Reddit reviews SINGER 4423 Sewing Machine, white

If you had to pick one of these for a beginner machine which would you pick?

(SINGER | Heavy Duty 4423 Sewing Machine)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VWXZQ0/

(Brother CS6000i)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JQM1DE/

Beginner Goals: Alter t-shirts for better fit, repair tears on thrift finds.
More future goals: Actually make clothes from fabrics. Likely not jeans since I imagine that would require a bit more powerful of a machine.

Zero experience in sewing atm. Both these machines look great. The singer looks a little more sturdy though. Any feedback or recommendations?

My wife uses this sewing machines almost daily - https://www.amazon.com/SINGER-4423-Heavy-Sewing-Machine/dp/B003VWXZQ0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1504045144&sr=8-3&keywords=singer+sewing+machine

It's cheap, get's the job done, and great for learning on. It can sew though (most) denim with no problems.

-Bahzad

I have this one: https://www.amazon.com/Singer-4423-Stitches-Decorative-Automatic/dp/B003VWXZQ0/

It's $200 now, but gets under $120 pretty regularly. The 4411 is often under $110. Vintage machines can be a better value, but they can be harder to use unless you already know your way around a sewing machine, and parts can be hard/impossible to find. I recently had my 1969 Dial-n-Sew serviced and the guy told me to just throw it away next time it broke because it was impossible to get new parts for it.

I started off with a singer heavy duty, its simple to use and has a fair number of useful stitches built in. 90% of the time though when I was using it it was either a straight or zig-zag stitch. Any kind of simple tutorial will do for learning, I did hats. Also a good thing to do is to cut up an old piece of clothing and use it as a makeshift pattern, cutting out the pieces of cheap broadcloth and then assembling them.

Eventually once you get enough experience in you're going to want to get a serger. The amount of time you save and higher levels of quality are well worth the money.

100% beginner, really only looking to alter clothes (including jeans). Not really in a place where I can get used easily, would you guys recommend something like https://www.amazon.com/4423-Extra-High-Machine-Stainless-Bedplate/dp/B003VWXZQ0/ or is that overkill?

Also more broadly are there kits you can buy meant to accompany a machine? I don't have anything at all so will need extra thread, needles, scissors etc. Would be nice if I could get them all in the same kit.

Yes I only used a sewing machine. I used a singer heavy duty machine that you can pick up for not that much on amazon Singer Heavy Duty Sewing Machine

I sew, and I have modded my own gis and sewn patches.

I use a basic Singer like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/4423-Extra-High-Machine-Stainless-Bedplate/dp/B003VWXZQ0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408739757&sr=8-1&keywords=singer+classic

Works awesome.

Once you learn how to change bobbins and the inital setup, the sewing part is very easy.

I'm really partial to Singer. I have a new one, and an antique hand crank Singer with gold filligree that has been totally restored/rebuilt.

My antique singer is nearly identical to this, except mine is in WAY better condition and it sews a perfect straight stitch:

http://i878.photobucket.com/albums/ab350/gannonsantiques/Antique%20Sewing%20Machines/Antique%20Singer%20Sewing%20Machine%20Egyptian%20Motif%201902/ANTIQUESINGERSEWINGMACHINE004.jpg

After trying to get an older one off craigslist, I gave up and just got this. So far its held up. My only regret is that it doesn't have an overlock stitch.

I currently own a Singer Scholastic that I absolutely adore. But the Signer 4423 is rather inexpensive - I recommended it to two of my friends and they love it. Sturdy, easy to work with and will sew through multiple layers with no issue whatsoever. I also dig the square, industrial look, but maybe you prefer it all white and rounded :)

https://www.amazon.com/SINGER-4423-Heavy-Sewing-Machine/dp/B003VWXZQ0

I used to have a vintage sewing machine and all was fine until it needed repair. It was cheaper to get my current machine, brand new, than service it.

I've bought my last three sewing machines off of Amazon - it will be fine. :-) I currently have a SINGER 9960 Quantum Stylist that works amazingly well. It was a warehouse deal off of Amazon so I ended up paying a little less that the current listed price.

Back in the states, I have the Singer Heavy Duty 4411 which is a little work horse.

Almost ten years ago now, I bought Singer Heavy Duty 4423. It was the reason I ended up buying the 4411 six years later. After doing hundreds of sewing projects on this thing over the course of six years, it finally started to act up. It was cheaper to buy a new machine than it was to fix this one - there was a problem with the lower tension that I just couldn't set properly. Still, because it worked so well for so long - it was the first machine I had that lasted me longer than a few years- I stayed with the brand.

