Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Seven-year itch: Sewing machine research

A family member recently gave me a very generous gift of $1000 with the caveat that I spend it on something for myself. I desperately need some organizational furniture/goodies for my sewing room, so I'm earmarking several hundred dollars of that money for some form of shelving/bookcase/baskets and a trip to IKEA, but with most of that money, I'd like to get a second sewing machine. If there's anything left over after that, I'd like to get one of those fold-away cutting tables so that I don't have to cut my fabric on a pad on the floor any more.

My must-have for this second machine is that I want to be able to have both machines set up so that I can do construction on one machine and top-stitching on a second machine. However, I have a number of "nice-to-haves", which is why I'm looking beyond a straight-stitch mechanical machine.

 

Some history

Outside of "helping" my mom sew when I was a little kid, I've sewn on exactly two machines in my life:
  • My grandma's 1970's-era Kenmore
  • A Bernina Activa 230 PE
I took the Kenmore in for service a while back to get it up and running, but even though it has a zig-zag and a few other stitches, the straight stitch is the only thing it does reliably, and it does balk at bulky seams. Unfortunately, as much as I'd love to keep this in the family for sentimental value, it really doesn't meet my needs.

I purchased my Bernina as a floor model seven years ago because this was the machine that we used in my sewing classes, and I was comfortable with it.

I mostly love my Bernina--it's a great, basic all-around machine.However, there are a few things that I wish it did better, and I am hoping that whatever second machine I purchase complements my Bernina and "picks up the slack" in a few areas. Here are the things that irk me about my machine:
  • My Bernina lacks adjustable presser foot pressure. I have a walking foot for it that I bought used, but wow, that walking foot is a pain to take on and off.
  • The automatic button holer HATES doing button holes on bulky fabric. Button holes on shirts/blouses are fine, but doing them on a pant waistband or jacket up near the collar is largely an exercise in frustration. It's not enough to trim the seam allowance to a tiny amount; the button hole foot balks at the unevenness caused by even a trimmed bulky seam allowance.
  • It's passable (but not great) at going over bulky seam allowances.
  • Perhaps it's user error/inexperience, but the decorative stitches are often a bit wonky; I know that I'd use them more if I could get more consistent results.

 

The candidates

I posted a thread on Pattern Review and swung by my local everything-but-Bernina dealer. I think I have my list of machines narrowed down to the following three machines, but I'm open to looking at others, if there's a model that I'm missing. Ideally, I'd like to spend around $500 my this machine, but obviously, I have a little bit of wiggle room in my budget.

I suspect that I won't make a final decision until I've test-driven all three machines and see which one I "click" with the most. Of the machines listed here, the Pfaff Passport 2.0 was the one that was set up on the dealer floor when I visited. She'll unbox the other two for me when I come in for my serious test drive.

Janome DC2014

I haven't read a bad thing about this machine in the reviews or elsewhere online. Everyone describes it as a "workhorse", and everyone who has it seems to love it.

Janome DC2014
Dealer price: $499
Pros:
  • Strong motor
  • Comes with a walking foot
  • Price
Cons:
  •  No adjustable presser foot pressure
TBD:
  • How does it handle knits?
  • How hard is it to take the walking foot on and off?
  • Does it work with a twin needle? (Definitely not a deal breaker; I use the coverstitch option on my Evolve for most knit hemming, unless I need a lot of precision.)

Pfaff Passport 2.0

IDT! IDT! IDT!  I am completely intrigued by Pfaff's IDT, and I think it would be the perfect solution to most of the things that irk me about my Bernina. My understanding is that the Passport is a smaller, lightweight machine meant for classes.

Pfaff Passport 2.0

Dealer price: $599 (after rebate)
Pros:
  • IDT
  • Nice button holes (via dealer demo)
  • One-step button hole via sliding a button into a slot on the foot
  • Should be able to handle all kinds of fabrics, thicknesses very nicely
Cons:
  •  Price is slightly higher than I'd like
TBD:
  • Size compared to Pfaff Ambition Essentials (I have some space on my sewing desk; I don't necessarily need to be limited to a travel machine.)
  • Motor compared to Janome?
  • Does it work with a twin needle? (Definitely not a deal breaker; I use the coverstitch option on my Evolve for most knit hemming, unless I need a lot of precision.)

Pfaff Ambition Essentials

IDT (again)! According to my dealer, the Ambition Essentials is the same as the other machines in Pfaff's Ambition line, but with a few fewer bells and whistles. She also said that it's very similar to the Passport 2.0, except that the Ambition Essentials is a bit larger and does have a few more bells and whistles than the passport. Given that the dealer is offering them at the same price, she advised that I assess the space that I have for the machine and allow that to influence my decision if I decide to go with a Pfaff.

