What sewing machine should I buy?

Who is this guide for?

Okay, so: You're totally new to sewing and you want a machine but you don't know what kind to buy. Or maybe your starter machine broke and you feel confident enough to invest in a slightly nicer machine. Great! Here is my advice. My credentials are that I have been sewing for 7?? years and I work in a fabric store. Other than that it's a lot of personal bias. If you don't agree you can fuck off or email me to complain I guess.

TL;DR

I included lots of contextual info below but basically: I have a Janome HD-1000 and I love it and recommend it all the time. It's a great machine for the price. All mechanical, no computer parts. If you can afford a slight upgrade the next step up is the HD-3000 but honestly you don't NEED to.

Advice roundups for beginner sewists often recommend the Singer Heavy Duty 4452 or some other variation—==DO NOT BUY THESE==.

If you arrived at this link because we know each other and you trust me, you can basically stop reading here.

Okay, but...

I don't know you and I don't believe you

Okay. Fine. Here's some anecdotal evidence: Apparel City in San Bruno literally only recommends/sells ONE model of home-sewing machines and it is this guy.

My friend who's a leatherworker used one of these for years in place of an industrial until the motor blew out.

I've advised at least 3 other people to buy the Janome HD-1000 and none of them have complained about their purchase or stopped being my friend.

Sewing Machine Shop in Walnut Creek, which is another other local machine store that gets recommended a lot. Those guys are kind of condescending sometimes, I dunno I've got a grudge.

I'm buying a lot of machines at once and this is too expensive

Bet. If you are trying to outfit a school or classroom, I recommend getting multiple machines that are all the same model, or at the very least, made by the same manufacturer. [[Every sewing machine model is finicky in its own way]], even the expensive ones. But when you only have to deal with one model or type, it makes troubleshooting while running a class much easier. It is also easier on students, who can switch between machines interchangeably instead of having to re-learn how each model functions.

If you can afford to invest, spending up to $500 each on a smaller number of mid-tier machines is probably a better idea than getting more machines at a cheaper price point. Sewing projects have many different steps, and in a class, it is easy to rotate students between stations. Not every student will need to be at a machine at the same time. Mid-tier machines are made with sturdier parts (metal instead of plastic) that will last you longer, and be easier to fix.

As an illustrative anecdote: my sibling had one of those entry-level Brother machines that cost like $120 off the rack. When the buttonhole function broke, the service tech told them it would cost more in labor and parts to fix the machine than it was worth new, and they were better off just buying a new machine. This is very common.

What about that computer shit?

It is also very common now for sewing machines to have computerized parts and functions. It's hard to find a purely mechanical machine now, but if you can, I think it's better. Again, they are simpler to troubleshoot and fix yourself. A computerized machine will almost always require a trip to a professional technician. Do not do this to yourself.

What about X Brand?

Disclaimer: These are just my opinions and I'm just some guy.

Bernina, Pfaff: European companies, generally good quality machines. However, I don't recommend buying these because they often require specialty parts (which = more expensive maintenance in the long run). And, if something breaks, they are harder to get serviced because again, they require specialty parts and training. I will say that many people who have Berninas LOVE them, they've got a big fan club.

Brother, Singer: American companies, these are the most common brands you will see among entry-level machines available in the US (entry level usually costing around $100–250).

Brother makes excellent embroidery machines on the higher end of their line, but the entry-level machines are garbage.

Vintage Singers are workhorses that people still pay hundreds of dollars to own, but their modern offerings are garbage. Advice roundups for beginner sewists often recommend the Singer Heavy Duty 4452 or some other variation—==DO NOT BUY THESE==. About 50% of them have a manufacturer's defect that is impossible to fix once it breaks. I can't link my source for this but it came directly from a repair technician. I think they get recommended a lot because they are supposed to be able to handle "heavy duty" fabrics like canvas and denim, and in theory it's a great price for a "heavy duty" machine. But in practice, they tend to have a lot of issues and require a lot of finessing. Do you want to have to do a prayer circle every time you sit down to make your machine work? No??? I didn't think so.

Janome, Juki: Japanese companies. I really highly recommend Janome home-sewing machines in general. If you want to invest in an industrial, go Juki, it's pretty much the industry gold-standard. Juki also makes great sergers.

Babylock: Great for sergers but I wouldn't buy a standard lock-stitch machine from them (if they even make those anymore?).

I did what you said and now my machine isn't working

You are "supposed" to service machines with a professional technician yearly. Most people do not do this. There is a lot of maintenance you can do yourself that will prolong the lifespan of a machine. But they are like cars in the sense that if you don't take care of them, replace the oil, etc., they will start to work less well and you'll eventually end up with a big problem.