Complete Sewing Machine Brands List (Best, Old, German)
There is not as many as there used to be. That is one of the tragic things about business. Good brands come and go. They may last for a century or more or they may not last 50 years. That is the way it is with sewing machine brands. Some have been around for a long time.
The oldest and only family-owned sewing machine manufacturer left in the world today is Bernina. It has been family owned since 1893 and under the guidance of the founder’s great-grandson, Hanspeter Ueltschi.
To learn all about the different sewing machine brands just keep reading. We list as many as possible in this article so you can know whom to trust with your sewing machine dollars.
Sewing Machine Brands 101
How Many Sewing Machine Brands are There?
If you want to include more than just the American brands, you are looking at over 100 sewing machine brands throughout the world. There may be more but many may not be listed where their names would be known.
Since the invention of the sewing machine in 1846, there have been far too many pretenders who have set up shop, sold a few machines, then disappeared into history. Then you have the problem of finding these companies as some of them named their sewing machines after the patent and not the usual company name.
White used to be a great sewing machine brand which also produced a top-level sewing machine. Unfortunately, it went out of business when it was bought out by Electrolux. No new White sewing machines have been produced since 2006.
One of the top companies still in existence is Bernina. Its family-owned and has been throughout its existence. You can get sewing machines from Bernina or its sub-brand Bernette without any difficulty. But you have to pay a lot of money for their machines.
What are The Best Sewing Machine Brands
As mentioned, one of the top sewing machine brands is Bernina. It may not have a large share of the sewing machine market but that is because their machines are well made and they cost a lot of money. It is not unheard of to spend thousands on a Bernina sewing machine.
Singer is considered to be the best sewing machine brand. That reputation is seen through its 43% market share. Like Bernina, Singer has been around for over 100 years. What brought Singer to fame was the fact that its founder was the first to create home sewing machines.
Brother sewing machine is also another top brand. Their only drawback is that they make more electronic equipment than sewing machines. They are well diversified but they still make a quality machine.
Janome comes from Japan and has spent decades earning its top ranking as a best sewing machine company. This company was the first to develop the computerized sewing machine.
Pfaff, like both Singer and Bernina, has been around since the 19th century. They were founded in Germany and have continued a strong tradition of producing top-rated sewing machines ever since.
Finally, there is Juki. Another top Japanese company that markets its sewing machines around the world. Their focus is more on the industrial side of the industry although they do make some good home machines.
There may be more top sewing machine brands but these are about the top 5 in the business. You may have a personal favorite you would like to see on this list but unfortunately we cannot list every brand here.
Sewing Machine Brands List
We may not get them all here but this is a good list of the sewing machine brands still in existence today. There is no order from best to worst in this list.
Some of these companies come from India, China, Italy, and other countries.
German Sewing Machine Brands
Some of the following German sewing machine brands may include current and former sewing machine companies:
- L. O. Dietrich.
- Vesta.
- Frister and.
- Rossmann.
- Grimme.
- Natalis & Co.
- Hengstenberg & Co.
- Anker.
- Hermann.
- Köhler.
- Mundlos & Co.
- Adam Opel.
- Georg Pfaff.
- Seidel and.
- Naumann.
Old Sewing Machine Brands
As was stated earlier, there have been a myriad of companies that have come and gone from the sewing machine industry. Here is a short list of those unsuccessful businesses who could not compete in the market at their time:
- Davis Sewing Machine Company.
- Jennie June.
- Jones Sewing Machine Company.
- Kimball and Morton of Glasgow.
- Leader Sewing Machine.
- National Sewing Machine Company.
- Sewmor.
- Taft-Peirce Manufacturing Company.
- Tikkakoski.
- White Sewing Machine Company.
There are far too many of these failed attempts to list here. The American list alone comprises of about more than 30 and possibly more than 50. The reason for their lack of success would be due to a variety of mitigating factors and circumstances.
Sometimes it is just poor business that ended their hopes of making it big in the sewing machine industry. Or the bigger more established companies either bought them out or slashed prices so the upstarts could not compete.
Whatever the reason, the sewing machine industry has whittled out the pretenders and is left with the best of the bunch. If you want to see the complete America list, just click here.
That list has the names, the addresses of even the most obscure sewing machine company. Oh, and Wikipedia is of little help as it does not contain a complete list of all top brands or all sewing machine companies.
