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5 Most-Sold Sewing Machines (+ 6 Critical Buying Tips)

In our research, we tried to find actual sales number from across the States. The best set of data we could get our hands on were actual sales numbers from Amazon.com.

They didn’t give us actual sales numbers, but they let us know the name of the top5 most shipped models across their platform.

This is a good indicator for finding out which sewing machines are the most popular among buyers. It’s simply the best data we have because they have almost all sewing machine brands. And they are (by far) the biggest online retailer.

In this post, we take a good look at these five top sellers.

We compare them to each other to make it easy to make the right choice.

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most sold sewing macines - the top bestsellers

Not surprisingly, the top five sewing machines are all from the same two brands: Singer and Brother.

These two brands are by far the biggest sewing machine brands in the United States and Canada, and they are also absolute top sellers in the rest of the world.

Let’s take a look at the sewing machine at the very top of the “most-sold list”.

Brother XM2701 (The most sold sewing machine)

Brother XM2701 front position with dial

>> Check the current price here at Amazon.com.

There are several reasons why this specific sewing machine from the brother company is the number one selling sewing machine in the States in Canada.

Let’s start by listing some of the obvious advantages of this model:

  • It’s super lightweight (12.6 pounds / 5,7 kilograms)
  • It’s cheap (around $80)
  • It has a lot of stitches to choose from (27 to be exact) including decorative stitches, blind hem stitches, and quilting stitches.
  • It has a free arm
  • It can do it 1-step auto-size buttonhole
  • An instructional DVD
  • And much more
  • See all features here.

But many other machines can also boast of most of these features… so why is this specific machine so special?

First and foremost because it is one of the cheaper models from the brother brand.

The brother sewing machines have a very long history of building super-strong and durable machines, where you get a lot of features for low price.

It replaced the Brother LX2763 27-Stitch sewing machine, which was also very popular.

Two machines are almost 100% similar (except for 0.3 pounds of added weight). So if you are used to that LX2763 model, You will definitely be 100% satisfied with this model as well.

A Great model for beginners

This is an excellent machine to learn sewing.

You have everything you need to enjoy lots of different projects with your machines for many years to come. From the decorative stitches, over to quilting, and even more advanced stuff like 1-step buttonholes.

It has an easy needle threading system with the quick and easy drop-in bobbin and it also has an automatic bobbin winding system. All these features are really great if you buy new into sewing. Even more so, you also have an instructional DVD (Spanish and English).

This means you can easily get started and learn all the basics about how to do everything with your machine.

Without having to look through a long boring manual.

Let’s face it.
Most of us never look in the manual before we have a problem. So being able to just lean back and watch a DVD explain everything to you is just a great option to have!

Finally, it has won the women’s choice awards in 2018, Which is also a very good quality sign for this model. This is probably also part of the reason why it has become so popular. People love these kinds of awards and test-winners!

Now let’s move on to the second most-sold sewing machine.

Brother CS6000i (2nd most sold sewing machine)

Brother CS6000i from front

>> Check the current price here at Amazon.com.

Next up, we have another brother model.

This CS6000i is an oldie.

It has been around for more than 14 years. When we did our research we managed to find manuals from Brother dating all the way back to 2004(!). These manuals are mentioning this specific model.

The reason we still find this great machine is because the guys at Brother knows that people absolutely love this machine.

This also means that this model has had a lot of years to gain the popularity it has today. Countless people have learned to sew with this machine and it also does a really good job of being your first sewing machine.

Because this sewing machine has been around for a long time, it also has an astounding number of reviews on Amazon. We found 7,500 customer review and the average rating is 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Let’s look at some of the features:

  • It’s super lightweight (13 pounds / 5,9 kilograms)
  • It’s not expensive (around $134- $200)
  • It has a lot of stitches to choose from (60 to be exact) including decorative stitches, blind hem stitches, and quilting stitches.
  • It has a free arm
  • It can do 7 different styles of 1-step auto-size buttonhole
  • An instructional DVD
  • 8 sewing and quilting feet (walking foot, spring action quilting foot, overcasting foot, monogramming foot, zipper foot, blind stitch foot, buttonhole foot, and a button sewing foot)
  • And much more
  • See all features here.

As you can see this model is a bit more expensive than the first model without that.

This makes perfect sense because the most selling sewing machine would have to be a very cheap model. That’s just always how it is with retail.

But you certainly also get more fun out of this machine. It has an impressive number of 60 different stitches to choose from. So you definitely won’t run out of the creative or special stitches anytime soon.

Next, it can do seven different styles of buttonholes, with only one step.

Many machines will do buttonholes in four steps, so to be able to do it in one step is very nice.

