Whether you have a tailoring shop or you make dresses from home, it is important to figure out which sewing machines will not only make your work efficient but also end up being a great investment in the long term. In your business, you have to often to work with denim and jeans for clients. A hardcore duty machine is suitable to sew canvas, jeans or denim because the heavy machine only can handle thicker fabrics and jeans easily. There is a wide range of affordable heavy sewing machines at the market but several models have exclusive features and cheap prices. So while you are looking for a heavy sewing machine it is important to know what kind of features are applicable to your works because heavy machines are made general differently than ordinary models for home domestic needs.
What is the best sewing machine for denim and thicker fabrics? Which machine features are important to evaluate prior to the buyer?
- Strong powerful motor. Basic model machines have usually weak motors that will become weaker over some time. The heavy-duty sewing machines that used to handle heavy and thicker fabrics such as jeans, denim, or canvas, and must have a very powerful motor so it can run the needle through thick fabric.
- High SPM (stitches per minute). A high sewing rate is important in light of the fact that a heavy machine needs a needle to move through some layers of fabrics or thicker texture.
- Leveling Button. A solid machine with a leveling button is very important within multilayer side crease sewing or the multilayers base crease sewing on clothes. It saves the needles from damage or breaking.
- Solid-body. Solid rock machines usually work to last and together with a tough, rock body. It ought to have the option to stand customary expert level sewing. Full metal machines are best for enormous undertakings, and you wouldn’t need to stress out the amount more you can spend on support and care.
- Brand. The singer is usually synonymous with the best sewing style. Brother is historically a strong Japanese brand that manufactured more than 60 millionth home sewing machines. Brother and Singer companies are leaders in the sewing business which provide to worldwide customers the best reliable solid machines at affordable prices.
- Reasonable cost. The low-cost machines cannot provide efficiency at your work because there have plastic gears and relatively weak machine motors, which can easily wear out if your shop is running sewing heavier fabrics. So, good machines cost some money, their prices much higher compared with basic models due to the strong motor, fast sewing speed, and heavy metal frame which provides stability.
I want to bring to your attention the best heavy-duty machines for denim and leather from big famous manufacturers Brother and Singer. These brands are proposed to worldwide customers 6 best reliable, good quality machines n 2020/2021. Therefore, 4 models out of 6 are brought to Singer, as follows:
SINGER Heavy Duty 4411
The model has a very powerful motor. The machine can sew at 1110 stitches per minute with an automatic four-step buttonhole. It can sew many layers of denim without any difficulty thanks to good stitching speed. As a result, you can complete a project in less time with high quality. The solid machine made up of a heavy-duty metal frame. Heavy Duty 4411 is capable of sewing everything you throw at it. However, it is not a heavy device, its weight is 14.5 pounds.
This Singer sewing machine for denim has a classic recognized design that can attract some customers who prefer a classic, not a computerized machine. Due to a heavy metal frame, the machine provides stability as well as long-lasting durability. An adjustable presser for pressure controls helps in sewing, whether lightweight fabric or heavy fabric with ease by adjusting the presser foot pressure. Unfortunately, the model has 11 built-in stitches. Sometimes that is not enough to sew elegant clothes, impossible to make some projects.
According to customer reviews and the review by experts, the following pros and cons of the machine were highlighted:
Good works for all thicknesses of fabrics. Stable work, strong motor. Good sewing machine for leather and denim. The easiest access to collars, pant hems and other difficult-to-reach parts of clothes. Reasonably priced.
No display, no computer. Lack of decorative stitches. No light.
SINGER 4423
Another SINGER model looks the same outside as the previous model but has more features. The model 4423 has 23 built-in stitches including 6 ordinaries, 12 decoratives, 4 stretch stitches. Built-in 1 step buttonhole. The machine includes an LED light that good illuminates the sewing level. The rest of the features is the same as has a model 4411.
Good works for all heavy fabrics. Stable work, powerful motor. The easiest access to collars, pant hems and other difficult-to-reach parts of clothes. High range of decorative stitches.
No display, no computer. Much higher price comparison with ordinary sewing models.
Brother CS5055PRW
This model is under the name Project Runway. It has many options compared with basic Brother’s models and is equipped with a liquid crystal display. It makes 50 built-in stitches including 5 auto-size buttonholes, it easy to select a stitch style and stitch width. The bobbins and top threads are easy to adjust which is great if you want to quickly get started on your next work. Even the beginner appears to be up and sewing very quickly. It is a good machine for beginners as well as medium level sewers. Also, this is a lightweight device and it weighs just at 10.65 pounds.
This model as per Amazon’s customer ratings got the highest rating – 4.7 out of 5 stars in the machine market. It is available on the market under 200$ mark as a good choice as an entry into the sewing business. But compared with SINGER’s models 4411, 4423 this model has lots of plastic parts in machine construction. Lightweight design doesn’t provide as stable of work as the rival heavy models.
According to customer reviews and the review by experts, the following pros and cons of the machine were highlighted:
Many stitch settings, compact size. An LCD screen makes it simple to select sewing features. Cheapest price.
Brother ST371HD
The Brother model has a metal interior frame and a metal needle plate. It is extremely important to the machine’s sturdiness, durability, and stability.
