Overlock and affordable sewing machine

Hey everyone,
my daughter broke my affordable Aldi sewing machine. I’m looking for an affordable replacement.
I definitely want a machine with a top-loading bobbin and, ideally, a threader.
  Any tips?
I came across the W6, but opinions seem to be split on it. Does anyone have one from that brand?

Overlock:
For me, as affordable as possible.
Is it important that it can thread itself? 

First, about the sewing machine: the W& is better than its reputation. I don’t own one myself, but some of my friends do and are more than satisfied.
With an overlocker, self-threading is just a gimmick that makes things more convenient for us—because if something goes wrong with the machine and you have to thread it yourself, you hardly know how. I always thread my overlock—and my coverstitch—myself, and after a few days you get the hang of it and don’t even have to look anymore because it’s almost automatic.
An affordable overlock is the Toyota 3335; I’ve had mine since 2009 and it’s still purring like a young kitten. :-) Before that, I had a Singer overlocker, but it gave up the ghost after about 19 years—and it was so bad that it couldn’t be repaired.
If you want an overlocker, it’s best to go to a local sewing supply store and try one out, because a lot of people just can’t get the hang of a machine like that at first.

Best regards, Inge

Hi Anja, I have a W6 and am very happy with it.

Before that, my first machine was a discount store model (AEG), which always annoyed me.
I used it for the occasional small repair but never really warmed up to it.

Then, after a fit of cursing and rage, my husband bought a return item from W6 (you’ll find it under “Deals”...) for very little money without my knowledge, and that quickly sparked my interest in sewing.
I have the N 2000 Exclusive.

Then the pandemic hit—so the first thing I sewed were these masks. I just started sewing away, and as a complete beginner, I wasn’t very “gentle” on the machine; I broke a few needles and the stitch plate took quite a beating.
It doesn’t pull the fabric quite straight anymore, but I think I messed that up myself… otherwise, it’s been doing exactly what it’s supposed to ever since.
So mine isn’t a luxury machine, but a reliable workhorse that handles multiple layers of sturdier fabric like a champ.

Thanks Inge and Claudia, 
I’ve now ordered the cheapest W6; it’s still on sale at the moment. I’m going to try it, because for normal things I need a real “workhorse” like that, and it should also sew jersey well. My Carina Professional acts up quite often and keeps eating fabric *snort*. 
I looked at the N2000 exclusive; it seems to be very similar to the Carina.

Is it true that for the W6 you can only use certain bobbins and threads? 
With my Carina, I’ve found that it doesn’t like certain bobbins, namely metal ones with holes; then it always clunks and won’t do anything anymore. And if the sewing thread is too thick, it acts up too, and if it’s too thin, it breaks. I’ve had these problems with both quality thread and cheap thread. 

If the machine I ordered is any good, I’ll keep it and order one for my daughter too. I’m very curious because, as I said, the reviews are 50/50. 

Claudia, for me the old Aldi machine came back into play because of sewing masks, too. What a struggle it was getting back into it—I only had school knowledge from over 30 years ago and took an adult education course about 15 years ago. Thank goodness there are videos for everything nowadays! 
 Even if they sometimes make things look easy, and then you experience them a bit differently yourself. ;-)

Anja, the bobbins really do need to fit exactly—there are slight size differences that are barely noticeable.
I once had one with a minor flaw, and it wouldn’t work with that bobbin anymore.

When it comes to thread, mine is easygoing—it’s never given me any trouble.
With thicker thread, though, I did use a thicker needle, but that’s only happened once.
It doesn’t act up even with discount store thread, though that thread does shed more… but then I just clean it more often.

For thin, soft jersey, I recommend a top feed foot so the fabric isn’t stretched too much. It helped me a lot—but maybe I’m just pulling too hard on the fabric…

By the way, I had absolutely no prior experience; as a kid, I used to sit at my mom’s old Singer. It still had a foot pedal.

Yeah, the videos these days are super helpful—you’ll find quite a few useful ones on the W6 website, too.

Oh, and one more thing about the needles… I use Super Stretch needles for anything stretchy and universal needles for woven fabrics—that’s how mine runs without any problems.
Have fun—hopefully you’ll get along well.

Claudia, and should I only use Organ needles, or will Schmetz ones work too?