This model also offers an LCD display which gives you some other possibilities. 

It makes it super easy to choose from all the different stitches without having to turn a manual wheel around. You also have easy access to adjust the sewing speed so you can slow down whenever you are working on a visible seam.

A nice big working table

But the thing you would probably enjoy the most with this machine is the big table.

It’s extended longer than most models and give you a lot of space to work with your fabric. This is especially nice when you need to quilt or you have a large piece of fabric to turn around.

It’s just a great way of making sure you’re machine will fit your needs for many years to come. A large working area around the needle is crucial for many projects.

Let’s move onto the next sewing machine on the list.

Singer Start 1304 (the 3rd most sold sewing machine)

Singer Start 1304 machine from front

Check the current price here at Amazon.com.

This brings us to the first Singer model on the list.

You would maybe think that Singer would have produced the most popular sewing machine in the United States. But in recent years, brother has really stepped up their game.

The singers start 1304 machine is also a very cheap machine.

It only cost around $80. This makes it the perfect beginner model as this is something you can get for Christmas, even if you’re a kid. Let’s take a good look at what this machine can do:

  • It’s extremely lightweight (7 pounds / 3,1 kilograms)
  • It’s not expensive (around $80- $100)
  • It has 6 built-in stitches (not much!)
  • It has a free arm
  • 4-step buttonhole
  • An intro DVD (not overwhelming with info)
  • 3 sewing feet (All-purpose foot, zipper foot, and buttonhole foot)
  • And more.
  • See all the features here.

The first thing to catch our attention is the incredibly low weight of only 7 pounds.

This makes it a perfect machine to bring to class or if you need to travel with your sewing machine. It’s just super compact and lightweight which is really nice if you need to take it out often. Or if you are 10-12 years old and don’t want your mom or dad to take it out for you every time you want to sew.

And again, it’s a really great beginner model with enough features to get your interested and started.

It also has very high ratings from almost 1,600 customers. It comes out with four out of five stars!

That being said, it is one of the cheapest Singer models on the market, so you wouldn’t expect a lot of special features from this model.

It is what some would call a “full-featured sewing machine”, but it doesn’t have a lot of stitches and you quickly run out of creative options.

Great machine for kids getting into sewing

It’s a great model for kids because it is a 100% mechanical machine.

You choose the stitches from turning the handwheel and there are no computerized or advanced features to create confusion. It’s so simple that you can’t really mess it up.

It has a quick and easy threading system where you will be set up in no time.

You can also use twin needles as you can work with two spools.

This is great for doing hems and when you want to work with stretchy fabric. Parallels seams also look great when you want to add a creative touch to your project.

Just like we would expect from the Singer company, it has a heavy-duty metal frame. It will last for many years and you could probably pass it down to the next generation. This doesn’t mean that you can do heavy duty work on the machine, it only has to do with the construction of the frame inside the machine.

If you want to do a heavy-duty project (sewing vinyl, leather, etc.) we would very much recommend the next machine on the list. This is a very great machine that can sew through almost anything.

Singer 4423 Heavy Duty (The 4th most sold sewing machine)

Singer heavy duty 4423

>> See the current price here at Amazon.com.

This brings us to number four on the list which is another single model.

This is a heavy-duty machine which has a lot of great features. Compared to the previously reviewed Singer machine, we now look at something totally different. It has much more features but it also comes at a higher price.

We found almost 3,000 reviews of this model over at Amazon, and on average it is also four out of five stars.

Let’s take a good look at the features of this machine:

  • It weighs 12.6 pounds (5,7 kilograms)
  • It costs around $120- $140)
  • It has a lot of stitches to choose from (23 to be exact) including decorative stitches, blind hem stitches, and quilting stitches.
  • It has a free arm
  • It can do it 1-step auto-size buttonhole
  • Basic video instructions about Threading, installing the bobbin, and an introduction to the presser feet.
  • It’s fast! running up to 1,100 stitches per minute.
  • And much more
  • See all features here.

This machine has a transparent lid to the bobbin case which is a drop-in Bobbin.

This means that the bobbin is mounted horizontally below the presser foot. It doesn’t make a lot of difference whether you have a drop-in bobbin or a front-loading bobbin. Each has its advantages over the other.

The great thing about the drop-in bobbin is how super-easy and quick you can load the bobbin thread.

This makes it great for new beginners as you don’t have to fiddle around with the bobbin case. It will almost load itself when you drop the bobbin into the case.

Great for heavy-duty work

The best part about this machine is how strong and durable it is.

