#ratemymachine

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[20dollarlolita]

Thank you for replying to my ask about the Derby!

"The way that I’m inclined to review a machine that someone is considering buying, and the way that I’ll review a machine that someone already owns, are two different things." VALID. I guess I really do wonder on some level if it's okay to like it if it's not a super high-quality machine in terms of longevity. But it has given me a MUCH better understanding of features that would be important to me in a future machine purchase.

Thanks for linking the other two posts! I saw that I had actually previously liked the post specifically about the Janome but I forgot about it?! The other budget machines you mention sound like good options; I *would* like to be able to sew more layers, so if the Singer "Heavy Duty" lives up to its name, that would be the biggest benefit to me.

The Derby has already lasted for two years, though I am careful with it. I have had thread jam up in it multiple times (I do *not* yank on it to free it) and I have bent a couple needles sewing something too thick. And once, my toddler turned the stitch selector wheel without me noticing, left it in between two settings, and the needle was striking the plate and *clicking* and I was sure the machine was doomed until I figured out what the problem was.

Is there a fatal mistake I should watch out for that would be a machine-killer, or is it more like one day something will just fail and that will be all she sewed?

"But I’m going to have to ask one question. How on earth do you put up with having a sewing machine that sounds like a novelty dancing santa every time you sew?" Lol, I will think of it as novelty Santa sounds now! I guess it doesn't bother me because my mom's machine growing up was kind of noisy too, so I just accept it as normal.

Normally, when a machine just goes, it's the motor or another part that wears out. The Derby does not have any kind of chips, so that can't get fried during a power surge or anything that kills computerized machines. Disposable machines often just have something fail that would require a basic service, but since service is like $150-$300, the user opts to just get a new machine. I've seen people replace machines that actually only needed a bobbin tension and feed teeth height adjustment, because just getting it looked at is half the price of a brand new machine. Frequently, this is also a case of the owner wanting a new machine, because their skill level and preference for features has changed, and they're actually looking for a new machine instead of getting their old funky repaired so that it can still be old and funky.

The motor on the Derby is probably a high risk, because it's not very powerful and they can only handle so much stress from sewing something mildly too thick, so that's my best bet on if it'll wear out like a normal machine. Since this is the kind of machine that needs to be replaced instead of repaired (though I have plans of pranking my store's repair tech by submitting my Derby for service like it's a normal machine for a customer and making him try to work on it), if you have a pretty normal problem you can still total your machine. Fall damage and improper storage are two big concerns in my book. If you drop it or accidentally stack something on it, you could break the thread uptake lever or some internal plastic part, and then the whole thing's totaled. The bobbin plate screws are also hosted in plastic screw posts, so if you have to take off the bobbin plate to clean or clear stuck thread, you might accidentally cross-thread that and make your plate unable to stay down.

The real problem is just that, when you get down to it, there's probably 60+ things that could go wrong on a regular sewing machine that could be fixed, but that cannot be fixed on the Derby. There's not a good way to predict which one will be the one to take it down, but that's just kind of what comes with the territory of a $60-$80 sewing machine.

As for the Singer Heavy Duty line, it's heavy duty when compared to other Singer machines, but isn't actually notably better than machines from other brands. If you're on the low end when comparing Singer to Singer, the Heavy Duty 44I1 and the Singer Fashi0nmate are pretty similar in price, but the Fashi0nmate has more features. However, I still prefer the 44I1 to the Fashi0nmate, because I'm much less afraid of breaking a crucial internal component, and I don't like when my machine struggles over something. The price of the Fashi0nmate is based around features, and the price of the 44I1 is based around build strength. However, the 44I1 is still going to be less powerful than a non-heavy-duty machine from a more expensive brand.

When you're comparing the high end of the Heavy Duty line to the low end of a premium line, you're likely to get better results and more longevity out of a premium brand instead of the Singer. I know that all the machines my store's premium brand put out have a more powerful motor than the Heavy Duty's. My most basic premium machine is about $50-$100 more than my most expensive Heavy Duty, but the more expensive is one of those machines where it's expected to last 20 years.

Honestly, if you go into a dealership and tell them you're looking at the Singer Heavy Duty line but want to see what other brands offer, your budget max is about $500, and you're replacing a Janome Derby, a good dealership will have a lot of options to show you. As a salesperson, I can say that "More powerful than the Heavy Duty line" and "more featured than the Janome fuckin' Derby" is a pretty easy to fill request in that price point, especially if your dealership carries several brands.

