Not Worth Buying at Any Price
Written: Jul 04 '06
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: It got the job done in an emergency. Well, sort of. Almost.
Cons: The most difficult to use, badly crafted sewing machine I have ever owned.
The Bottom Line: Don't get it. Not worth the trouble. Save up your money and buy a real sewing machine.
|
|
|
| hularider's Full Review: White Sewing 1409 Mechanical Sewing Machine |
Well, I've had my new White sewing machine for one day now, and have decided that it is my last White. Thank heavens I spent the $57 on the extended warranty. I'll sure get my money's worth - from the warranty, not the machine. Wouldn't buy one of those dogs again at any price.
The saga started when I dropped off my two trusty Singers at the service center. After faithfully sewing hundreds of hula costumes, and then my wedding gown and my husband's wedding attire, my old favorite machine finally needed some adjusting, cleaning, and lubricating.
I always keep a back-up machine handy, not only for myself, but for my students as well. My durable old back-up machine was originally from a high-school home economics class, then sold as surplus to a bird biologist who used it to make tents and sleeping bags, and then sold to me where it spent about five years teaching my students to sew. It has gotten worn and rusty, so I donated it to someone who has the time to work on it. After all, there at the service center was a BRAND NEW White for less than the cost of refurbishing my old school machine. Big mistake. I should have had it refurbished and kept it.
After donating the back-up machine and signing the papers to have my main machine refurbished, I bought a brand new White. $119, plus the extended warranty at $57.
A tip - ALWAYS take the machine out of the box at the store and examine it carefully! I didn't.
I got the machine home and cut open the factory-sealed box. I didn't stop to think that the broken foam inside might signal a problem. I pulled out the machine and, following the directions, set it up.
The machine had a number of soft white hairs on it. "Hmmmm," I thought. "They must have dusted it with a paintbrush before packing it." When my cat allergy started swelling my left eye shut, and my face was itching like mad, I knew otherwise. That machine was covered with cat hair!
I finished cleaning the machine (I had some sewing that needed to be done right away).
Winding the bobbin was strange. Just didn't act right. I later figured out that the stopper pin was missing. Hey - I haven't used such a basic machine in 20 years - I forgot that they need that little plastic thingie to pop the bobbin out when it's done, so I didn't notice that it was missing.
When I went to put the wound bobbin in the race, I had difficulty pulling out the bobbin that was in there already - the race was jammed with a wad of black thread.
Then I really went over the machine - chips of paint were missing, there was corrosion under other areas of paint. I had been sold a used machine which was factory-packed as new!
I phoned Fabric Warehouse in Hilo, where I had bought the machine just a few hours earlier. It was almost closing, but they stayed open for me and swapped the machine. The two ladies who helped me were very sweet. Kudos to Fabric Warehouse for doing their best to resolve the problem!
Well, we opened the new box there in the store, and the machine had all its parts and no corrosion or chips. I took it home.
Running several hours behind, I sewed much of the night, the task greatly slowed by the machine constantly jamming.
It's a pretty gutless piece of hardware. It eats thin fabric, dragging it under the feed dog and jamming. But it won't go through a heavy fabric. Just not enough "oomph." The needle hits the fabric, the gears slip, end everything stops. It's also a little difficult to run the thread, as the guides are slightly out of alignment.
The reverse works - sometimes. Sometimes it won't stop working and the machine won't go ahead. Using the reverse also significantly increases the likelihood that the machine will jam within the next inch.
In my opinion, if they can't make a decent low-priced machine, they should get out of the market, rather than sell these frustrating, badly crafted things. And, I hope they start doing better quality control in the packing room.
Do NOT buy one of these for a person who wants to learn to sew. Save up enough money to buy a decent machine. Starting with one of these could turn a person off of sewing forever.
For this one, I'll keep taking it back under the warrenty, unless they offer me an upgrade without an additional charge. If they do that, I'll take it.
I have been sewing for over 40 years, and used uncounted machines. I have sewn on Singers, Brothers, Husquevarnas, and other brands. I have never had a machine as difficult to use as this one.
Recommended:
No
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
hularider
|
|
Member: Leilehua Yuen
Location: Hilo, Hawaii, USA
Reviews written: 70
Trusted by: 8 members
About Me:
HulaRider is an author, artist, and educator who specializes in Hawaiian culture and arts.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.