A honest and impartial comparison between two quality under $200 sewing machines, the Singer 7258 and 4423. Both have their own merits and demerits.

When you compare Singer 7258 and 4423, you are comparing two entirely different sewing machines. 7258 is a fully computerized sewing machine and 4423 is a heavy duty mechanical sewing machine. Both caters to different set of sewers. The only common factor is that, both these machines fall in the same price segment (under $200). And whenever you search for a Singer machine under $200, these two will occupy the first two positions. The price gap between these two is not huge, so it is definitely worth having a close look at them.

Singer 7258 Vs 4423 – Features Comparison

Design wise, there is zero similarity. Singer 7258 has a plethora of buttons and controls, whereas 4423 has two simple dials. 4423 has a very simple design that every sewer can easily relate to. Now let us go through the areas where 7258 and 4423 differ.

Motor Power : This is where Singer 4423 excels over 7258, and by a fair margin. Since 4423 is a heavy duty model, it is much more equipped to deal with heavy duty fabrics (thanks to the motor which is 31% more powerful than 7258). So if you sew a lot of heavy duty fabrics, I think 4423 will be a better option. But you must remember one thing, 4423 is still an under $200 machine, so don’t try it with too many multiple layers of fabrics like denim. Anything under 8 layers will give you great results.

Built-in Stitches : 4423 is no match for 7258 in this department. 7258 comes with a whopping 100 built-in stitches, whereas 4423 has only 23 of them. So those who are looking for variety stitch options will like 7258 more. Moreover 7258 has 6 one-step buttonhole styles and 4423 comes with only 1.

LCD Screen : Being a computerized sewing machine, 7258 comes with an LCD screen on which you can see the selected stitch and settings. Buttons are provided for stitch selection. Stitch selection on 4423 is done by turning the dial.

Speed Control : On 7258, you can sew without using the foot pedal. You can control the sewing speed by using the speed control slider. You can start/stop sewing by pressing the sewing start/stop button. This feature is completely absent in 4423 as it is a mechanical sewing machine. On 4423, you sew it the traditional way, by using the foot pedal.

Programmable Needle Up/Down : This is a huge thing for quilters. With this button, you can program the needle to stop in up/down position according to your requirement. This literally works like an extra hand while pivoting or removing the fabric. 7258 is equipped with this feature.

Presser Foot Pressure Control : This is a purely subjective thing, some may like automatic presser foot pressure and some others like adjustable presser foot pressure. 7258 has automatic presser foot pressure and 4423 has an adjustable one (you can pick your winner here).

Needle Positions : 7258 comes with 13 needle positions as compared to the 3 that comes with 4423.

Drop Feed : Lack of drop feed option to do free-motion quilting is the biggest bummer of 7258. 4423 on the other hand comes with drop feed.

These are the feature differences.

Singer 7258 Vs 4423 – Performance Comparison

When you look at sheer performance, I would rate 4423 slightly higher than 7258. For the price, 4423 justifies its heavy duty tag quite well. Those who are looking for more creativity will find 7258 as a better option. 7258 has a lot of features and it is a very easy machine to use. It is a good machine to grow your skills, 4423 is limited in that front. As far as stitch quality is concerned, I think both are almost identical.

Verdict

If you are a person who plans to grow your sewing skills level by level, I would recommend Singer 7258. If you are happy with an affordable mechanical sewing machine with good performance, you can go with 4423. Both machines have their own merits and demerits. The price difference is not too much of a factor here, as you are looking at two machines that belong to two different categories, it is the requirement of the sewer that matters the most.