Sewing is an art. Sewing machines aid you in creating beautiful patterns, designs, and garments.
But for basic sewers, all they want from a sewing machine is the ability to repair or do basic sewing with ease.
In a world where everything is getting portable, handy, and easy-to-use, sewing machines have started coming in mini versions of their larger self.
While it seems a perfect solution to get a quick hem done or stitch a lace border to modify your dress, but does it really work that way?
Do handheld sewing machines offer exactly what they claim? Let’s have a look before you reach the verdict as to whether or not to have them.
Only good for fancy advertisements
What looks good on TV looks only good on the screen. Handheld sewing machines are a perfect example of this. When the lady in the ad stitches almost all kinds of cloth with ease and perfection, one gets lured. They even claim that you don’t need any learning for the device, and almost anyone can use it. The miniature sewing machines work miraculously in television ads.
They are shown as quick, handy, repair almost anything machines. But the reality is exactly the opposite. This is one of the major traps to draw customers. While the ease of the sewing shown on TV fascinates one, the reality is different.
Don’t replace real sewing machines
The sewing machines were made for a purpose. A smaller device made to fit into your pocket can in no means fully replace a real sewing machine. The stitches are not good and neat. It can be called a repair device, and in that department too, it fails miserably.
If you are the one who wants the handheld version to replace your sewing machine, you are bound to be disappointed. Most of them make false claims that they come with the power of a full-size machine. But trust us, they can never have the same power. Some machines are so poorly made that knobs fall off, and springs come out!
It is also not that easy to hold and stitch with a handheld machine. For instance, the real machine sits on a firm base, so you need not worry about the positioning of the machine, but in the case of the handheld device, the stitching goes haywire and flows along with the movement of your hand.
Also, the pressure applied may vary from stitch to stitch making them very easy to come out As these machines come cheap, the tension applied doesn’t work like a more costly machine, and the result is inferior stitches that are unequal, look sloppy, and are less durable than a normal sewing machine.
Needle very weak, Stitches unravel
The needle of most handheld machines is very fragile. You need to take the utmost care while stitching so as not to break it. While stitching a thicker piece of cloth or denim material, the needle snaps into two. Imagine the pain if you need to keep attaching a new needle while stitching something.
Even if your handheld machine manages a stitch or two, the stitches of a portable machine are not at all neat. These machines can generally perform a forward lockstitch, which is also not proper. They are unkempt and unravel. It’s only a temporary solution to tears.
What’s the point of using a machine if the stitches you get are not strong and up to the mark? Sometimes the machines are so difficult to thread that they only make holes in the fabric.
Difficult to learn
On the go, it looks really easy just to plug in the batteries and start stitching with a handheld sewing machine. But the case is not so. You actually need to follow the instructions step by step, and just in case you skip one, you will not be able to use it as desired.
Even for beginners, it is better to learn a quick stitch on a real machine than to waste time on a handheld device. The small version is good for decorative purposes.
If you just have a machine, which is obviously a useless piece of the device for you, but it as a decoration in your sewing room and marvel how fancy advertising made you go for it.
Hand sewing is better
If you are too lazy to operate your sewing machine and are contemplating the idea of buying a handheld machine, beware! Just learn some basic needle and thread work. That will be more useful to you in case of an emergency than to get into the trouble of buying a handheld machine.
Opt for the traditional needle and thread and get work done quickly without hassles. In some handheld sewing machines, you actually have to secure a stitch at the end by tying a knot with your hand. This defeats the purpose of the sewing machine itself. Why can’t one just opt for hand stitching instead of even bothering to thread a machine?
Price and paraphernalia
Affordability is a different thing, and cheap is another. It rarely happens that all things good come cheap. Think logically. Why would someone give you the benefits of a sewing machine for just under fifty dollars? There are some that are priced at ten dollars. Obviously, there ought to be flawed. Also the attachments, the machines come with are useless. You can’t even use one properly.
What’s the point of keeping so many added accessories like needle box, bobbin, etc., when you actually can’t use them with the machine! Some cheap machines are made of plastic, which obviously is less durable than their metal counterparts.
Final Words
After reading about so many flaws of the handheld sewing machine, you would have definitely got an insight into what actually the product offers. It is rare that you will find a handheld sewing machine that will make you wonder at its utility.
Yes, it is portable, battery-operated, supposedly easy to use, but no, it is merely a fancy piece of a machine designed like they never meant serious business.
Thank you so much for this review, I was about to purchase one that I saw advertised on television and thought it might be wise to have some independent information. Since reading all of your information I have decided to save the $50 and keep sewing by hand. It’s such a shame that advertising can be so misleading and get away with it, I’ll definitely be telling people what I have learned today, thanks again.
Regarding “Think logically. Why would someone give you the benefits of a sewing machine for just under fifty dollars?” I suspect it’s because their cost of manufacture is minimal and there’s a market for low priced machines.
I want a sewing machine for occasional use. I’d love a Brother computerised machine with all the extras but I not only can’t afford it, it would be wasted on me. Something cheap and nasty will suffice.
Something cheap and nasty that can’t sew well would however be a waste of time and money, so I’ll take heed of your other points nonetheless.
This article is great… I was looking for some reviews and found this. Going with the manual needle-and-thread solution after reading.
Incidentally, there appears to be ONE exception to the rule: the Union Special 2200 Series. Of course, that beast costs about six times that of a Singer Quantum Stylist 9960, so clearly it’s the exception to the rule.
Thanks for saving me $50, though!