If you're shopping online, I'd say just find the price you're willing to pay, shop around, and buy the simplest machine that you can find in that price range (that has good reviews). If it's a 4.5 star machine with only 18 stitches, but it's $400, you're probably paying for the build quality at that price.

[20dollarlolita]

Hey I was wondering if you've ever had any experience with Janome Hello Kitty Sewing Machine Model #11706? I really really want one and have wanted a hello kitty machine for like ten years and I found one on eBay I can afford and I'm trying to decide if I should get it.

It's funny you should ask that, because it's come up a couple of times in my discord server.

We have someone in the server (@babelstitch) who uses one and is quite fond of it.

However, as a 3/4 size machine, you do lose out on throat space. The zigzag is not fully variable.

If you do not have another machine available to you, it's probably a really good one to start on. If you have a non-portable machine available to you, but are limited by the fact that you can't take it anywhere, it's probably a good one to start on. If you know already that you don't have much space to use and store it, and that storage space is more important than having a full set of features, it's probably a really good machine.

If you have a machine you're already comfortable with, though, it's probably not an upgrade. It might also not be the best machine in its price point (though I don't know what yours is selling for or what your price range is), so you'll want to double check.

But it's definitely powerful enough to be able to do basic sewing, so if the other elements line up, it's probably a good machine for you.

[20dollarlolita]

Submission from greed-the-dorkalicious

@greed-the-dorkalicious​ Rate my machine: Brother CS6000i I bought at the start of quarantine after my mom’s 1990-something Kenmore finally kicked the bucket, plastered in random stickers obtained from various places and kept in the same case as the 1990-something Kenmore. Its name is Kevin cause my brother put a sticker that says Kevin on it I think he got it from like a kpop album or something. I approach the LCD screen in the same way one approaches a feral raccoon. (Sorry for the bad photo format Tumblr really needs to get their shit together with submissions lol)

Okay us here at 20dollarlolita are officially part of the Kevin fan club right now.

My biggest bitch on Brother machines is that they all default to having the needle aligned to the left instead of centered. 0/10 on that feature, drives me fucking up a tree. Why does the foot pedal plug into the back instead of the side? That’s a design choice. But I see me some droppable feed dogs and that’s the best way to do crazy shit like free-motion diagonal basting, especially if it came with a spring-action foot. HMU if you want a free-motion diagonal basting tutorial someday.

I do absolutely love me a molded-in handle instead of one that pulls up. I move a lot of sewing machines around these days and the molded in handles are just a lot better.

At the start of Quarantine, getting literally any sewing machine was hard. I know there was a point at my store (not while I was working there, prior to that) where they’d sold every machine that they had that was under the $5000 price point, because people were desperate for any machine, regardless of features, regardless of price. This means that a lot of people got Corona Machines that were really not ideal for what they want to do. You appear to have actually gotten a machine that was ideal for a lot of what you want to do. 

Also, in 2018, Billie Joe Armstrong released his signature Les Paul Junior, which came with a very simple, flat paint job, and he offered people who were going to buy it the following instructions: "Sticker it. Carve in it. Put your own identity to it. That's what I always did with my guitars." Every time I see something unashamedly covered in stickers, I think about that, especially now considering how much space I’ve seen on some machines.

[20dollarlolita]

Since machine ratings are happening I was wondering what you think of the janome memory craft 6000? Got offered it for free I’m thinking of accepting it as it runs better then my current machine (a Sears kennmore from the late 60s that I also got for free) and the embroidery is pretty good (the letters are unclear most of the time)

IT HAS A STITCH THAT IS A CROCODILE

YOU MUST GET THE CROCODILE MACHINE

GET THE CROCODILE STITCH.

Silliness aside, the MemoryCraft 6000 has a reputation as being indestructible. It's computer controlled but most of it's still analog. If it's free, definitely take it. Hell, I'd probably spend like $50 on one, even if I didn't need one.

CROCODILE STITCH.

