I love my Pfaff.
I have a very, very basic model (no electronics) but it sews beautifully and has features that some more expensive models donât, including a âwalking foot,â which lets you feed difficult fabrics such as silk and denim evenly.
Of course, with a name like Pfaff, itâs available in Germany.
As for electronic vs mechanical machines, it depends on how you are going to use it. The electronic machines do miraculous things with embroidery and embellishment, but it takes a while to learn how to use the features. And if something goes wrong with the internal computer, it can be disastrous. Mechanical machines have fewer features, but they do everything you need to make clothing, including buttonholes, seam finishing and some fancy stitches. If something goes wrong, a neighborhood sewing machine repairman can usually fix it without great expense.
If I were buying sewing equipment now, Iâd get a middle-of-the-line mechanical machine, less basic than mine but still reasonably priced and easy to learn. Thatâs because Iâm more interested in clothing construction than embellishment. And possibly a serger. If I were making a lot of curtains, bedspreads and other large, heavy items, Iâd look for an industrial machine, which are extremely fast and powerful but donât do anything fancy unless you buy extra attachments.