Sewing Machines
Testing nowBeginner, computerized, heavy duty, quilting, embroidery, serger and industrial machines. Every one scored the same way, so you can compare any two.
Sewing machines · Accessories · Buying guides
Sewing machine reviews, tested on real fabric.
"Heavy duty" on the box means nothing until it gets through 4 layers of denim. We buy every machine at full price, sew the same denim, canvas, leather and chiffon on each one, and measure its speed, noise and setup time. You see what it can handle before you spend a dollar.
Tell us what you sew and what you want to spend. Five questions, about a minute.
- Bought at full retail price
- No free samples from brands
- Same fabrics for every machine
- Commissions never change a score
What do you need a sewing machine for?
Pick your project. We show the machines that passed our tests for it, and we say so when we have not tested a match yet, instead of guessing.
Machines, accessories and buying advice
Reviews of the machine, the gear that goes with it, and plain guides for choosing between them.
Sewing Accessories
Launching soonEverything around the machine: cutting tools, needles, thread, pressing, measuring, sewing tables and storage.
Buying Guides
Read nowWhat actually matters before you buy, which type of machine fits your work, and how we score them.
Sewing accessories
The right needle for denim, scissors that stay sharp, a presser foot for leather, a table that doesn't wobble. Pick what you need.
Every accessory we review is bought at retail, the same way we buy machines.
Browse all accessoriesLatest sewing machine reviews
Bought at retail and put through every test. A score only appears once the whole protocol is finished.
SewnScissors earns a commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
How we test sewing machines
Same fabrics, same tools, same scoring, whether the machine costs $100 or $1,000.
We pay for it
Full retail price, mostly from Amazon. The same machine you would get, not a hand-picked sample.
We sew with it
Cotton, denim, canvas, chiffon and tooling leather, at the same thicknesses on every machine.
We measure it
Real stitches per minute, noise in decibels, setup time from box to first stitch. Then we compare it with what the box claims.
We tell you all of it
What it does well, where it struggled, and who should buy something else.
In every reviewThe numbers manufacturers don't give you
SPMThree timed runs, averaged
dB(A)Class 2 meter at 1 metre
SETUP TIMESealed box to first stitch
11 FABRIC TESTSFive materials, set thicknesses
Why our reviews aren't for sale
The machine that arrives in our testing room is the same machine that arrives in yours. We pay for it. We keep it. Nobody gets to ask us to return a unit after publishing a negative result.
- Bought at full retail price
- No samples, loans or sponsored placements
- Weaknesses published next to strengths
- Commissions never change a score or verdict
Common questions
Does SewnScissors sell anything?
No. SewnScissors is an independent review site. We buy products, test them, and link you to the retailer. You buy directly from the retailer, which handles payment, shipping, returns and warranty.
Does buying through your links cost more?
No. You pay the retailer's normal price. When you buy through our links we may earn a small commission from the retailer, which funds the products we buy for testing. Commissions never change a score, a ranking or a verdict.
Do brands send you products to review?
No. We buy every product we test at full retail price. We do not accept samples, loans or sponsored placements, so no brand can ask for a unit back after a negative result.
Why don't you show prices?
Prices change often, sometimes daily. Rather than show a figure that may be out of date, every Check Price button takes you to the retailer's current price.
What do Testing Now and Coming Soon mean?
Coming Soon means a product is in our catalog but has not been tested yet. Testing Now means it is partway through our protocol. A score appears only when a product is Fully Reviewed, and we never publish provisional or estimated scores.
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One email when a machine finishes testing. No deals, no sponsored picks.
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