The model provides a large variety of stitches, including fashion sewing, heirloom, children’s clothing, decorative home sewing, and more. You can also do zippers with the zipper foot. In total, 37 built-in stitches, including most common ones such as a zigzag, decorative, blind hem, stretch, reinforcement stitches. Also, this is an inexpensive sewing machine for quilting. However, the maximum stitching speed is just 800 SPM not enough for a commercial seamstress. But it still delivers better results than a regular, light-duty sewing machine.
Half automatic needle threader can save your mental state and time. You just need to push the lever on the side and the thread will go through the needle. It’s not as easy as fully automatic threading, but it still does the job more seamlessly than doing everything manually.
Also, it has many negative reviews from customers. Some seamstress informed that it broke on them within a few days of new machine use.
Many stitch settings. Solid frame. The setup is easy, as with most mechanical machines. Affordable price.
Weak motor, less 800 SPM. A lot of complaints to reliability. Not good light.
SINGER Heavy Duty 4432
This is an excellent heavy-duty sewing machine with affordable price which is capable of dealing with the very heavy fabrics. It wouldn’t give you a lot of options while it comes to fancy stitches. It doesn’t even let you quilt multiple layers of toughened fabrics. Due to a heavy metal frame, the machine provides stability as well as long-lasting durability. It is believed to work perfectly for many years to come without difficult maintenance.
Singer offers at the cheapest price comparison with similar models of competitors. The machine has all the features that can joy any intermediate level seamstress.
- Good works for all thicknesses of fabrics. Stable work, strong motor.
- The easiest access to collars, pant hems and other difficult-to-reach parts of clothes.
- Higher price comparison with basic sewing models.
SINGER | Quantum Stylist 9960
Singer Quantum Stylist 9960 is a great choice for sewers and tailors who frequently sew using large pieces of materials. This heavy-duty sewing machine for denim includes 600 different types of stitch patterns and has an adjustable speed setting, motor can easily reach up to 850 SPM. As a result, you can sew your project quickly and efficiently, the available number of stitches is truly impressive. Some specific features can help you at work as follows:
- an automatic thread cutter;
- an automatic needle threader;
- an automatic tension control;
- an automatic bobbin winder that you can use before each project. Quickly winds the bobbin in the thread.
It has the widest dimensions (17.25 x 8.25 x 12 inches) and highest weight around 20 pounds, which makes it, in our comparison, the heaviest machine. It certainly is an advantage of sewing machine for denim and canvas.
Pretty low Amazon ranking is 4.4 out of 5 stars because it’s a very expensive computerized machine that comes with an extension table for advanced projects.
Good works for all thicknesses of fabrics. Stable work, strong motor. The easiest access to collars, pant hems and other difficult-to-reach parts of clothes.
High price comparison with other heavy-duty machines.
General specifications
| Parameters | 4411 | 4423 | CS5055PRW | ST371HD | 4432 | Stylist 9960 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | SINGER | SINGER | Brother | SINGER | SINGER | SINGER |
| Included Stitches | 11 Sewing Stitches | 50 Sewing stitches | 50 Sewing stitches | 37 unique built-in stitches | 32 Sewing stitches | 600 Built-in stitches |
| Stitch/Design Selection | Dial Selection | Dial Selection | LCD Screen & Button Selection | LCD Screen & Button Selection | Dial Selection | LCD Screen |
| Automatic Needle Threader | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Feature, stitches per minute | Up to 1,100 | Up to 1,100 | Up to 850 | Up to 800 | Up to 1,100 | Up to 850 |
| Buttonhole Type | 1-step fully automatic | 1-step fully automatic | 5 auto-size buttonholes | auto-size buttonhole | 1-step buttonhole | 1-Step fully automatic |
| Product Dimensions (HxWxD), inches | 15.5 x 6.25 x 12 | 15.5 x 6.25 x 12 | 19.48 x 10.75 x 15.96 | 7.87 x 16.1 x 12.21 | 15.2 x 6.25 x 12 | 15.2 x 6.25 x 12 |
| Item Weight | 14.5 pounds | 14.5 pounds | 14.75 pounds | 18.4 pounds | 14.6 pounds | 17.42 pounds |
| Batteries required | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Light included | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 2 LED lights |
Models ranking
Model Brother CS5055PRW has the highest score according to customer’s Amazon ranking the models by quality, price, and features. But taking into account heavy-duty features, my opinion, that SINGER model 4432 is the best sewing machine for regular works with denim, canvas, jeans, and thicker fabrics.
6. Brother CS5055PRW. Amazon customer’s ranking 4.6 out of 5 stars.
5. Brother ST371HD (4.4 stars).
4. SINGER 4423 (4.5 stars).
3. SINGER Heavy Duty 4411 (4.5 stars).
2. SINGER Quantum Stylist 9960 (4.4 stars).
1. The best model is SINGER Heavy Duty 4432 (4.5 stars).
Final Conclusion
According to customer reviews, Brother CS5055PRW is a good machine at this price range. However, based on my experience, this model is the best sewing machine for ordinary clothes, jeans, but not heavy fabrics. Due to being lightweight and weak motor, it should be rarely used as a sewing machine for canvas and denim. If you have your own tailor business it is not a good choice for constant heavy sewing.
Unlike having a wide range of heavy machines from different manufacturers, SINGER model 4432 combines many good characteristics, such as a powerful motor with 1,100 SPM, many stitch settings, a heavy stable frame, and reliability. In general, it is a great model for the sewing business and regularly works with heavy fabrics.