Pfaff Ambition Essentials
Dealer price: $599 (after rebate)
Pros:
  • IDT
  • One-step button hole via sliding a button into a slot on the foot
  • The most bells and whistles out of the three machines
  • Is supposed to handle all thicknesses/types of fabrics very well
Cons:
  •  Price is slightly higher than I'd like
TBD:
  • Size compared to Pfaff Passport 2.0 (I have some space on my sewing desk; I don't necessarily need to be limited to a travel machine.)
  • Motor compared to Janome?
  • Does it work with a twin needle? (Definitely not a deal breaker; I use the coverstitch option on my Evolve for most knit hemming, unless I need a lot of precision.)

 

Summary

I am planning to test drive all three of these models on Sunday. Do any of you own any of these machines? What has your experience been with your machine (good or bad)? Are there other models that I should be looking at in my $500-ish price range?

12 comments:

  1. I have an older Pfaff Tiptronic (15 years) and I love it to death except for the buttonholer, which sounds just like the one you described. Make sure you take some thick fabric and try to do a buttonhole on that. My Pfaff cost just over $1,000.00 when I bought it but simply will not make a buttonhole on anything heavier than a single layer of cotton. I had to buy an inexpensive used machine just for buttonholes. Other than that, I do love it and I've never had any other problems with it at all. And it gets used A LOT! Very possible that they have improved that feature. Good Luck, lucky girl!

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  2. As far as twin needle capabilities ,as long as you are mindful of the stitch width measure of the machine, any machine with zigzag can do twin needles. I have an Aurora that has foot pressure adjustment, which I was surprised how often I do use, so I understand why you want it! Isn't it weird how a really standard feature on all vintage machines is rare or a high end feature now? Oh, and Singer is introducing two new Janome made machines badged for Singer! Have no idea what their prices will be.

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  3. Congratulations on your monetary gift! I'm partial to Janome. I have a Janome sewing machine, serger, and coverstitch. I also own 2 Brother sewing machines, a White serger and a (still working) 1970's Kenmore bought at a garage sale for $15. I know Pfaff is a great product though. Happy spending--take your time--test drive thoroughly, the right one will speak to you (smile).

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    1. Which Brothers do you own? There was a PR Brother that the dealer wanted me to look at, but I was hesitant because I thought I'd be paying for branding.

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  4. Wow - wish I had a friend to gift me some money - you are very lucky and I sure it was well deserved.

    I love my Janome but that IDT sounds good too.

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  5. I don't have any experience with Janome or Pfaff sewing machines; though, I do have a Janome coverstitch and Janome serger. I've had my serger for 9 years and it's a good machine. User error is the only thing that has potentially limited its life span. Based on that, I would consider a Janome sewing machine.

    My primary machine is the Babylock Ellure. I bought it used for 650 with a $50 walking foot thrown in at negotiation. It's been a great machine and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Brother/Babylock.

    Definitely take some thick fabric when you do your test drives. Try out the button holes and take some topstitching thread.

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    1. I actually have a Brother and a Babylock serger. I'm definitely open minded about brand and buying pre-owned. I'll ask about those models when I go in.

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  6. I am a dyed in the wool Pfaff girl. It's the best. I've had Pfaffs since the early 80s, and can hardly sew without the IDT foot. I got a Passport as a back up/travel/class machine and though I've only used it a few times, find it is quite nice and does what I need. Don't like the top loading bobbin nearly as well as the front load though. If the machines are priced the same, and you have the room, I'd go for whichever has a front loading bobbin. I tried Janome and didn't like them near as much as Pfaff. JMO. Have fun!

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  7. I got the Ambition Essentials about 3 weeks ago and the first one was a lemon right out of the box with some bobbin case issues but the one they swapped it for hasn't had any issues. It is nice and smooth and I love the integrated walking foot! When we were looking online I'd actually chosen the Passport but when we went and saw it in person I was disappointed at how small it was. It would be a perfect traveling machine but I went with the Ambition because there is a lot more sewing room!

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    1. Thanks for the first-hand input! I think I'm leaning towards the Ambition Essentials at the moment (my Bernina Activa is small like the Passport). I've been hearing such great things about that Janome that it's still definitely in the running, though. I suspect that after I "test drive" all three machines this weekend, I'll just know which one is "the one".

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  8. So what did you decide? ? I'm debating between the babylock grace or the pfaff ambition essential. But I'm strongly leaning toward the babylock. I'd love to hear an update about this!!

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    1. Huh. I just realized that I never did a follow-up post about this. Oops!

      I went with the Pfaff Ambition Essentials, and I love it. Having the built-in IDT has made life so much easier with the type of sewing that I do. Now that I've had the machine for about six months, I really should post a review/follow-up.

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