It has a 60% stronger motor than other sewing machines. This means it can sew multiple layers of leather, canvas, and even vinyl. So whether you want to make a bag (leather) or you want to do a hem on a thick pair of jeans, this monster of a machine will do the work without any hesitation.

The heavy-duty motor inside this machine will also let you so sew at super-high speed.

You can do up to 1,100 stitches per minute (!) which is really great if you are working on a big project like sewing curtains for the whole house. It also makes it the fastest machine among the most sold sewing machines.

The lineup of heavy duty machines from the Singer company are almost impossible to destroy. They will go on and on and you can definitely pass this one on to your children one day. (Unless you drop it on the floor a few times because it’s quite heavy)

Let’s move on to our last and fifth model on the list of most sold sewing machines.

Singer Quantum Stylist 9960 (5th most popular sewing machine)

Singer Stilius

>> Check the current price here at Amazon.com.

This model is different from the other four models. It’s bigger, it’s more expensive, and it has way more features!

Again we find thousands of reviews with an average rating of four out of five stars, which is not surprising since we are looking at the sewing machines most people have bought.

But it is surprising to find a sewing machine at this price range at the very top of the list of most sold sewing machines. So this machine really made a great impression on the market.

Let’s go over the features on this machine:

  • It weighs 20 pounds (9 kilograms) so it’s quite heavy.
  • It costs around $300- $400
  • It has a TON of stitches to choose from (600!) including decorative stitches, blind hem stitches, special stretch stitches, quilting stitches, and MUCH more.
  • It has a free arm
  • It has a large extension table
  • It can do 13 different 1-step buttonholes
  • It’s pretty fast (up to 850 stitches per minute).
  • 18 presser feet including all-purpose feet, zipper foot, buttonhole foot with underplate, button sewing foot, blind hem foot, satin stitch foot, open toe foot, overcasting foot, embroidery foot, rolled hem foot, straight stitch, even feed walking foot, and more.
  • 5 alphanumeric fonts for personal and creative projects
  • Great online instructional videos that will teach you to use a lot of features on this machine
  • And much more
  • See all features here.

This is by far the most advanced machine in the top five list.

As you can see above it has a lot of capabilities and it’s also bigger and heavier than the other models. With 600 different stitches to choose from you never run out of options.

Here’s a picture from inside the lid showing all the stitches.

As you can see the list goes on and on with a crazy amount of different stitches to choose from. Perfect for you if you’d like playing around with creative projects.

600 stitches on the Stylus 9960

These kind of features are only possible with the newer computerized machines.

You will never find these kinds of stitches and capabilities on older mechanical models. As soon as we let the computer take over on these features we just get an endless stream of stitches to choose from.

Some of the creative stitches even include flowers, patterns …and cars!

creative stitches

You can choose between the different stitches with one touch and the eight most-used stitches are nicely located at the top of the machine with its own buttons.

Even though the machine is super advanced it’s still very easy to use.

It comes with an easy threading system and built-in needle threader. It also has the drop-in bobbin system with a clear cover so you can see what’s going on. This way you can see how much thread is left on the bobbin spool.

It’s also a really great machine if you like to work with quilting or larger projects. Because it has a large extension table you can easily move the fabric around the needle.

This is something you will really appreciate when you’re working with creative stitches and embroidery.

A great creative sewing-partner

With all the capabilities we need a good overview of what’s going on while we sew.

We get that from the large LCD screen which provides information about stitching width, stitching length, tension settings and recommended presser foot for your current stitch.

You even have the option to turn the brightness up and down on the screen. This way you can turn down the brightness if you’re sewing at night and you can turn it up if you have a hard time seeing what’s going on.

Whenever you’re done sewing you can cut the upper and bottom thread by the touch of a button.

This is another great feature that will really save you time.

You have two bright LED lights so the needle area is lightened up from both sides. This way you will never see shadows and you will see exactly what you’re doing.

Many great time-saving features

There are so many great features on this machine that we had to include another separate section for this.

None of these features are essential to start sewing. But it if you spend a lot of hours in front of the sewing machine these options are just really nice features to have.

  • Revert stitches.
    You have the option to invert the stitch patterns. This means that you can mirror them so they will point the other way. Actually, this adds a lot of new stitches to the table (as if 600 stitches weren’t enough!).
  • Automatic buttonholes
    Whenever you need to sew a buttonhole, you simply place the button unto the special buttonhole foot and the machine will automatically sew a perfect buttonhole to the exact size of the button. This is a pretty cool feature and that will also save you a lot of time.
  • Automatic thread cutting
    As we mentioned above, this machine has a built-in thread cutter. It will actually pull out a bit of thread for you and do a nice trim both threads. Now you are ready to start sewing again in no time.
  • Automatic tension setting
    When you choose new stitch, the machine will automatically adjust the tension so it matches the stitch perfectly. This way you never need to think about tension. (Getting the right tension on the sewing machine is something a lot of people struggling with)
  • Choose where the needle stops
    For applique projects, you would probably need a needle to stop at the lowest position and this is possible to get right every time with these settings. You can also have the needle stopping at the upper position every time (or any other position you prefer).
  • Large extension table
    This is really great when you’re working with quilts or you have a large piece of fabric. Not to mentions embroidery projects.

