Best Heavy Duty Sewing Machines To Give Volume to Your Creation

My top pick for a sturdy and reliable sewing machine is the Brother ST371HD Strong and Tough Sewing Machine. Capable of handling multiple layers of tough materials, including denim, leather, and outdoor fabrics, as well as delicate silk, this machine is both flexible and durable, making it an excellent choice for everyday sewing and repairs.

A heavy duty machine work best when you often deal with heavy fabrics. It is a blessing if you want durability, stability and versatility.

From silk to denim, it can do wonders on your raw fabric and can turn it to something you have never ever imagined.

The benefits are firstly, it can sew lightest to heaviest fabrics including quilts comfortably. Secondly, it doesn’t vibrate when you work on tough garments and above all it is a low maintenance investment.

I have listed 5 top rated and dependable heavy duty sewing machines. All you need to do is recognize what suits you the best. Suites here refer to the interest, requirement and budget.

Factors to Consider While Choosing A Heavy Duty Sewing Machine

You can get rid of those grinding noises and the smell of plastic burning after the heavy and continuous use. A sign of a perfect heavy duty sewing machine is that it will not make any noise and will stay stable regardless of the fabric you sew.

Before coming to any conclusion you need to understand what heavy duty machine will entail. There are few factors which will help you to get a complete idea about a heavy duty machine.

Build of Machine

As the name itself screams, the heavy duty sewing machines are heavyweight as they are made out of iron or steel rather than plastic. The metal frame of such machines are durable, robust and can handle pressure to a larger extent.

I will suggest you to go for a durable metallic body frame for a skip – free stitching. They last for quite a pretty good time. Such powerful machines are designed to work for long hours and to sew thick and heavy fabrics.

Speed

In old machines, after small intervals people had to adjust the fabric and sewing speed which was time consuming. Now there are variable speed controllers that needs one time adjustments only.

Fabrics which are too thick or too delicate needs slow speed, the controller itself identifies the stuff and set the speed accordingly.

Stitches per minute

More stitching options calls for more versatility. The number of stitches indicate the sewing machine capabilities. Not only this , the number of stitches symbolize the efficiency of the machine.

If you want to check the quality of the machine then generally, a good sewing machine can stitch between 800 to 2,000 stitches per minute. The benefit is that it can easily sew through multiple layers of the fabric within no time.

Power

Power is one of the major factors which decides how easily and swiftly the machine will sew. The speed of the machine depends on power. Always consider a machine with high power.

To work on tough and thick garments you need a high power sewing machine. The more power, more thicker fabrics it can handle with ease. High power, high sewing speed is always desirable.

5 Top-Rated Heavy Duty Sewing Machines With Reviews

1. Brother Strong And Tough Sewing Machine ST371HD

If you are looking for a heavy duty, durable and flexible sewing machine, remember Brother is at your side now and forever. The Brother ST371HD is one such choice you can make to fulfill your requirements.

Brother ST371HD is durable, sturdy and strong machine that can tackle heavy to delicate fabric with accuracy. This model has ample of features which are more than sufficient to make any design or pattern.

The 37 built-in stitches enhances the grace of the garment with several options like decorative, blind hem, zigzag, stretch stitches, and reinforcement. In addition to this, for stitching cylindrical garments, the drop feed option gives you free motion sewing.

The best and most unique feature which I love the most is metal needle plate with a variety of needles. For tough and heavy fabrics like canvas, denim etc #16 needle; to sew multilayer fabric #14 needle; for regular and light fabric like silk #11 needle.

This strong and tough machine has quite a simple stitch selector. Just turn the dial towards your favourite stitch from the stitches print in front of your eyes. All the utility, decorative, stretch and buttonhole stitches are easy to choose from.

The one step buttonholes are designed to fit in your particular buttons. To attach the buttons, use the button sewing foot. Plus, to hem sleeves, cuffs etc, there is a convertible free arm or a flat sewing surface to easy stitching.

Common features like automatic needle threader, top drop in bobbin, etc are there to make your life simple. The non-stick foot maintains a good stitching quality and it smoothly glides over the difficult fabrics and guarantees consistent feeding.