[20dollarlolita]

Hi! I saw your post about the expected lifespan of sewing machines, and u seem to know a lot abt sewing machines so I was wondering if you could Rate My Machine? It is a Necchi 3610, and I can find basically no info about it online. I dont think it's manufactured anymore. I got it for xmas sometime between 2009-2011, and it is still going strong -- it did sit unused from maybe 2013-2018/19 (? unsure), and I got it serviced once in 2020. it LOOKS very basic to my untrained eye but im basically wondering if I get lucky that it's still kicking or if it is actually good? thank u in advance

From what I know, Necchi are absolute tanks. I don't own one because, like the Bernina 1008, people who have them don't let go of them, so I can't get them.

Necchi has always been a more premium brand than, say, the entry level of Singer or Brother or Janome. They're at a higher price point and they're built to last. Your machine is probably more basic because whoever bought you that present decided to get the highest quality machine they could, and that came at the expense of bells and whistles. Keep up with those services, Anon, because your machine's probably got a ton of years left in it.

Necchi (which is an italian brand and I believe is pronounced NECK-ee) only has a few models available at a time, so I'd go through their pages on the Wayback Machine and see if you can find your machine on an older version of their site if you want to know more about it. It might be there.

[20dollarlolita]

Opinion on baby lock jubilee?

It has a digital screen and 80 different stitches

Short answer: Looks like a good machine. If you have the money and have an opportunity to get it, I say go for it. If you already have it, I say treasure it.

It's kind of tough to review a machine I haven't used, even based on features. On some level, "machine features" is basically the same as "fiber content: polyester". Is it felt or is it chiffon?

So, like how with fabric we're going to shop by fabric type, here we're going to have to shop by brand.

I don't want this blog to show up if people google my company that I might work for, so I'll be a bit vague on names here, but we're going to call the companies Si, HV, Brother, and Babylock.

What I'm going to do is to take the price point of the Jubilant (about $600 right now) and compare that to the machines offered by other brands, and then compare what I know about those brands. I'm pretty familiar with Si and HV, but that's a little biased because SrVgPf is all one company and that means the Si and HV machines are priced to not compete with each other too heavily. (Don't let anyone tell you that capitalism can't fuck up the free market). However, Si and HV do both have to compete with the rest of the sewing machine world, so their prices aren't total garbage for this exercise.

For 88 stitches and a digital screen, we have comparison of a Si machine that's about $350, a Brother with a built in screen and 180 for $250 + a Brother with no screen but 60 stitches for $150, and a HV with 81 stitches but no screen for about $700. The Jubilant is about $600 with the screen and the stitches.

From this pricing, we can assume that is has more in common with the HV machine than with the Brother or Si machines. I'm very familiar with the difference between the Si and the HV machine since knowing that may or may not be a major part of my job. The main difference between those is that the HV machine runs smoother, and is designed to be repairable instead of replaceable.

Semi-related, I have had a Babylock serger for many years and I'm quite a fan of it. That's generally a good sign.

Anyway, based on the fact that the Jubilant is a popular model even at its price point, I'd guess that it's designed to last and be repaired when it needs to be. If you can get one for a good price, I say do it.

(I'm still a fan of finding a decent machine at a yard sale and cleaning it up yourself, but covid has made it a lot more difficult to find good machines at yard sales, since a lot of people who would be selling theirs took them out of storage and got back into sewing).

BTW, I don't really rate a machine by how many stitches it has. If it's got the right ones, you really use about 10 of them in most sewing. I look for a straight stitch with changeable position, a zigzag, three step zigzag, something for overcasting and seaming in one step with bonus points for seam/overcast for stretch, a straight stretch stitch/lightning bolt stitch, a reinforced stitch, a nice blind hem stitch with a dedicated foot being a perk, and an easy buttonhole. If it's got all that, then I start focusing on how those stitches are accessed, and other things like how the tension works and how easy it is to change the bobbin. The things that I use frequently are more important to me than the total number of things it's possible to do.

[20dollarlolita]

I have what I'm pretty sure is a janome new home 532. Thoughts? Opinions?

Old is gold.

New Home zig zag machines fall into two categories, and no one but me defines them by this, but here's my experience with them.

See, when a needle zigzags, there's two parts to the motion. First, it has to go up and down, because it's a sewing machine needle and that's what they do. Second, it has to go zig and zag, because it's zig zagging.