Different Brands of Sewing Machines
Sometimes it is hard to get to the different brands and who really owns them. The smaller brands are often created by larger companies in order to sell less quality or more affordable sewing machines.
For example, Bernette is owned by Bernina. But that new brand does not make the same quality sewing machines, nor sell them at the same price, as Bernina does. Their products are targeting the home market where the sewing machines are most used.
Not everyone can afford a real Bernina but they can get a good sewing machine through the Bernette. Husqvarna is the same. They market their own sewing machines but also own Viking, while SVP owns Singer, Pfaff and Viking.
That ownership means that SVP also owns Husqvarna. Janome owns Elna and Toyota owns Necchi. When it comes to sewing machines, the industry is not that large even though there are a lot of good brands out there producing sewing machines.
Sewing Machine Brands and Prices
Some of the top brands do not want to lose out on sales or their market share. So they produce portable and entry sewing machines that cost the consumer about $100 or less.
This strategy helps them with their bottom line while making sure everyone can afford a good sewing machine Brother is one such company as it produces and sells a machine for around $85. Another is priced at $100.
Then they have several models that cost between $150 and $200. They keep a lot of their machines affordable. Singer is the same but their machines can reach $300 while having several in the low $100 dollar range.
On the other hand, Janome can sell a top machine for about $600 with one model reaching $800 but like the other companies they also sell some economical machines ranging in price from $100 to $250.
Because Juki focuses a lot on the industrial market, their sewing machine prices can go even higher than the three already mentioned. One machine retails for about $700, with another at $1,000 and a third at over $1,000.
Bernette starts in the low $200 range with a variety of models available through different outlets. Although they too breach the $1,000 mark with one of their top machines.
Bernina is not being forgotten and their top machines can run into the thousands of dollars. But there is a bit of good news as you can get a Bernina at Amazon for under $2,100. Other Bernina’s sell between $1400 and $1600 on the same site.
Pfaff was a little more difficult to get some information on the cost of their sewing machines. We checked several places, including their website, and no prices were forthcoming. Even their promotion page did not turn up a sales price.
It may be that Pfaff sells through dealers and their prices will change from dealer to dealer. If you want to go really cheap, Varmax has a mini sewing machine that sells for about $30. How well it will hold up is anyone’s guess.
Sewing Machine Brands Made in USA
There used to be a lot of American Sewing machine brands that made their products in America. Even though they may have their headquarters in the country, the manufacturing is delegated out to other countries.
The only thing we could find where there were sewing machines made in America were those low quantity companies that produced sewing machines for quilting. The last known company was Handi-Quilter, but it is not known if they still do make their machines in America.
In other words, there are no American based sewing machine brands that make their product in America. The sewing machines may say assembled in America but they are not really made there.
The countries that are producing sewing machines for the top brands are China, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The only European company still producing their own machines is Bernina Switzerland.
That company’s Bernette sub-brand has all their machines made in Thailand. Sail Rite is one of those companies that has the parts made in other countries then ships those parts in and assemble their machines in America.
The one exception to all of this that we have been able to find is the Merrow Company. They may be part of that low quantity group spoken about earlier. But the great-great- nephews of Joseph Merrow run the company and keep production in America.
But their focus may also be more on commercial and industrial machines with a few more economical models on hand. The company started in 1822 making gunpowder but in 1877 built the first crochet machine.
Other than that, no top or well-known sewing machine brand makes their products in America. You may get some odd parts that are American made, but that is about it.
Best Industrial Sewing Machine Brands
You can put Merrow on that list as they do make top quality industrial and commercial sewing machines. Their machines handle a variety of sewing applications and seem to be able to work with a lot of different fabrics.
They still make a crochet machine as well as none that does end to end seaming. For almost 200 years this company has focused on industrial sewing machines.
Next on the list would be the Japanese company Juki. They specialize more in industrial sewing machines. Its Juki Mo 6714S is said to be the best industrial serger machine on the market today. Another top Juki model is the Juki TL 200 Qi which is said t be the best industrial machine for home use.
Then their Juki DDl 8700. It is supposed to be a very quiet machine that sews through 10 layers of vinyl with ease. After Juki comes Consew and its 206B-5 model. It handles thick fabrics without even trying. That may be due to its triple feed and powerful stitch force.
Finally, there is the Yamata FY 8700. It is supposed to be the most economical industrial machine out there. It is very budget-friendly and can handle 5,500 stitches per minute.
