Any suggestion for a < $200 sewing machine?

Tim R. · Oct 26, 2011

Ken, I have a 60's Singer Touch-N-Sew 600 for sale. It has all metal gears and is in excellent shape. Just serviced locally. I upgraded to a Sailrite because I am doing more sewing through Eisenglass which the Singer cannot handle. Great for Sunbrella though and I sewed multiple layers with it using a denim needle.

PM or email me for more info.

Tejas · Oct 26, 2011

$200 for even a used sewing machine seems a it low. Here's a link to a not insignificant project with a just under $400 new sewing machine.

http://www.anything-sailing.com/sho...k-and-Sewing-Machine?highlight=sewing+machine

BTW, I'm also Tejas on that forum, and you can read what I thought about sewing machines.

A used Pfaff 130, often called semi-industrial and popular with some sailors, can be found for about $200 - $250 on craigslist. Not only are machines often less expensive on craigslist than eBay, you can see them, test them and avoid shipping. I got one for $225. While a very nice machine, I hardly ever use it and instead use a Singer 111W155, compound walking-foot sewing machine, also via craigslist for $325. If you'll willing to hang out on craigslist, you can probably do better. If you have an iPad and want to search several nearby craigslists with one query, try the Craigslist pro app.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/craigslist/id310947683?mt=8

Ross · Oct 26, 2011

I have found very good home sewing machines in yard sales for under ten dollars. Many have served a family well but the new generation doesn't know what to do with it so they sell. Most machines can sew through six layers of blue jeans fabric. Sunbrella is easier to sew than heavy hard cotton.

Sumner · Oct 26, 2011

We bought a used Singer that served us well and were going to sell it since we now have a Sailrite machine, but want to keep it as a backup.

But you might want to consider one of these if you run across one. It will handle lots of sunbrella and window material. Only downside is no walking foot, but still quite capable of doing about anything on a boat.

Here is a link...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor-canvas/canvas-2.html

..to one project...

...Ruth did with it and more info on which Singer,

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

25yearslater · Oct 26, 2011

I purchased a Singer Confidence Quilter to sew all new cushions for my boat. Like you I had zero experience sewing. This project included three layer Outdura and zippers with no problem. A bit higher than you are looking for at $400 but a used one might be in your price range. Definately get an even feed (walking) foot if you want to avoid mismatch with stripes and plaids.

Tejas · Oct 26, 2011

Sumner's link describes the use of a Singer 99. Here's a link I recalled praising that machine.

http://blog.sew-classic.com/2008/11/06/singer-99-sewing-machine-review.aspx

weinie · Oct 26, 2011

Aren't you in luck!!!!!!!

http://www.woot.com/

hurry before 1 AM EST (or they are sold out)

RichH · Oct 26, 2011

Please note what TimR stated .... METAL gears !!!!!!!

A home 'dressmakers' sewing machine wont last because the gears are PLASTIC, wont have enough 'foot pressure' to hold down thick material when the needle is extracted during the stitching = knots and tangles, wont have the 'inertia' to drive a thin needle through many layers of 'thick', stiff, and heavy weight fabric.
Plastic gears, etc. will require constant and never ending (big hassle) adjustment ('timing') of the machine so that it will sew correctly.

PrincessoftheLake · Oct 26, 2011

My soon to be ex husband picked up a sewing machine a few years back called a "Canvas Tentmaker" sewing maching. It was pretty heavy duty and came with a walking foot. He made cushions, a bimini and a dodger with it. You might get lucky and find one on craigslist or ebay.

Ross · Oct 26, 2011

RichH said:
Please note what TimR stated .... METAL gears !!!!!!!

A home 'dressmakers' sewing machine wont last because the gears are PLASTIC, wont have enough 'foot pressure' to hold down thick material when the needle is extracted during the stitching = knots and tangles, wont have the 'inertia' to drive a thin needle through many layers of 'thick', stiff, and heavy weight fabric.
Plastic gears, etc. will require constant and never ending (big hassle) adjustment ('timing') of the machine so that it will sew correctly.

This is true of the modern machines but the machines built fifty years ago are heavy full of cast iron and tempered steel and are built tough to meet the needs of the house wives of the fifty's and sixty's.

Steve_Catalina · Oct 26, 2011

Try this site

Island Girl,

I've owned three Phaff machines, I currently use a 230 which I had serviced from this link.

http://sewingmachinesteve.com/default.aspx

You can call and email with his guy, additionally he made suggstions and sent me pictures.

