Singer 9960 and 9970 are almost identical. But you can make out the difference, if you dig in deep. Let us see which one offers more in value.

9960 and 9970 are two advanced sewing machines from Singer. The choice between the two is always confusing. There is no question about the quality of these two sewing machines. The only question is, which one offers more in value and performance. In terms of features, there isn’t much of a difference between the two, but there is a striking difference in color and looks. 9960 comes in silver color whereas 9970 is blue. Currently there is a decent price difference between 9960 and 9970, with 9970 being the expensive one. So the final question is, Is it worth spending extra dollars on Singer 9970 or should I go with 9960 ? I will try my best to answer your question as simply as possible.

Singer 9960 vs 9970 Feature Comparison

Absolutely no difference. Yes, you read it right. There is nothing, simply nothing. There is no difference in features except for the color and weight. 9960 is the heavier machine weighing 20 pounds, 9970 weighs 17.8 pounds only. There are two ways to look at the weights of sewing machines. Generally, heavier machines tend to be more sturdy as there are more metal parts. Lighter machines are easy to carry around. But these two being advanced sewing machines, I don’t expect you to carry these machines to sewing classes. So 9960 is a clear winner as far as the weight is concerned.

Accessories : This is where the price difference comes into play. Both machines come with a lot of accessories. But Singer 9970 comes with six extra bonus accessories than 9960. The extra feet you get are Chenille Stitching Foot, Edge Joining Foot, Gathering Foot, Non-Stick Foot, Parallel Sewing Foot and Seam Guide Foot. I did the math and found out that, if you buy these six bonus feet separately it will cost you around $64. So I think the 6 extra feet that comes with 9970 is not really worth it, as you are spending few dollars for nothing. They may not be much, but still is a part of your hard earned money.

Now let us compare Singer 9960 vs 9970 as a whole. The differences are marked out in red.

Singer 9960 vs 9970 Performance Comparison

In the past, when you compare the performance of these two machines, 9970 was slightly better with heavy duty fabrics and was quieter than 9960. But a recent product update on 9960 seems to have fixed all the issues and it works flawlessly on any kind of fabric.

Verdict

After the update, 9960 is a much better sewing machine. Now the performance of both machines are almost identical. The choice between 9960 and 9970 comes down to individual decision making. But if you ask me, I would always go with 9960 as it is cheaper. Six extra feet doesn’t matter to me (what if you don’t need all 6 of them, so it will be a better thing to buy the ones you want separately). Singer 9960 now features in our list of ‘Machines You Can Buy With Your Eyes Shut’. There are only 5 sewing machines in that list and 9960 is one of them. It will be a great machine for advanced sewers.