To sew over the fabrics with varying thickness, the spring action zigzag foot is very helpful. It gives the foot a smooth transition even on thick seams. All the 6 magnificent snap on feet designs are included in the features.

Moving on to the accessories, the packing includes 4 bobbins, 6 feet, 2 spool caps, twin needle, extra spool pin, 3 piece needle set, screwdriver, DVD guide with bilingual user manual and a dust cover.

Pros

• Sturdy and heavy duty sewing machine
• 27 unique built-in stitches to give every stitch a unique touch
• Heavyweight needles for perfect sewing
• 6 quick change sewing feet
• Dependable and multifunctional to handle variety of fabrics
• Metal needle plate to safeguard thread mechanism
• Storage compartment to keep accessories
• Stable metal chassis to maintain stability even at higher speeds.
• Comprises user instructional DVD plus on call technical support

Cons

• A user complained that the needle slipped within the 6 hours of the sewing
• A buyer said that the DVD didn’t work.

2. Janome HD1000 Heavy Duty Sewing Machine

It’s not about just you but anybody who is spending even a single penny will look for a foolproof product. Janome HD1000 is one such reliable product full of features and all are within budget.

Janome is a brand which has still maintained its reputation in the sewing industry. HD1000 is a heavy duty machine which comprises outer body of Aluminium that ensures durability.

The 14 unique stitching patterns with 4 simple step buttonholes is like icing on the cake. These stitches give you complete freedom to personalize your tasks as you want or as per the requirement.

This masterpiece can add grace to home decor, quilting, fashion or even to basic stitching. To thread your needle in fraction of seconds, the automatic needle is there is always ready for the quick action.

For free motion stitching and quilting, all you need to do is just lower the feed dogs lever. It can also be used for stitching and darning buttonholes to make your attires elegant.

This model features a convertible option in which if you will remove the storage compartment then the machine can be used as free arm. This is beneficial for sewing any hole like patterns that includes sleeves, cuffs, pants etc.

For quilting and high pile fabrics, 3- piece feed dog system is given. Regardless of your fabric type, it gently feeds the garments. You don’t need to stitch the cover when the machine is not in use, a hard sided cover is included to protect your buddy.

You can keep the dial to the relevant settings for the length and zigzag width. All of these settings increase the charm of the clothing. Every small feature matters and if you take a good hold then you can create amazing variety.

Janome HD1000 contains several foot such as zipper, sliding buttonhole, blind hemming, general purpose. Also, it comprises bobbins, needles and much more.

Pros

• Outer body is made out of cast aluminium which gives long time durability and stability
• Soft cover to keep it safe and dust free
• Free arm feature for cylindrical hem
• Flexible stitch length and various stitch patterns
• Drop feed for free motion operations
• Automatic needle threader to keep your eyes strain free
• 14 built in stitches with 4 step buttonhole
• 3 piece feed dog system for smooth fabric glide
• Easy customization of the projects
• Comprises bunch of accessories
• A customer reviewed that the machine is reliable and fast and quite easy to use.

Cons

• People found the machine a bit overpriced.
• A buyer said that the machine is ideal only for basic mending of fabrics.

3. Singer Simple 3232 Portable Heavy Duty Sewing Machine

If you are a newbie and quite exciting to get your hands on sewing machine then this is the best opportunity to start with. Singer is one of the best manufacturers of sewing machines right now.

Singer Simple 3232 Portable sewing machine is a heavy duty metal frame. The constructed material is such that it remains stable and gives skip-free sewing. You will definitely going to get a frustration free experience.

To help you to make sewing easy, there are 32 built-in stitches comprising 19 decorative, 6 stretch, 6 essential and 1 buttonhole. Plus for a professional touch, a fully automatic single step buttonhole is added.

The hard to reach area can be accessed easily through free arm. It lets you comfortably stitch the pant hems, collars and cuffs or any cylindrical pattern. It gives you the freedom to personalize the stitch length and width according to your interest.

The 4 snap-on presser feet gives wings to your creative instincts and opens doors to channelize your energy. Use the simple stitch selection set up to avoid bunching of threads and get a mess free stitching anytime.