The 89-euro machine arrived yesterday, and I tried it out right away. It sews pretty well—at least better than my old FiF from Aldi.
The threader works a little differently than the one on my Carina.
  The pattern selection dial is a bit stiff, and even when you have the sewing arm (that thing that rattles up and down at the top while threading) all the way up, it’s still so low that it’s hard to thread.
AND: even when the machine was turned off, the light was still glowing faintly in the dark, like a standby light. It didn’t even turn off when the power strip was off—I had to unplug it.
I was then able to sew my pillow in one go (sewing lots of squares together), and it worked wonderfully.
The Carina hadn’t been able to handle that before and had gotten stuck in the fabric again.
I’ll probably keep the W6 for everyday sewing.
  Of course, the Carina is more convenient because it leaves the needle in the fabric—which is exactly what you need when sewing around corners—and it has fancy stitch patterns.

I just wonder if really expensive machines are 100% great, or if they have their quirks too?  

Anja, my machine doesn’t care about that—the main thing is a well-made brand-name needle.

Do you lower the presser foot when you thread it? If it still doesn’t work well then, I’d find that annoying too…
The lighting is different for me too; when I turn off the machine, the light goes out completely.
Can’t you lower the needle into the fabric with the handwheel? I don’t know your machine, but that should definitely work.

Anja, I have a machine that wasn’t exactly cheap, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. My Pfaff Expression 3.2 sews everything I want it to, and even the blind stitch works exactly the way I like it—which saves me a lot of time when I have to sew a hem. I swear by Pfaff, but that’s most likely because I learned on a Pfaff during my apprenticeship and was always amazed at how smoothly they run. If I’d had the space back then, this machine would be at my place today, but unfortunately I had to leave it at the shop due to lack of space at home—even though we had the option of taking it home after my apprenticeship. And yet it was *just* a straight-stitch machine and an industrial model—but wow!

Best regards, Inge

The W6 also acted up in places where the Carina gave me trouble too. Not that often, but I still had to fish out fabric that got jammed inside—that’s annoying.
I really missed the convenience of the Carina.
So I packed up the W6 and gave it to my daughter as a gift.
Everyone’s happy now. 

Dear Anja,

when I read your post, I was happy to hear that you’d found a sewing machine and were able to discuss it with Claudia. But it didn’t pass the test for you, did it?

Recommending a sewing machine is always tricky. What works for one person is by no means a good fit for another.

Here’s just a quick summary of my experience with buying a sewing machine:

Three years ago, when I started sewing, I also looked at the W6 and read through all the reviews. Its main advantage was the price. But the negative reviews were certainly justified.

In the end, I decided against it and went with another model—one that was more expensive but would bring me more joy in the long run. I had absolutely no idea how a sewing machine sews or is supposed to sew. If I’m starting to sew at age 58, my success or failure shouldn’t depend on the sewing machine. The sewing machine should compensate for my lack of skill as much as possible and support me to the greatest extent possible. And how many sewing machines would I probably
buy in my lifetime?

So I decided to save up until I could buy the sewing machine I wanted (which costs 388.55 euros today), which I’d researched extensively beforehand. It was my first sewing machine, and it never let me down. Of course, since it was my very first sewing machine, I couldn’t compare it to any other. But I’d buy it again today.

Sure, it has “eaten” the fabric a few times, but that was usually the fabric’s fault—too thick, too slippery, too thin. Or it happened at the start of a seam. That’s when I learned to place another piece of fabric of the same height at the front and start sewing on that. So it does take practice and getting used to—with any sewing machine.

I hope that for your next machine, the two of you are a good match and that it supports you well. At least your daughter has a new sewing machine now—that’s nice, too :-)

Best regards—Ina

Hi everyone, for our 7th and 8th grade classes, we have the now somewhat older computer-controlled W6 3300. After getting to know it, I bought the W6 5000 Exclusive a few years ago—back then for around 400 €—with plenty of accessories, such as a top-feed foot. Automatic threader, thread cutter, buttonhole sewing—all great. Good instructional videos, which are also helpful for me as a teacher to perform minor repairs when something stops working due to a distracted student. 10-year warranty. Affordable sewing thread and other accessories can be ordered from the online store. I’m more than satisfied.
Warm regards from Ulla 

I’m still stuck on the overlock.
Is it possible that not all models have a collection bin for the trimmings?

Yes, that does exist, Anja, you just have to sew yourself a "waste bag" ;-) like this one,
you can find patterns on the web

Best regards, Inge

Oh Anja, too bad it didn’t click between you two… I’m keeping my fingers crossed that you’ll still find the right one.
Unfortunately, I can’t say anything about the overlocker—I’ve never worked with one before.