Almost every sewing machine has the zig and zag motion happen at the point where the needle is in the up position. One New Home machine that I bought, which I bought because it was $25 and the prettiest blue machine I've ever seen, had the needle go zig and zag while the needle was in the fabric. It would sink into the fabric, then move left or right, and then come up out of the fabric. As you can imagine, this did not make a particularly attractive zig zag stitch.

If it doesn't do that, then it's a good old machine.

One of my favorite things about the New Home/Janome 532 is how many pages in the manual are dedicated to teaching you manual free-motion embroidery. I think free-motion embroidery like that is turning into a lost art and I think it's very cool to see how it used to just be a thing mentioned in the manuals. This one didn't even come with a spring-action foot so you just take the presser foot off and simultaneously hold the fabric down with your finger and try to not hit your finger with the needle since you have now removed all the protection you usually get with the presser foot. Like, lol have fun with that, safety is for n00bs

10/10, good vintage machine, bonus points for having it in a case instead of wobbling on your desk.

[20dollarlolita]

alright, lets rate my machine! I have no idea what my old sewing machine is (it's a 10+ Janome) so I'll ask about my embroidery boy; Brother Inno-vis m230e!

(I'm a newbie sewist who is still slightly terrified of breaking it, so. I'm probably not pushing it very much :U)

Innov-is M230E is an embroidery machine with a max hoop size of 4x4" (100mmx100mm), which communicates to your computer via a USB drive. Not available in the USA but would cost about $1200, making it at the lower end of high-functioning embroidery machines.

Literally the first thing I check with new embroidery machines is how they talk to your computer. If an embroidery card, a CF card, a floppy disc, or direct link to computer via USB-B and no other option, it's a pass for me. Your machine might have the best stitch in the world and if you can't tell it how to make new ones, it's not going to sew what you want.

Honestly, I think have an embroidery-only machine is really preferable when you're at the lower end of the market. It's a case of the more features you get at that price, the lower the overall quality is likely to be. So that's a perk, not a disadvantage. Brother also has a partnership with Disney and some machines come with Disney designs, and if you got a machine to bring your own art to life--let's be honest, Walt has a lot of people doing that for him and no one but me is doing that for me--then paying for the Disney designs is just wasted money. So this didn't waste money on the two things I find the least necessary in a low-end embroidery machine.

Brother machines use the most supported embroidery file type out there, the .pes, which is used by Brother, Babylock, and Bernina. One of the funky things about embroidery machines is that a well-made design stitched out on a $500 machine will look better than a poorly-digitized one on a $18,000 machine. Using the most supported file type allows you access to the work that most digitizers out there are doing, and you can use it without converting file types.

As for onboard things, there's a color touchscreen but no editing or adjusting the design onboard, no combining multiple designs on the screen. No auto tension, but has a thread cutter. No thickness sensor and you're putting the presser foot up and down manually instead of the machine doing it for you.

Brother machines generally have a better selection of safe-to-use aftermarket parts than other brands, so if you need a double hoop (lets you do 2 embroideries in the same hoop without re-hooping, not quite as good as an 8x4 embroidery area but still better than re-hooping) or something, it's going to be easier to find.

To compare it to the machines I work with every day, this $1100 machine is better than my brand's $1300 machine, but not as good as their $2,100 machine.

Which sums up to 10/10, if your price range is below $1500 and you don't need a big hoop, then this is an absolutely fabulous machine.

With embroidery machines, what you're using to digitize also matters (I'm getting good at Ink/Stitch but I can do the same stuff easier and faster in Sewnet and get more interesting results) so both investing in good software and investing your time into learning that software are both worth doing.

[20dollarlolita]

What's your opinion on the Juki HZL-LB5020? I really love it but the only other sewing machine I've had experience with is with a Singer C5200 (do not get a Singer C5200. I learned my lesson.)

Juki has a long history of making really good industrial machines. In a lot of places, "Juki" and "industrial" are just used interchangably.

I don't have a lot of experience with their domestic machines, but let's take a look.

I'm going to start putting pictures on these just to make it easier for people to visualize these things.

Anyway, first of all, the price to feature to weight ratio is right where I like these things. 18.1 lbs, exactly what my dog Tilly weighs, 20 stitches, $300. This is generally heavier and fewer features than a comparable Brother or Singer machine, which tends to mean that it's a higher quality. At some point, when you're smooshing all those extra stitches and features into some price point, you compromise on build quality, and I've learned that build quality is the first and most important element of a sewing machine for me.

