Singer Sewing Machine — When Should I Upgrade?

If your current home sewing machine is not performing well, you might relate to the following points.

It's Time to Consider an Upgrade If:

• Machine stalls on heavy fabric assemblies.
• Machine does not feed fabric well.
• Fabric won't fit under the presser foot.
• Stitch length is not long enough for some projects.
• Machine needs frequent adjustments (such as the timing).
• Can't sew with heavy enough thread.
• Lacking ability to tension stitching properly.
• Machine is too light and falls over, or gets pushed along the table with large projects.
• Needles break often.

If you've been plagued by any of the problems listed above, consider upgrading your machine. To aid you in this endeavor, we've highlighted a few key reasons why you'll want to consider choosing the Ultrafeed Sewing Machine.

You plan on tackling heavy, thick projects and need a walking foot.

At Sailrite®, we never settle for good enough, and neither should you. If you plan on sewing thick materials and multiple layers of fabric, your Singer home sewing machine may not be up to the task. The Ultrafeed is built with powerful, precise sewing in mind. It can easily sew through just about any type of material you put under the foot, so if you’re particularly interested in sewing specialty fabrics or thick assemblies that may be too much for your Singer to handle, then it’s time to upgrade to an Ultrafeed.

The Ultrafeed is well-known for its ability to efficiently sew through your toughest projects. We have two models available: Our red LS machine is straight stitch only and our blue LSZ is a zigzag/straight stitch machine. Both of these models will breeze through multiple layers of material such as denim, sailcloth, heavy canvas, upholstery fabrics, vinyl, webbing, soft leather, window material, curtain fabrics, Sew Foam and more. The zigzag function on the LSZ is ideal for sailmaking and materials that call for a zigzag stitch, such as neoprene, where stitch stretch is needed.

The Ultrafeed LS with a sample of its sewing capabilities.

Some old Singer home sewing machines do not feature a reverse or walking foot, but our mechanical walking presser feet are proprietary to our Sailrite Ultrafeed Sewing Machines (#6499414, Claim 16) and serve them well. The walking foot eliminates uneven top and bottom feeding and reduces puckering. The Ultrafeed has the most aggressive feed dogs and presser feet in the industry, which are able to climb up fabric thicknesses with ease. The Ultrafeed is aptly named for its unique ability to evenly feed even thick fabrics consistently. No longer will you have to shove fabric assemblies through the machine — let the Ultrafeed do what it was named to do: feed fabric consistently.

You’re spending time and money on repairs or adjustments.

Just like most pieces of technology, as a sewing machine ages its effectiveness may begin to falter. If you’re finding that you have been spending countless hours fixing and tuning your machine, it’s time to upgrade. This is especially true if you’re shelling out cash on costly repairs, as these expenses can add up quickly. Over time, all that money you’ve spent fixing your old machine could have been put towards a new, more easily maintained machine. As an Ultrafeed owner, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that the Ultrafeed has been sold for over 20 years, proving it is a tried-and-true machine.

With an Ultrafeed, you’re less likely to have costly repairs and here’s why. Sewing machines need to be set up before they are ready to sew, but many machines are shipped straight from the overseas manufacturer to domestic middlemen, and then to your doorstep, leaving you to handle tuning, oiling and troubleshooting. Every Ultrafeed is assembled, fine-tuned and calibrated at our Indiana manufacturing facility. As soon as we receive the head casting from our trusted manufacturing partner that works exclusively with us, our technicians get to work building the machines for our customers. This guarantees they are set up correctly, preventing damage to internal components down the road.

An Ultrafeed LSZ being tuned by one of our highly skilled technicians at our Indiana manufacturing facility.

If you find you need assistance, have no fear. When you buy an Ultrafeed, our excellent customer support team is here for you. Just call, online chat or email us and we will gladly walk you through any issue you may be having. Or we’ll share one of our many step-by-step support videos with you. We keep all of our sewing machine parts in stock and available to ship to you at a moment’s notice.

In short, our assembly and quality control process ensures that every Ultrafeed machine functions to its highest capabilities. At Sailrite, we make sure that every machine not only sews, but that it’s performing perfectly before it leaves our facility. We put the time and effort into every machine so you can start sewing as soon as possible!

You want stress-free setup and maintenance (plus free resources).

Setting up and caring for a machine can be daunting, but we make it easy! Our machines make sewing simple for beginners and professionals alike. We offer unbeatable customer service and support. Every Ultrafeed comes with a comprehensive guidebook filled with extensive full-color photos, detailed schematics, step-by-step instructions, plus information on machine maintenance and troubleshooting. No other sewing machine guidebook comes close. Plus, the controls on the Ultrafeed are straightforward, robust and easy to use.

A page in our high-quality, comprehensive Ultrafeed guidebook.

The Posi-Pin® Safety Shear is another reason to choose an Ultrafeed. Patented by Sailrite (Patent #7438009), the Posi-Pin is designed to protect your machine's internal components from damage when a crash occurs. When you hit a metal snap or zipper, the Posi-Pin will break at its shear point and the machine will stop operating to prevent potential damage and timing issues. Simply replace the pin, check the cap spring for damage, install a new needle and get back to sewing with no retiming or tuning required.

As part of the Sailrite community, you’ll always have an ample amount of resources to tackle any project, should you ever need them. We have a plethora of free step-by-step video tutorials on our website and YouTube channels to help you create your dream project or explain simple processes like threading your machine. No matter what DIY project you’re planning to take on, Sailrite can get you there. We’re also the only one-stop shop for all things sewing and DIY.

Final Thoughts

We hope this article has helped you determine whether or not it’s time to upgrade from your Singer home sewing machine to the Sailrite Ultrafeed Sewing Machine. If you find you have any other questions regarding our top-notch sewing machines, feel free to contact us via email, online chat or phone. Our customer support staff is happy to assist you. For even more information on which Ultrafeed machine is best for you, check out the blog "Choosing Between the Ultrafeed LS & LSZ."