Event though Janome School Mate S-3023 is a good beginners sewing machine. Its price is not something that will make you go for it.
Janome School Mate S-3023 Features
- 24 built-in stitches
- Extra-high presser foot lifter
- Free arm sewing
- Finger guard
Janome School Mate S-3023 Review
Sewing Machine Reviews Recommendation Level : MODERATE
To be honest this is just a quick review of Janome S-3023 as I didn’t get enough time with the machine to have a full review. I didn’t get a lot of time to max out the machine to test its performance, but I have tried my level best with whatever little time I had. As the name suggests (School Mate) this is a sewing machine designed for those who attend sewing classes. But the weight of this machine is such that it will be difficult to carry around. It weighs 20 pounds. It is not lightweight by any stretch of imagination. However it is actually a good thing that it is heavy, as you are rest assured of the quality of material used in its construction. Most parts are made of metal, it is almost heavy-duty.
Janome School Mate S-3023 is a mechanical sewing machine designed for beginner sewers. It features 24 built-in stitches which includes 1 one-step buttonhole. It is not a sewing machine with lot of bells and whistles. The overall design is pretty simple. It doesn’t have a lot of buttons and stuffs. There are only 3 main controls in front of the machine. Two of them are for stitch length and width adjustments. The maximum stitch width and length that can be set are 6.5mm and 4mm respectively. The machine comes with lay in thread tension control which is nothing more than a difference in technique when compared to tension disks.
Janome School Mate S-3023 comes with a top-loading bobbin which make it easy for beginners. The presser feet is snap on type. There is a drop feed lever for free-motion sewing. The machine is free arm capable as well. Reverse stitch button is conveniently placed in front of the machine. The extra-high presser foot lifter is a boon while sewing multiple layers. One feature that you normally won’t see on all beginners machines is the finger guard. Normally you see this feature on kids’ sewing machines only, it is a good thing that Janome has included a finger guard on this machine. Pretty much impressed with the attention to detail. A hard cover is also included. It comes with 25 year limited warranty.
Usability
Unfortunately I didn’t get this machine to test for long. However I got a chance to test all the features at least once. I did test it with heavy-duty denim fabrics and it sew through it without any difficulty. The operation is quite smooth. Ideally I would like to test a machine for at least a couple of weeks before doing a full review, unfortunately I didn’t get that much time. So I will let you know about the limitations once I do a detailed review.
Is It Worth Buying ?
From the outlook, I have a feeling that Janome School Mate S-3023 is too basic for the price. For a beginners machine like this, I would have loved to see an automatic needle threader on-board. The overall design also looks old fashioned to me. The price also seems to be pretty high. I see some striking similarities between this one and Janome HD3000. HD3000 is a lot cheaper, yet comes with an automatic needle threader and it is the best heavy duty sewing machine I have ever used. It has 6 less built-in stitches though. You can consider HD3000 as an alternative.
Another option is the Janome DC2012 which is priced exactly the same as Janome School Mate S-3023 but it is far more advanced in features. It is a fully computerized sewing machine with 50 built-in stitches. I feel that it will suit a beginner more, than S-3023. All those computerized features are real fun to be honest. It is a highly rated sewing machine. I personally love the ease of use of that machine.