I got this link initially from this site, just a satisfied customer, no other vested interest.

Steve

Deadhead · Oct 26, 2011

I think this machine was discussed on a thread one time:

http://www.sewingmachinesplus.com/alphasew-pw400z.php

I think the price was reported to be $225.00

Regards.
DH

AtlanticAl · Oct 26, 2011

My wife collects sewing machines, the one she uses cost 3500, she has about six others, including one that i used to make a leather holster for a black powder cowboy gun. For anything to do with boats, you need a zig zag machine, dosent have to zig zag all the time, they can do straight, then be changed to do zig zag, but for the likes of sewing canvas, you need so many stiches to the inch, to make it water proof, cant remember how many, but back in my days in the merchant marine, we would do seven stiches to the inch, for normal work, i think fourteen to the inch make it waterproof. I can tell you though about sewing machines, If you are talking in the lower end of the price range, pick a machine that is designed for the one thing you want to do, if you want something that does everything like my wifes, its a lot of cash, but if you wanted one to make leather holsters, she got that machine for 150 bucks, but that is all its good for, sewing leather, or multiple layers of material.

Tejas · Oct 26, 2011

AtlanticAl says you need a zigzag. I agree, that for sails you need zigzag. I have both a straight-stitch machine and zigzag machine that I have never used for canvas. Just because some canvas is sewed with zigzag, that doesn't mean zigzag is needed. Some canvas on our boat was sewed with a double-needle machine but that doesn't mean that a double-needle machine is needed either. I'd definitely trade-off zigzag for compound walking-foot.

MrUnix · Oct 26, 2011

Older Singer sewing machines can be found frequently for well under $100. I have an old Singer 327K that was made in Great Britain sometime in the 60's and it's built like a tank. To get the same quality in newer machines, you have to look for either the industrial or heavy duty versions. It doesn't do all those fancy stitches, you can't control it with a computer or load patterns into it, but it will sew anything you throw at it with ease. In addition to sewing normal lightweight fabrics, I've used it for canvas, denim and even leather without a problem.

I've seen similar machines being sold on Craigslist in the $25-$100 range. Local garage sales are also a great resource as already mentioned. The key to Craigslist is to remain patient, keep checking often, and pounce when you find a deal.

Cheers,
Brad

Joe · Oct 26, 2011

I found a used professional machine that is more than adequate for canvas work at a local repair shop. $200 including the table, if I wanted it.

Call around your area first, there are plenty of used or rebuilt machines with limited warranties right under your nose.

Rob2435 · Oct 27, 2011

look on ebay.

Tejas · Oct 28, 2011

Ken,

I think you cannot go too far wrong with a Pfaff 230. However, since you plan visit a sewing machine shop, you might want to understand what you'll not be getting, and ask to also see a machine such as Juki 562, Juki 563 (has a larger bobbin) of Nakajima 280L. Had I known the difference, I'd never have first bought my Pfaff 130 (the 230 is a follow-on machine to the 130).

I think that the Phaff 230 is a drop-feed machine. The machines mentioned above are compound walking foot machines, a combination of drop-feed, needle feed and alternating presser-foot. Here's a link that describes the difference, followed by a link that shows what that means -- click "show more" for further description.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewing_machine#Feed_mechanisms

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-QjJgJKKVM

It might be true that all you'll need to be able to sew would be a few layers of Sunbrella, and that's what I originally thought. The last project was a simple sunscreen with D-rings at each corner resulting in three layers of fabric and four layers of webbing where the webbing for the D-rings crossed over. Three rather than four layers were achieved by a single fold-over hem and mitering the corners. Had the hem been a double fold, the corners would have been four layers with mitering and six layers without mitering.

A sample maximum of what can be gotten under the foot and sewed on the Pfaff 130 is three layers of Sunbrella, one layer of medium thickness leather and one thickness of webbing. That plus two addition layers of thicker leather are possible with the Singer 111W155 used for the sun screen.

Also on the the sunscreen project, needle-feed pulled the material through the machine. Even then, dealing with 20+ foot runs of material was a hassle keeping seams straight and having had to both manually feed material and guide the material right and left would have been a much bigger hassle, but then I'm a novice sewer.

Any suggestion for a < $200 sewing machine?

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