Which is good, because sometimes brands with a really recognized name (not to call out Isaac Merritt's former company or anything) will compromise on build quality and try to use the name to sell things at a higher price than they'd sell without the name. Tiny Tailor, anyone?

So, when I see a domestic machine made by a really well-known industrial company, my brain assumes it swings one of two ways. Either it's going to be a good domestic machine that lives up to its name, or it's going to be trash in a fast grab to get in at the low budget market. I'm very happy to think that this is probably the former.

And it's currently available, which is also nice.

[20dollarlolita]

Hey may I get a rating as well? I have a Janome JR1012. I've had it for eight years, it's my trusty old Lady. It can manage anything. I feel like it's a great beginner machine. I'd be sad to part with it but I'm thinking about upgrading? -getting a newer machine with more stitches, more options for stitch width + length, needle position, preferably fully mechanical.

You seem super knowledgeable about sewing machines, maybe you have some advice for me? I was hoping to not spend more than 600€/ 660$, is that even doable?

Thank you so so much dollar-chan!

Okay, so, for starters, if it's working for you, it works! Janome doesn't offer that model anymore but the Janome Sew Fresh and the Janome Arctic Crystal both look like they're mechanically similar. Those are both in what I'll call the Ultra Budget range. Generally, I'd expect an ultra-budget machine to struggle over some heavily gathered quilter's cotton, so I'm going to assume that yours is of a bit better build than the Arctic Crystal.

The biggest problem I could see with this machine is one that you're already aware of: no fully-variable independent stitch width and length adjustments. When you're looking to upgrade, however, you're going to find that almost all machines not in the low budget range will have this, so here's some more things to consider:

Expected lifespan: If you're looking for a fully mechanical model, you should be absolutely caring about how long it will last you. After all, there hasn't been a major mechanical upgrade to the sewing machine in the past like 40 years, and it's unlikely that one will come soon. Unlike a computerized model, your mechanical machine won't become obsolete in 30 years.

Availability of accessories: You can get aftermarket versions of a lot of stuff if your machine follows the sort of standard ultra low shank dealio, but can you get a straight stitch plate or an extension table? Those two kind of need to be specific for your machine.

p-p-p-power: Question 1) can you put eight layers of a nice upholstery brocade under that needle and tell it to go through it? If so, good job. Question 2) does it know it's going through eight layers of upholstery brocade and argue with it, or does it say lol it's just another day. The best machines can go through eight layers of denim and be unaware that they're going through eight layers of denim.

Space to the right of the needle: We call this "throat depth" and that sounds gross to me so I call it space to the right of the needle. The bigger this space is, the easier it is to do bulky projects. However, be aware, the bigger this space is, the more annoying your machine will be to store. It's a balance issue here.

So, if you want to stick with Janome (and I really love Janome), I'd check out the Janome HD-3000. The Janome heavy duty line is really quite nice and I think the -3000 is really worth the extra money for it. We've got someone who gets their -3000 serviced at my store and I've been eyeing that pretty thing for quite a while on my list of machines that I want if Tanq dies. I'd probably actually be getting a HV Emerald 118 because of employee discount reasons, but the Janome HD-3000 is on the list.

Meaning the other one on the list of potential fully-mechanical machines available in the $600 and below price range, the Emerald 116 is really nice. No computer, just power. I recommend the 118 if you've been sewing on a computerized machine and the 116 if you've been sewing on a mechanical due to the needle position function.

Wow, that was a lot of buying advice and not a lot of reviewing the machine you have. I think, if it's letting you do everything you want, it's a good machine. However, it's sounding like you have grown out of your machine that you have. I think that, if you get another machine, especially a fully-mechanical powerhouse, you're going to find a lot of things that you can now sew that you previously hadn't realized you couldn't sew.

(Part of me feels like I'm at work and feels obligated to try to welcome you into the era of the computerized sewing machine just for all the cool shit that comes with that but the other part of me says no, sewing has been around since long before the computerized machine, and if that's what you need, that's what you need. I'm a little conflicted here but I'm going to stand firm on "there's good mechanical machines out there".)

