Best Sewing Machines: 10 Ranked, and One 'Best Seller' That Isn't

It takes the top spot on price and on evidence. At £89 it undercuts the next machine here by £10, and its 7,301 ratings at 4.7 stars are more than three times the count of any other model on the list. The listing also places it 1st in the basic sewing machine category and 1,323rd across Home & Kitchen — crucially, those are the positions the £99 L14S advertises for itself without holding them.

The specification is entry level and honest about it: 14 stitches, a metal chassis, a drop-in bobbin, an LED light and a 4-step buttonhole, at 5.1 kg with a 3-year manufacturer warranty. In practice, 14 stitches covers straight seams, zigzag and buttonholes, and the metal chassis is the part that matters when the needle meets a thick seam. The page's own rating breakdown shows 81 of every 100 ratings as five-star and 2 as one-star.

It will not suit anyone who wants stretch stitches, a one-step buttonhole or decorative patterns — you get 14 stitches and a four-step buttonhole, nothing more. That said, if you want a cheap sewing machine for hemming curtains and taking up trousers, this is the one to start with. If you plan to sew jersey, look further down this list.

Seventeen stitches for £129, against 14 stitches for £89 in first place. The star rating is identical at 4.7, but the review base is much smaller: 1,985 against 7,301. Its Best Sellers Rank is 30,873 in Home & Kitchen and 12th in the basic sewing machine category. The AE1700 competes with the AE2500 below it and the L14S further down — three sewing machines priced within £70 of each other.

The practical differences are the three extra stitches and a quick stitch selector. You still get a drop-in bobbin, LED lighting that never needs a bulb, and the same four-step buttonhole as the cheaper machine. At the same time the weight rises to 5.81 kg, so it sits more firmly on the table than the 5.1 kg model above it.

Worth noting: the listing gives dimensions of 113 cm wide and 94 cm high for a 5.81 kg machine. Those figures look like packaging data rather than the machine itself, so measure your table before ordering. It is also not the machine for anyone who wants an automatic needle threader or a one-step buttonhole; this one is threaded by hand and finishes a buttonhole in four steps.

Thirty-two stitches — six basic, six stretch, 19 decorative and one buttonhole — is the highest count among these ten sewing machines. The 4.4-star rating comes from 2,161 ratings, and the listing ranks it 165,114 in Home & Kitchen and 93rd in the full sewing machine category rather than the basic one.

For the money you get an automatic needle threader, a fully automatic one-step buttonhole, adjustable stitch length and width, and a metal frame. By contrast with the Brothers above, this is the first machine here that threads itself and finishes a buttonhole at the touch of a button. The listing states spare parts remain available for 7 years and a 2-year manufacturer warranty.

The catch is what sits either side of the price. It is £70 more than the 17-stitch AE1700 with a lower rating, and its rank is well over six figures. Also, the listed dimensions of 6.7 x 9.4 x 11.8 cm cannot describe a 5.8 kg sewing machine, so treat the size figures as unreliable. Skip it if you need something easy to carry, or if you mostly sew heavy fabric — 19 of its 32 stitches are decorative.

At £129 it matches the AE1700 on price and roughly matches it on reviews — 2,081 against 1,985 — yet the rating is 4.4 against 4.7. The listing ranks it 52,902 in Home & Kitchen and 23rd in the basic sewing machine category. Meanwhile the bullet points never state how many stitches it has, only that stitch length reaches 4.2 mm and width 4.0 mm.

What is described: a carrying handle, a free arm for sleeves and trouser legs, fast presser foot changes, two adjustment wheels for stitch choice and stitch length, and a plastic body. In practice the free arm is the feature that earns its place, since sleeves and hems are where most first projects go wrong. At 5 kg it is the lightest machine in this top ten.

The case against is straightforward. It is a plastic-bodied machine at the same price as metal-chassis alternatives, the listing does not say how many stitches you get, and 6 of every 100 ratings are one-star. If you are shopping for a sewing machine for beginners and want the simplest possible controls, two adjustment wheels are a plus; if you want to know exactly what you are buying, the missing stitch count is not.

The rating is strong — 4.6 from 1,413 ratings — and the rank is not: 214,274 in Home & Kitchen and 85th in the basic sewing machine category, the lowest of any machine here. It also costs £189, the third-highest price in the group. Those two facts sit oddly together for a machine the listing dates to a 2007 manufacture year.