Honorable mentions go to Singer, who has 3 top industrial machines for sale. Each machine comes with its own set of unique features that make them perfect for commercial and industrial use. One stitches at 2,500 SPM to make sure your commercial sewing needs are taken care of.
Janome is another honorable mention here. Its Hd 1000 is a heavy-duty machine that seems to handle a lot of tough sewing chores without complaint. Then finally the Reliable sewing machine is due to its honors as well. That company makes 2 top industrial machines that compete well with its competitors.
Cheapest Sewing Machine Brands
As has been mentioned already, many of the top brand names make budget friendly sewing machines to help their bottom line and to make sure everyone has a chance to own their own personal sewing machine.
Janome is one of those companies and they put out a product that costs only $55. This machine still comes with 11 built-in stitches that help novice sewers get a handle on sewing.
Singer is next with a $74 sewing machine that competes well with its competitors. Its pre-set stitch length and width may be a great help to first time sewing machine users. It also has 6 built-in stitches you can choose from.
Next would be Brother and their cheapest sewing machine seems to be priced at $85. It comes with a 1 step button hole feature and 27 built-in stitches. 6 presser feet are also included in its construction.
Coming in fourth would be Ever Sewn and its $119 price tag. Its 1 buttonhole feature and 21 built-in stitches make it a good machine to work with. It also handles denim and leather quite easily. Beginners may like this unit as well.
Bernette is not out of the picture as it does make an economical sewing machine, for Bernina models at least. The price tag on one of their cheaper models is $199, and it is the Bernette 33.
It comes with about 15 built-in stitches and its best use may be for quilting. A blanket stitch is one of those stitches included on this inexpensive machine.
Now there may be cheaper models and cheaper sewing machine brands but we would have to question their quality and longevity. The construction materials may be inferior to the ones on this list.
Heavy Duty Sewing Machine Brands
Sewing comes with a variety needs and challenges. That is why there are so many different sewing machines being made today. There is a machine that matches up with your particular sewing project on sale now.
In this category we will list some of the heavy-duty sewing machines that may help you out. You may or may not agree with our list but that is okay. These are some of the best of the best.
To start off, there is the Singer 4423. It comes with a heavy-duty metal frame that should handle tough sewing tasks with ease. It is durable and strong and should last you a long time.
On top of that there are 23 built-in stitches for you to choose from. Plus, it has a very powerful motor that does about 1,100 spm. Next on the list is the Brother ST 371 HD.
Its claim to fame are its 37 built-in stitches and 6 quick-change feet It also works with heavy fabrics or ones as light as silk. That versatility is why it is a great heavy-duty machine.
The Janome HD 3000 is not far behind and it is not called a workhorse for nothing. It does its job, and it does it well. With a one button hole feature and 18 built-in stitches you can complete many tough sewing projects with this unit.
Plus, it handles about 850 stitches per minute and you can find the stitch selection dial on the right end of the machine. Next on this list is the Juki TL 2000 Q1. We have already talked about this machine and as you can see its inclusion here means it is one of the best of the best.
With 1,500 stitches per minute speed, built-in light, automatic needle threader and more, this top machine has the features and functions you need. You can also adjust the length of your stitch by turning the dial.
If you want a heavy-duty quilting sewing machine, you may want to look at the Tin Lizzie 18. it is a brand we have not mentioned before but it has a sit down long arm quilting style to make your quilts turn out well.
It comes with an automatic needle threader and its own sewing table so you can handle those quilting fabrics with ease. A built-in light makes sure you can see all the fine details you have to do without straining your eyes.
Some Final Words
It is hard to keep track of all the sewing companies or brands that are in or out of business. So many are either owned by one sewing corporation or corporations who manufacture other items like Toyota and Brother.
Also, there are very few sewing machine companies that are still family-owned. Bernina and Merrow are the last two and they are not in direct competition with each other. Both companies have been in business for over 100 years.
Singer is another top brand which still produces good sewing machines even though it is not an independent company anymore. If you do your research, you will find that a myriad of sewing machine companies came and went very quickly.
It is a tough business as sewers seem to be very loyal to their favorite brands. Trying to make a mark means competing on the computerized level and not everyone can do that.
If you can afford, you won’t go wrong with a Bernina. They are probably the Rolls Royce of sewing machines.
