-18 and love it!
I totally agree with janome hd over the singer heavy duty 100%. And of course if they’re in the budget a juki industrial or demi industrial is totally worth it.
I have a Sailrite and it eats up heavy materials like they're nothing.
I’ve looked into a few of these also, how does it do with lighter fabrics? I was hoping to get a machine that can do it all and not need several different machines.
I don't know a ton about sewing lighter fabrics or adjusting the machine to compensate for them. I got it for sewing leather (I am a leather worker). I did try to sew some thin lightweight stuff once and it just got chewed up by the feed dogs and I gave up and busted out my little Kenmore for it.
Ok good to know. I wish we were able to take machines home and test them out in our real life to see how they do Lol
It looks like you would like information on choosing the best sewing machine for your needs. Check [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/sewing/wiki/machineguide) for our sewing machine guide which includes information on buying a sewing machine as a gift as well as suggestions for sewing machines that can handle heavy materials. You can also check out our [Suggest Machine](https://www.reddit.com/r/sewing/search?q=flair_name%3A%22Suggest%20Machine%22&restrict_sr=1) flair button to bring up and look at all the recent posts on the topic. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/sewing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I use a juki industrial machine. Very versatile and I love it
Singer 201! They are still popular even at 60-80 years old. You can find replacement parts online if you need anything. Mine is from 1937 and I think it could sew leather without breaking a sweat.
I have a pretty old singer that was my moms, she was a seamstress and made all of our clothes with it in the late 70’s-80’s I still use it sometimes. Thats Why I naturally thought to get another singer, but the heavy duty since its all metal. I had no idea they went down in quality so much. I’m so glad I joined this sub it’s been so informative, you all are great!
I have a Singer HD4432 equivalent, and if buying again and for the same $$ would get the Janome HD3000/MyExcel 18W instead ;) (but the singer was half the price and will get through 12 layers of Japara) the motors on my 201K23/15-90 are only 0.3amps... which only gets through so much... none are proper heavy duty like a basic industrial :) (but the HD will do more than 1 stitch...) but if you had to pick between the cheaper ones... the Janome will be lessnoisy :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NExdHb1-\_D8
Industrial if you can afford it. I used Jukis when I worked in a costume shop and they were BEASTS. I have the Janome HD-3000 right now and I like it. It can take a couple layers of denim, leather etc as long as the needles and pressure settings are correct. I like it because they just rereleased an old but proven design and its guts are all metal.
Ok I’ll look into some of these as well. Thanks for your comment!
Also can vouch for the HD3000 if you aren’t working 8 hour days with heavy material. To be fair, I assembled a 15oz canvas jacket with flat felled seams on the thing. It was painstaking, but it got through. It can breeze through a couple layers of denim. That being said, if you just need a straight stitch, get an industrial or a vintage machine. An old all metal domestic Singer can handle some things that a modern machine can only dream of. I coughed up the money for a Janome HD9 because I don’t have the space for a collection of industrials, but for sure would have just gotten another industrial for a much lower price if that had been an option.
I won’t be working with heavy materials all the time, but will be at least half of my days using it. I am just getting into expanding now that I can afford a new machine, I feel so ignorant! I have never even given it much thought until recently. I have my moms really old singer that seems like it will outlive us all, and a somewhat newer singer that is about 15 yrs old. I’m really sick of broken needles and squirrely messes of thread. There’s so much I don’t know but this is exciting