You get 23 built-in stitches with adjustable length and width, a fully automatic one-step buttonhole, automatic bobbin winding and an automatic needle threader. Singer also includes four presser feet, a guide, needles, bobbins, a seam ripper and built-in accessory storage. At 7 kg it is stable at speed, but it is not a machine you will want to carry to a class.

Who should not buy it: anyone who wants current stock. The listing records a 2007 manufacture year, and a rank of 214,274 suggests it is not moving in volume. Meanwhile, if you want a Singer sewing machine with a one-step buttonhole and a wider stitch selection, the £199 3232 offers 32 stitches. Either way, at £189 you are paying near the top of this list for the least sales evidence in it.

Twenty-five stitches for £169, which is £40 more than the 17-stitch AE1700. The rating is 4.6 from 793 ratings, the second-smallest review base in this top ten. It ranks 33,829 in Home & Kitchen and 14th in the basic sewing machine category. Brother supplies five of the ten sewing machines here; on price this one sits fourth of those five.

The selling point is stretch stitches, plus stitch length adjustment, a drop-in bobbin, LED lighting and a four-step buttonhole. In practice, stretch stitches are what let you sew jersey and knit fabric without the seam cracking when it is pulled. It weighs 6.71 kg and the colour is purple, which will matter to some people and not at all to others.

The reservation is the sample size: 793 ratings is a thinner signal than the 7,301 behind the £89 model at the top, even though both show comfortable averages. Even so, if you mainly sew knits and want a Brother sewing machine under £200, this is the one here. If you sew woven cotton and canvas, the £129 AE1700 does a similar job for £40 less.

At £257.31 this is the priciest machine in the top ten, and the evidence behind it is the thinnest: 634 ratings at 4.5 stars. It does hold 2nd place in Amazon's electronic controlled sewing machine category and 25,923 overall in Home & Kitchen, which is a stronger category position than most of this list — on a much smaller category.

You get 27 stitches, a strong metal chassis and a metal needle plate for stability. Two accessories stand out: a non-stick foot for leathers and PVC, and a J foot with a levelling button for thick fabric. It weighs 8.26 kg, the heaviest machine here, and carries a 3-year Brother warranty. In theory that combination is aimed at heavier work — denim hems, leather patches — rather than quilting.

The catch is the size data and the price per stitch. The listing gives 10.2 x 18.9 x 14.8 cm for an 8.26 kg machine, which cannot both be right, so check the real footprint before you commit. If you sew light cotton and the occasional zip, you are paying roughly £130 more than the AE1700 for feet and a chassis you will not use.

The listing describes a metal frame with a stainless steel bed plate and sewing speeds of up to 1,100 stitches per minute, and it ranks 38,091 in Home & Kitchen with 1,053 ratings at 4.5 stars. However, the same page lists the Power Source as Manual and Is Electric as No. One of those two things is wrong, and both come from the same listing.

The bullets promise 11 stitch patterns, a four-step buttonhole, three needle positions, a drop-in bobbin, a drop feed for free-hand embroidery and darning, adjustable stitch length and width, adjustable presser foot pressure and an extra-high lift. Singer includes four presser feet, a guide, needles, bobbins, a seam ripper and a dust cover. The machine weighs 6.4 kg.

If you need a heavy duty sewing machine for denim, canvas or curtains, the 1,100 stitches per minute and the high-lift presser foot are the features that matter, and 4.5 stars from 1,053 ratings is a decent record. That said, an electricity contradiction is not a small detail on a mains-powered machine — check the power specification before ordering. Also note that the listed dimensions of 6.3 x 15.7 x 12 cm do not fit a 6.4 kg machine.

Two lines on this listing do the damage: 'Voted Best Beginner Sewing Machine' and 'Amazon's Best Selling Sewing Machine'. The same page gives a Best Sellers Rank of 68,892 in Home & Kitchen, 26th place in the basic sewing machine category, and 618 ratings at 4.6 stars. The machine that tops this list has 7,301 ratings and costs £10 less.

The machine itself is simple by design: one dial, a basic stitch set, a drop-in bobbin and a 3-year warranty, at 5.74 kg. In practice a single dial is easier to teach on than a stitch-selector panel with a menu, which is probably where the 'voted best' line came from. The listing also still carries a 'New for 2018' tag on a page selling it today.

The two cheapest sewing machines in this top ten are both Brothers and sit £10 apart. Here the cheaper one wins on every published number: rank, review count and price. Buy this one only if you specifically want the L14S model or the single-dial layout; otherwise the £89 LS14S is the same brand, the same shop and £10 less with almost twelve times the reviews. Meanwhile, 618 ratings is still roughly double what the Janome at the bottom of this list has.