Comment posted Brother XL2600I 25 Stitch Free Arm Sewing Machine with Multiple by ThunderHammer.

Only 1 speed – 60 mph
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
This machine is probably fantastic for simple purposes. I bought it to make a kite, which I thought was pretty simple. But it has two major flaws that make it really worthless to me:

1) No way to sew slowly. It has a gas pedal of sorts. If you push it down 1/4th of the way, the machine makes a loud humming noise, but does not engage. Push it down half way and it hums angrily, but still doesn’t engage. Push it down a fraction of a millimeter lower and WHAM it engages and yanks the fabric out of your hands quicker than you can feed it, scrunching fabric up, and sewing all over the place. I had to do most of my sewing by cranking the manual wheel on the side so that it would go slowly enough to be useful.

2) no way to adjust lower thread tension. I had no thought I even cared about something as obscure as this, the lower tension is set at a value that should pretty much take care of things and you adjust the upper tension. But as the project wore on the lower tension got loser and loser until the sewing machine became useless. Lower tension that is too lose means lots of thread hanging loosely on the under side when you end stitches – no matter how I set the upper tension.

So I don’t recommend this sewing machine if you plot to sew anything with it. I’m sure it’s fantastic for general utility uses like fixing loose buttons and sewing extra pockets into your favorite pants or whatever.

ThunderHammer also commented

  • Basic Mechanical Sewing Machine with 25 stitch free-arm sewing
    Rating:4 out of 5 stars
    This is your basic mechanical sewing machine. The picture they already show is what you get. It’s light weight and simple to use. It comes with three all purpose needles plus all the extras they list. I bought some heavy weight needles for jeans and had no problems sewing them. It has reverse stitching for locking in the stitch. (Though you do need to hold down the button it’s not a problem).

    If you just want a mechanical sewing machine that does the job and is affordable this is it. I use it for hemming; fixing; and sewing curtains and other tasks as they crop up. It has a stitch length dial that is pretty basic. Also a width dial that mostly positions the needle to the right; center; or left.

    Now This machine’s foot pedal is tender to the touch I work it in my socks so I can regulate the speed better. Excellent lighting also.

    The only terrible I would say about this machine is that the tension dial. It is picky beyond belief. It takes patience to find the right number or close to one for different sewing material. I just mark it off so I don’t have to look for it again. Go right to my marks and I’m set to go. ( Took one star off because of this).

    Now of course if your a professional seamstress or someone who sews a lot and is looking for perfect stitching you better off with the new computerized sewing machines. This sews like machines of the past which is no problem for me. Yes that means occasionally you get tangled in the bobbin area but it never effects my sewing as I’m done by then and just cut out the mess and continue. Price is excellent; plus I applied for amazon’s credit card which made it approx. a $67 dollar buy and you can’t beat that.

  • Incredible machine for the money.
    Rating:5 out of 5 stars
    This is my first sewing machine, and having managed to survive 60 years without one, I had more than a small concern that I would be able to figure out how to use it. Not to worry — this thing is simple to use, amazingly simple to thread and wind bobbins. and it’s very powerful. I sewed together thick sheets of plastic film, and it had no problem punching through it. Provides very precise control over stitch length. Since this is the only sewing machine I have used, I can’t compare it to others, but it may be the only one I will ever need.
  • Affordable, reliable sewing machine
    Rating:5 out of 5 stars
    I have been so pleased with this sewing machine. Given that it wouldn’t take much for me to be impressed since I’ve been using a 25-year-ancient machine, this one still has all the features an amateur and advanced sewer would want. I am particularly impressed with the 1-step button-hole maker. It was hard to find a excellent machine with a 1-step for under $100, so this was quite a find.

    It comes with a fantastic variety of stitches, a (really cool) needle threader, and feels solid when I sew with it. I’ve used it for a couple of small projects so far, and it’s been fantastic. I am glad I made the choice I did!
  • Fantastic sewing machine!
    Rating:5 out of 5 stars
    Fantastic sewing machine! Very simple to use and comes with all the necessary items to star sewing straight away. My mom has been looking for one for a while now and she said this is the best one she tried.
  • Brother XL2600I 25-Stitch Free-Arm Sewing Machine with Multiple Stitch Functions
    Rating:5 out of 5 stars
    I have recently bought this machine. I am a man with no previous experience in using sewing machine. The initial setup was simple and I am delighted with this machine. I will recommend this machine to any one and dealing with the process of buy was smooth. a excellent buy.

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