There is more to life than just saving money. This post is my honest view about mini sewing machines. I have also included couple of recommendations based on my experience with different machines.
Are Mini Sewing Machines Worth It ? The answer is a straight No. Yes, I am not joking. Most of the mini sewing machines you get in U.S are good for nothing. People normally look for mini sewing machines for doing scrapbooking and some small craft works. Tabletops and handhelds are the two types of mini sewing machines available in U.S. I have tried my hand with couple of handheld machines and it was a disaster for me. I am a picky person, I always value quality much more than the price. So I couldn’t find a reason to waste my money on such useless machines.
My Experience With Handheld Sewing Machines
To date, I have used and reviewed around 200 sewing machines. So I would consider myself as a person having some reasonable experience in sewing. I tried my luck with a couple of handheld sewing machines and the results were not very pleasing. First of all, the main issue with the handheld sewing machines is the quality of stitches. The stitches will come off rather quickly. The quality of plastic used will be the lowest for sure. In most cases it would be a one time use kind of affair. It won’t be long before you break something and end up wasting your money, even if it is $10.
My Experience With Tabletop Mini Sewing Machines
I am not totally against tabletop mini sewing machines. Even though there are a lot of crap machines, you can find couple of quality ones if you dig in deep. Some of them are of reasonable quality such as the Michley LSS 505 and Janome Sew Mini. Unfortunately there are not many choices for you. You have very few machines to choose from, which increases the chance of making a wrong decision. Probably the list of Top 6 Best Mini Sewing Machines In U.S might help you. In that post, I have tried my level best to give you information about the best of the best mini sewing machines. But still, I will never recommend a mini sewing machine over a regular machine. You will never get the quality of regular machines with mini machines.
However, if you are not really serious about sewing other than doing some quick fabric fixes, mini sewing machines will be handy. They are also very easy to carry around. Almost all mini sewing machines can be operated with batteries. But be careful while choosing, make sure that you won’t end up wasting your hard earned money. Some may advice you to buy a used machine, but I am always skeptical about used machines. There is a theory I always follow about used sewing machines, “If a person decides to sell her sewing machine, there has to be something wrong with it. Otherwise she would have kept it”.