[20dollarlolita]

Rate my machine? I've got a Kenmore model 1914. I got it about 10 years ago with all the accessories, extra pattern cams, a monogram attachment, and a large box of notions for $100

The Kenomre 1914 is a machine I've been looking to add to my collection for years, after I sewed on one in like 2013. It's smooth AF and has that powerful motor. Shortly after I decided I was in love with that model, I found Tanq (that's what I named my 80's Singer) which had the advantages of being pink and fitting in a flatbed table, so I kind of stopped looking for a 1914, but boy do I remember being impressed by it.

The Kenmore monogrammer is something that I'd gladly pay $50 for if I didn't already have one.

One of the things that I love about machines guided by plastic cams is how cool it'd be to design and 3D print new stitch patterns for your machine. I've never done this, but knowing that I could do this just sounds so cool to me. I've made some tracings of my favorite cams for Tanq just in case one of them breaks and I need to develop a replacement.

You may have made a very wise purchasing decision.

[20dollarlolita]

Rate my brother LX-3125! For the record, I do like it, it does what I need it to do, it lasted through years of meh quality storage, and it has a handle—which is great for my current space. But I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, and you won't hurt my feelings regardless :3

So the Brother LX-3125 has 14 stitches and a 4-step buttonhole. It's fully mechanical. I can't find an original price on it, but it goes used for about $80, and if you can find a barely-used one for that price, it's about 2.5x the machine that you get from the Janome Derby (sorry, Derby!)

Brother is notable for having a shit fucking ton of machines available in the $100-$200 range. I think they probably have more crazy low budget machines available than any other brand. The interesting thing about Brother that makes them pretty different from SrVgPf is that Brother releases its whole line under one name. Their very inexpensive machines get the Brother name, and their high end, "you gotta get this at a dealership" machines get the Brother name. This has the risk of someone who bought a crappy Brother that broke on them shortly after buying it just writing off the company. It also means that someone who loved their crappy Brother machine and who wants another one can go to a dealership and spend $3100 on a Brother. SrVgPf puts the Sr name on the low and and the Vg and Pf names on the high end, which means that someone who was unsatisfied with a cheap Sr machine isn't going to let that disappointment impact how they feel about a Vg machine.

But, as for your machine, question #1: does it let you sew everything you want to do? Not just what you currently ARE doing, but everything you WANT to do.

Question #2: does it give you the freedom to make what you want to make, when you want to make it?

Question #3: where does it go when it's put away?*

Question #4, what is the alternative?

If you're regularly watching youtube tutorials and you know you can't follow those instructions because your machine can't handle it, maybe it's not the best machine for you. If you're not able to sew because you can't take it places with you, or move it from room to room in the house, or sew sitting on the floor, maybe it's not a great machine for you. If your only sewing machine is in a flatbed table and you need to clear everything off the table to use it, maybe it's not a good machine for you. If you're always tripping over it because it's a fucking giant with a delicate little embroidery arm that needs to be babied so that it doesn't self destruct (*glares at own embroidery machine*) then it is missing a key component of what you want. My store has three models of machines that we regularly sell to people who own a $11,000 machine, but want one that they can take to friend's houses or quilting classes. If going to friend's houses and quilt classes is more important for you than having features you can only get in a $11,000 machine, then this machine is better for you than an $11,000 machine. If you only sew at your friend's house, it doesn't matter how many omnimotion stitches are in your machine, if you can't ever get it to your friend's house.

And also, what is the alternative? Did you turn down a $2300 machine that was perfect for you, because you liked the color of this one? Or is your options this machine, or no machine? If you could have gotten a very fancy machine and you elected to take this one for some reason that absolutely doesn't matter like color or name brand, you might have a bad machine for you, or have made a bad call. If this is your machine because it was the only option that you have (or the one you chose out of several near-identical options), and you like it, it's probably good for you.

As for the actual functions, it says it has an automatic 4-step buttonhole but every other machine I've ever used has called that a manual 4-step buttonhole. I can't tell from the picture if it's got preset zig zags or fully adjustable zig zags, but I've learned personally that I really like having full control of zig zag length AND width independently from each other, so that's not my favorite setup. Got a reinforced stitch, which is good, because it doesn't have an actual stretch stitch. The reinforced stitch is a little bit stretchy, BTW, so you can sew on knits with it. It's not ideal for performance and 4-way stretch, but if you're sewing jersey or interlock it will be great. The thing that I hate on Brothers is that there's a buttonhole balance screw on the front and for some reason people see that and have this compulsion to turn it. Don't turn that screw unless your buttonhole is broken, friends.

