Sowing machines.....
 

Wife's sowing machine has crapped out, not fixable....has the name Brother on it, so her B'day coming up in a month, need buy her a good portable machine.....I see lots on Ammozone and Ebay....but watt to buy??

Singer is on one of them that looks like it be decent for ~250 bux or so....

but watt have yawl been having good luck with??

I see some for less than 100 bux, but gotta know it's China junk for that price....

I can tell you to make sure whatever brand you get doesn't use proprietary bobbins (check what her current machine uses so don't have to buy everything again).
New doesn't mean any better than a used machine, consider a machine repair store for a used machine.
Really depends on what she uses it for, an occasional repair or doesshe need specialty stitching (button holes and the like). They're different feet attachments for some also.
I'd rather buy a woman clothes I'll know she will return than sewing machine... So you may want to ask her what she needs before actually buying.

Yvonne has a Viking (Husqvarna) she will be selling. Vikings are not low-end machines though...

I can get you the model number if interested;

Viking Designer II, has the optional embroidery module and multiple stitching cards.

It's HEAVY... built like a tank, as all Viking machines are.

Bernini (sp?) and Singer (If they are even still around) are good machines.


Edit: It's Bernina

I looked it up, sewing is not her hobby, just make a few quick items and/or repair crap.....that is too much machine, and heavy don't cut it for her.....she only 130 lbs.....I"m the dinosaur she the spring chickadee....

:lol:

My wife & I went through this a few years ago when she wanted to upgrade from her aging Kenmore. Places that sold Singers along with other brands didn't have a lot good to say about the current Singers. Brother seemed to be a popular choice for general household work.

We ended up at a place that had many models of several brands to try out. She settled on a Pfaff. Lots of features that she liked, but it was ~$2500. My sister does a lot of textile work & has, among others, a couple of Berninas that she's happy with, but they get expensive.

You may want to ask your wife what types of features she'd like in a machine, especially if sewing is also a hobby in addition to repair work.

EDIT: Just saw your comment about sewing not being a hobby of hers. A basic machine with a few stitches would probably be a good choice.