Finally, it has what we call stitch elongation.

This means that you can increase the length of stitches while maintaining the same density at the stitches. This machine really takes care of all the little nitty-gritty details you otherwise would have to think about everytime you change settings or modify the stitch settings.

Nine critical questions to ask yourself (before buying)

Before you head out to the shop, here’s a list of things you need to consider.

It’s very important to ask these questions before you go out shopping. Especially when you’re buying a sewing machine because it will stick with you for many years to come.

That being said, don’t be afraid to go for a basic model if that’s what you feel like doing. If you want to exchange it for a more advanced model at a later point, you can probably get a good price for it within a year or two.

What kind of sewing will you do?

If you don’t know what type of sewing you will be doing, or you think you would be doing a little bit of everything – you are a hobbyist. In this case, you should go with one of the cheaper basic models from one of the brands above.

On the other hand, if you are into quilting and embroidery, you should try to find a machine with a large throat.

The throat is the area at the right side of the needle:

Throat size on the sewing machine

For embroidery work, you will also want to get a machine with lots of creative stitches.

If you’re not much into quilting and embroidery work, you might as well just go for a good standard sewing machine. Don’t buy for a ton of features you won’t be using.

You should still look for good basic features in the hobby-machine like:

  • Different presser feet to choose from
  • Automatic needle threader
  • Enough size around the work area

Could you find this machine cheaper online?

There is a lot of money to save from buying your machine online. Probably the only argument to go to the store would be added training you could get from a physical store.

But this is not really a good argument anymore.

Because today you can find a ton of sewing instructional videos on sites like YouTube.

Even though you will sometimes have to skip through a couple of videos, you can almost always find a good solid guide on YouTube to help you from start to finish on any type of sewing project.

So save your money and get a good deal online. Here’s the link to the five machines mentioned above over at Amazon, where you will always find very competitive prices.

Do you need a mechanical or a computerized machine?

This again comes down to what you will be doing with the machine.

If you love playing around with lots of features and settings, you could definitely go with a computerized machine even for your first model. But if digital screens and technical settings scare you, just go for a basic mechanical machine.

I actually prefer sewing on my basic Bernina or Pfaff model even though it doesn’t have a ton of technical features. Most of the time we are doing basic stuff like hems, buttonholes, etc. and won’t need 600 stitches to choose from.

But if you have had a mechanical sewing machine for many years, don’t be afraid to try one of the computerized machines.

You don’t need Ph.D. in computer science in order to figure everything out. Even the most advanced machines for home use are very easy to use and you will quickly learn how to do everything.

So this is basically a question about price and experience-level. Everybody can learn to sew on a computerized machine.

How often will you use the machine?

If you are quite confident that this is a hobby you will stick with for a long time you should think long-term.

Saving a few bucks now will probably cost you more in the long run, if you need to upgrade to a new machine within a couple of years.

But if sewing isn’t a great hobby for you, and you will only use the machine for repairing garments and clothes, we recommend you go for a basic model from one of the bigger brands.

Should you get a NEW or USED machine?

If you’re just getting into sewing or want to check out if this is something for you, you could definitely save money from getting a used machine.

As long as you stick to the bigger brands (see our recommendations here + some to stay away from). You can definitely get a good deal on an old workhorse from brands like Singer, Brother, Bernina, Pfaff, Husqvarna, etc.

If this is your very first machine you probably won’t need a lot of the computerized features anyway. For 90% off the projects we do on sewing machines, we will only use the basic stitches anyway. Every sewing machine will come with the set of straight stitches, zig-zag stitches + a few other basic stitches.

How much money are you willing to spend?

If you have a very limited budget or if you are just starting out, you should definitely go with a good general hobby machine from one of the bigger brands.

We have put together a list of good beginners models here. These are mostly mechanical machines and will be great for kids as well as people who are not tech-savvy (like your grandma).

Always go with a well-known brand and avoid buying a sewing machine from a brand you have never heard about. Even though it might look like you get more features, it will probably not last for much longer than the short warranty period they offer.

Sources: Brother, Singer, Consumerreports.org.

The best sewing machines of 2018