Anyway, overall for a basic machine, I rate it at like a 8/10 if you can find one in good condition for $80, and a 5/7 otherwise.

___ *"Where does it go when it's put away?" is a huge running joke in my family, because every time one of the kids wanted some fancy and big toy, my dad wouldn't consider buying it until someone answered the question of "where does it go when it's put away?" Now, as adults, we all make a point of bringing it up when we ask the same question of ourselves. "Yeah, I almost bought more X for myself but I couldn't answer the question of 'where does it go when it's put away?' so I skipped out on it." While it's a solid running joke, it's also frustratingly good shopping advice.

[20dollarlolita]

Rate my machine? I have a used Janome HD 2000, and after only using the world's oldest and shittiest kenmore, it was a shock being able to sew through three layers of fabric lmao

Okay so I fucking LOVE the Janome HD-3000 and generally the Janome Heavy Duty line, so I like what I'm seeing about the -2000 as well. They're relatively high priced for a fully mechanical machine, but that's because of their higher build quality.

You know what I was saying about how I love old machines because they're all metal? The Janome HD line is largely metal. The high end of it is full metal and the lower end is alloys and plastic housings, but Janome is good people.

They're good machines, Brett.

Old Kenmores are hit and miss because they have this bad habit of breaking to 60% functionality and then never breaking all the way, so people keep them around for 30 years even though they really should have been considered broken in 1997. I have an old Kenmore that I keep meaning to clean up and test out, but I've had too much going on.

Good Janome.

[20dollarlolita]

If I may jump in on your RateMyMachine, how would you rate a Frister & Rossman 64? It’s my mother’s machine she got in like, the 80’s and I dragged it down from the attic recently and got it serviced.

So far all I’ve done with it is a Sewing Machines for Dummies course and a cosplay pair of paws and a tail, but it handled the faux fur like a champ and I’m excited to do more with it! Also it’s the most hideous shade of yellow plastic you’ve ever seen, I love it

When you said it was the ugliest shade of yellow, I was reminded of this work story.

So this lady comes in with this machine. She gets it serviced twice a year, but it's the first time I've met her.

This is the model of her machine, but hers is a different color. Hers is also from either 2007 or 2002. I don't remember. I'm talking to her and mention that I didn't know that it was ever released in yellow, and she said, "Oh, it wasn't. I used to smoke while I sewed." It was roughly this color. I'm going to assume that I had some level of shocked on my face because she proudly goes, "At least my lungs don't look like that anymore!"

But, upon a solid google search, it appears that your machine was originally actually yellow, and was not owned by a former chain smoker.

Antique Frister and Rossmann machines have a lot more info about them than the modern ones,

My favorite thing about the old Frister and Rossmann machines is that the treadle pedal was shaped like a pair of feet.

The name is now owned by SMD Retail Limited, who run Sewing Machines Direct, but I can't find that they're doing anything with the name and I can't find when they took the name.

The levers on the front say "width", "length", and "stretch" and I have no idea that the stretch lever controls. I'd love to get a chance to sew on one of these in person.

Handles fur, 10/10, can let you do a Sewing Machine for Dummies so it's got all the most important features functioning correctly, has history of pedals shaped like shoes, 10/10.

[20dollarlolita]

I was just saying to myself the other day that my Singer Promise that I got on clearance at Target some 10 years ago for $69 has been plugging away unheeded by anything I have thrown at it as a cosplayer but I go to turn it on to modify an offbrand blouse I just thrifted and... The light blinks then nothing. I check the surge protector and it's been tripped. Try plugging it in again directly into wall nothing. Looks like I'm going shopping.

Ouch. Sounds like something fried a chip in there. Surge protector protected some things, but not enough to save your poor baby.

A while back I watched this video about how surge protectors totally don't work the way I thought they did. I always sort of thought it was "surge protector=safe" but there's a ton of situations where they just don't do that. Also I think my machines are plugged into the wall directly...note to self: unplug machine when not in use.

Well, I hope you get a chance to find a new machine. Don't forget to check thrift stores. Sometimes there's real gems there for like $25. Sorry for your loss.