List Price: $599.99
Sale Price: $587.00
Today's Bonus: 2% Off
I have owned this machine for several weeks now and it performs beautifully. The stitches are perfect, but more importantly, I do a lot of quilting and own several sewing machines. This machine drops the feed dogs and performs free motion quilting the best of any machine I've ever owned ... and that includes top of the line very expensive machines. If you like free motion quilting, this machine will do it without any problems.
The only feature I would add on this machine is the up/down button ... I wish it had that feature ... but even at that, this machine is worth every penny I paid for it.
I am very happy with this machine and I have absolutely no problems or hesitation in giving it 5 stars in rating. I have been using this machine and I know what it can do and what to expect of it.
I highly recommend this machine to anyone who likes do do free motion quilting or would like to learn this technique. The other decorative stitches perform well and I have done table toppers using the decorative stitches as quilting stitches and I did not have to use a walking foot to achieve perfectly spaced stitches.
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I had been considering purchasing this machine since Singer came out with it in February but didn't make the purchase until late May because of the negative reviews other purchasers had written. I finally bought it regardless of the reviews stating that it was loud and of poor quality with low functionality... THOSE REVIEWS ARE WRONG!This machine caught my eye because it's absolutely beautiful unlike my Fashion Mate which is an eye sore when left out in my home. The machine sews beautifully, has most of the same stitches that my last Singer had, and the large sewing space makes quilting extra easy. One review that I read stated that the machine being plastic scratches easily and I can see where that would be an issue because of the black color but I feel like that's normal wear and tear. There is a very large compartment underneath, three times the size of regular machines, to store extra bobbins and tools. Overall this machine is everything I could have wanted.
A lot of the reviews I read said the machine was of a low quality and those people said they were taking the machine back to get a Viking or other expensive brand. In my personal experience Singer has never been of the same quality as Viking considering that Singer machines are a third of the cost! You get what you pay for... I have ALWAYS been a Singer user. I started sewing on my great Grandmother's treadle machine from the 1920's as a small child, it is still in my home today. Like everything else made in this day and age, I can't see this machine still being functional in 100 years like my great Gran's machine.
If they are still available and you are thinking of purchasing this anniversary edition I would encourage you to buy it... it is well worth the money!
Best Deals for SINGER 160 Anniversary Limited Edition Computerized Sewing Machine
Singer is now part of SVP, who make Viking, Pfaff and Singer in a factory in Shanghai (the Latin American ones are made in Brazil.) They are now very well manufactured in my experience, and competitive.This machine is an electronic machine, meaning you select the stitches via a button rather than turning a knob, and there are a lot of features for the price, although you CAN get the same features or even more for a similar price from Brother, who dominates this end of the market. And it has been styled to reflect the iconic black and gold machine we sewed on in the last century, a machine found in most homes in America.
This Anniversary Limited model gives you 30 stitches, including two automatic buttonholes, and an extended bed, to hold fabric that is larger, say, quilted items or home decor projects. There are a lot of accessory feet. Here's what you get:
Feet:
Zipper Foot
Buttonhole Foot with Underplate (makes the automated one step buttonholes)
Blind Hem Foot
Satin Stitch Foot
Pack of Needles
Bobbins
Thread Spool Caps
Auxiliary Spool Pin
Spool Pin Felt
Needle Plate Screwdriver
Seam Ripper/Lint Brush
Soft-Sided Dust Cover
Stitches
Several stretch stitches (for knits)
12 Decorative (embroidery) stitches including feather, ladder and star or daisy, which are important for quilting or heirloom style sewing
Regular stitches (blind hem, straight, zigzags, etc)
The one step buttonholes (straight bar end, no rounded style)
Drop down feeddog (lets you do free stitching without the feed dog, and without having to put a cover over the feed dog.)
LED display shows the number of the stitch selected and the stitch length, width.
The SwiftSmart threading and Drop & Sew bobbin systems (easier to thread, easy to drop in bobbin.)
What you DON'T get:
Automated start-stop (needle stays up or down as you choose, pretty much a desireable feature for quilting.)
Rounded end buttonholes or knit style buttonholes
Special feet such as cording, piping, invisible zipper, hemmer (these you have to buy extra and count on eight to twenty per foot!)
Machines that compete in this price range:
Janome DC1050 fifty stitches and automatic up-down (so better for quilting, and Janome is known for a jam-proof bobbin --they hold a patent.) Also the dealers are widely available.