EDIT: I should also add, I've had lots of things shipped from the US Amazon to my APO address - no issues. If they can get things here in one piece, then I'm sure you will be fine.

Omg thank you for that link! I'm gonna try it tonight!

I have to yank my diapers through my machine cause the tension is broken on it. And something is wrong with the bobber set up (always been that way.) To be fair to the machine, it's almost 15 years old and I got it second hand from my Aunt, it's more than pulled it's weight in life. I ordered a new machine today, Amazon has this one on sale for $117 and everywhere else it's $160-$179. Not happy about it (but excited lol,) since I already spent a good chunk on money and my machine is about to die. Soooo...yeah. :)

A youtube tutorial list would be awesome! I watched these two before I even started trying to put a diaper together. They helped a lot since I was struggling to understand the directions on the pattern!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNMZLYtu6NU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ2uGKXRPuc

If you have a healthy tolerance for frustration, IMO you probably don't need very much at all. I recently bought a Singer 4423 (it was $118 at the time) and watched a bunch of Youtube tutorials. Like a ridiculous number of Youtube tutorials lol. Then I just kind of went for it. :) I definitely would echo the recommendations to get good scissors, pins, and a seam ripper, because mine have gotten a lot of use already.

RE relatively easy projects, I just followed a couple of tutorials that seemed fun. I made an elastic-waistband half-circle skirt using Halloween fabrics from JoAnn's - I had wanted to make it reversible, but couldn't quite make it work (I didn't cut the pieces out exactly the same, so they didn't line up, and...it was a whole mess) so it wound up just being two separate layers. Still cute, still really fun for Halloween. :) I also just made a pair of pajama pants using some cute flannel from fabric.com - they're also not well-made, but cozy. I will probably try to follow an actual pattern for whatever I make next, though.

This one supposedly does both: http://www.amazon.com/4423-Machine-Interior-Stainless-Bedplate/dp/B003VWXZQ0

Those leather working tools definitely would be cool if you want that external rustic stitch (like moccasin shoes)

I try to keep my stitches internal by doing the work inside out then slowly rolling it outside (take time to work the thicker materials, you need tools to assist)

It's true that depending on leather thickness the average machine won't cut it, but unless it's thick rawhide you likely will be fine on a normal machine. Singer does make heavier duty consumer grade machines without bank breaking prices too.

I'm Using one of these https://www.amazon.com/4423-Extra-High-Machine-Stainless-Bedplate/dp/B003VWXZQ0

I recently did some thick material projects on a machine and pulled it off. Suede headphone band, PU weatherproof leather for an upholstery project.

I was looking to buy my first sewing machine and need help deciding which to buy. It's mainly going to be used for sewing jeans and shirts and so far I'm looking at this or this.

Well, for my previous sewing endeavors I used my mom's Singer, and I kind of became a fanboy not because I know lots about sewing machines but because it never gave me any trouble after pretty much a whole year and a half of constant use and abuse.

The one I got for myself is a standard model Singer with several stitching patterns. I was thinking between that or the "heavy duty" model but decided on fancy stitches because I'd give those a use.

So far I've only done a... "sewn sketch" of a muppet but I love it and it will definitely suit my needs. Guessing the "heavy duty" is more fit for clothing and stuff (though they both seem to be able to handle it).

I've used clothing patterns and heavily modified them to make clothes for little toys. Same thing with the toys/puppets themselves: you snag a pattern for something similar, then add/butcher/try/fail miserably/repeat til it looks decent. Still, it was toy-only so pretty much none of those were even functional but for display purposes only. Maybe I'll rip some old shirts apart and try to figure out how they're done once I have my muppet army.

7 my wishlist item: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VWXZQ0/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_v3Ihyb6114ZKQ

Found it, it is out of stock atm but you can still purchase.

Edit: again, I guess I don't remember how to link on mobile.

SINGER 4423 Heavy Duty Extra-High Sewing Speed Sewing Machine with Metal Frame and Stainless Steel Bedplate https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VWXZQ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_ngC3wbXA9SJHT

The best advice I can offer is not to get sucked in by machines that have tons of decorative stitches. You will most likely never, ever use them. Also, computerized machines, in my opinion, just offer one more thing to go wrong.

I'd look for a really good quality machine with the basic stitches you'll use. Don't be afraid of a used machine, either. I had a machine that was as old as I was, and it was fantastic.

Also, make sure you get a free arm. Most are these days, but the machine I'm using at the moment isn't, and it's a huge pain in the ass.

ETA: This is the one I've got my eye on at the moment.