Brother CS6000i Sew Advance Quite a bit less, sixty stitches, extended table (like the extra long table on this model, but removable) widely available service locations, not as good a bobbin (in my opinion) but still a big bang for the buck. Neither of these alternatives has the cute styling of the Anniversary Limited model and look utilitarian. If you have a home filled with vintage decor, you may want the looks of the Singer for esthetic reasons, but despite this being a robust, well-designed and feature-filled machine, you can get more features or spend less and get more features if you look at alternatives. Summary: very good offering, cost is good for what you get, but this is a competitive arena in sewing and there are other choices.
Honest reviews on SINGER 160 Anniversary Limited Edition Computerized Sewing Machine
UPDATE:Changing my review to a 5 star! I've had this machine for over a year now, and it has become my little trooper! I've used it pretty much every day for several hours, and have NEVER had a problem. I've used all the functions and sewn through nearly every kind of material. It's a champion. I have taken to patting it on the head after each big project, that's how much I love it. I've used a wide range of machines, and this one is the most simple, comfortable, and trusty little gizmo, in my opinion. Most machines give up on me at this point, but I think I'm going to have this one forever. Just to reiterate: After sewing on it every day for over a YEAR, I've never had an issue with tension or mechanics, I haven't even broken a needle.
It does take some getting used to at first. I've had my sister use it, and she thought it was weird at first, but also fell in love with how easy it was. So I still stand by everything I said below, but this machine has definitely become my favorite! And every time I have guests over they tell me how pretty it is :)
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I had been admiring this machine from afar for months until my trusty Brother machine seized up on me. I sew for a living as part of my business, and am on a machine for at least a couple hours nearly every day. I was hesitant to purchase a new Singer. My first new machine was a Singer Talent, which is still alive, but I hate sewing on it. It always jams, and it actually bounces around like a jackhammer if you push down on the pedal all the way. It's also incredibly loud. These traits made me nervous about getting the anniversary model, but it was so pretty I couldn't help myself!
When it arrived, I was so excited I set it up right away. It is gorgeous. The plastic is really high quality and solid, and it looks super sleek. The only let down is the foot pedal, which is really small and light, so it's hard to get your foot on it just right and keep it in place. It flashes and beep -boops like a robot when you turn it on. I prefer more technical, manual machines to computerized ones, as there is less that can go wrong, but this one is kind of cool and doesn't over do it. I've had it for a few weeks now and use it all the time. The first stitch after you turn the machine on is always slow, like it's waking up. It DOES stitch beautifully. I haven't had any issues with the tension or inaccurate stitches. I can go through a project really quickly, as I never have to fix anything. The different stitches are really cool, and you can switch stitches just by touching a button. It will sew through many different materials, and has stitches for stretchy fabric, silk, etc. I just wouldn't recommend it for heavy duty fabric. It got a little jammed going through a few layers of canvas.
I love how easy it is to thread! You just drop in the bobbin. You don't have to pull up the thread. And you just pull the top thread through the slot straight to the needle. So cool! It's a little confusing the first time you do it, but the best word of advice is "yes, it really is that simple." The only downside is the bobbin winding isn't the greatest. The thread flaps around and can get tangled. But it works, anyway.
The hardest thing to get used to is the auto up needle. I'm guessing because it's computerized, the needle has to go all the way up when you finish sewing. The bad part about that is it will sometimes keep stitching after you lift your foot off the pedal. It has caused me to go off my seem allowance often, and annoys the crap out of me! The first time I used it I even considered returning it because of it. But I got used to it, and have learned to live with it.
The other thing to get used to is the reverse button. You have to keep your foot down on the pedal before and after. If you pick it up at all, it will stall, and takes a few seconds to go again. It's also super slow in reverse.This also bothered me, but I actually got used to it. The biggest overall critique is the computerized features seem to slow down the machines functions. But once you sew on it a few times, the good starts to outshine the little annoyances.
I am overall happy with my purchase. The machiine is quiet, sturdy, and does it's job. It's excellent quality for the price. However, if I had spent the $600 they originally went for, I would be incredibly dissapointed. But for $340 on Amazon, its an amazing little gizmo that I'm learning to fall in love with :)
I would sew on it a few times before you make up your mind on it. But I definitely recommend it!! If your looking for a simple, easy machine to do the job right, this one won't dissapoint.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for SINGER 160 Anniversary Limited Edition Computerized Sewing Machine
I certainly didn't need another sewing machine, but the design is so beautiful that I decided to get it anyway. It's easy to setup and use. I didn't expect it to have the fancier features that my much more expensive Viking has (like the needle that will automatically stop in the down position).The sound it makes is different than I've heard before, but not too loud. The comments about it being plastic surprised me. Is there a sewing machine made today that is not plastic? My Viking is certainly made of plastic.
The 160 is a beautiful machine, it sews beautifully and I am very happy with my purchase! I can't wait to get going on my next project!
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