The automatic reverse sewing machine lets you strengthen each seam. Adding to this, the high presser foot lifter efficiently sews many layers of fabric at the same time. It can be raised to a decent height to complete a foolproof task.

Being new to this field you might get stuck on basic steps too, you can see step by step video tutorials on Youtube. It covers online training for almost all topics. The operating voltage is 110 volts.

The bundle of accessories include pack of needles, lint brush/seam ripper, L-screwdriver, thread spool caps, darning plate, quilting guide, dust cover, power control/foot control and much more.

Pros

• Constructed from heavy duty metal frame which ensures stability
• The sewing speed is 750 stitches per minute
• 32 built-in stitches are there for infinite patterns
• 19 decorative stitches add more designs to this
• Features like automatic needle threader, free arm, adjustable stitch width and length are there
• Foot Lifter that can be raised to a good height to stitch multiple layers.
• Automatic reverse stitching for reinforced stitching
• Ideal for beginners for creative and innovative tasks
• Accessory storage compartment
• Online technical customer support

Cons

•  A user was highly disappointed with the customer care service.
• A buyer said that the needle threader was not working. It was bent.

4. Singer Fashion Mate 3333 Free Arm Sewing machine

Another addition from Singer on my list is Fashion Mate 3333 Free Arm Sewing Machine with a good range of user-friendly options. This model has contemporary and a sleek design.

With its classy and elegant looks, it is one of the favourite models among sewing enthusiasts. The Singer App and class videos are very helpful for your immediate assistance.

The heavy duty metal frame adds life to the machine plus it gives a long lasting durability and stability while dealing with tough fabric. It is a great option to consider if you want your machine and garments should compliment each other.

This model is a free arm portable machine with 23 different built-in stitches. The built-in stitches comprise stretch, decorative, basic stitches. It also includes 4 step buttonholes that can be sized as per specific buttons you want to attach to the garments.

It features all the general options which now a day is available in all sewing machines such as automatic needle threader to keep your eyes relaxed, free arm sewing to stitch pant hems, collars, cuffs or any small hole.

Further, the drop-in bobbin has a see through covering to see the thread spool. You can easily select the stitch length for any fabric. It helps you to choose the correct stitching measurements.

Sometimes you need to work on dark fabrics then it becomes difficult to differentiate if light is not sufficient. To see the working space clearly, provision of LED light is there.

Singer gives 25 year limited warranty along with customer care service facility. If at any point of time you find something difficult to understand, the solution is just a call away.

Pros

• The classy and sleek designed sewing machine
• For durability it is built of heavy duty metal frame
• Reliable, durable and stable sewing machine
• 23 built-in stitch patterns to create your own style
•  The owner provide online classes on app and videos
• Stitch selector dial to choose the stitching options
• Flexible stitch length to innovate customized features
• LED to lighten up the work station
• Top drop-in bobbin with clear cover to check the thread spool
• Automatic needle threader for stress free eyes.
• A bundle of free accessories which includes several foot too.

Cons

• A person said the bobbin often skips out of the track and the worst part is that he has not been guided well for this issue.
•  A veteran buyer said that working on this machine is frustrating and stressful.

5. Janome MC-6300P Professional Heavy Duty Computerized Sewing Machine

Janome Memory Craft 6300 is an advanced and professional sewing machine. For all of you who are sewing experts and want speed, power and accuracy in every stitch you sew then just have a look on this feature loaded computerized machine.

Janome has built this high end model for serious sewist who want to take their sewing skills to the next level. This machine is a heavy duty model to work perfectly on fabric of variable thickness.

The computerized quilting sewing machine has an extension table to provide ample of space for any large fabric. You can comfortably design quilts and dresses on this wide table.

Loaded with 66 unique stitches and 4 buttonholes to grace your outfit, this machine is a divine thing to buy right now. As an expert you will never find any feature missing in it. The various buttonholes can be attached comfortably with the garment.

To see the information and steps clearly, the machine has a LED display. The bobbin area and twin needle guard also has an indicator light to check the thread volume left in the spool even in the dim light.

All the general features are there including the automatic thread cutter to cut any extra portion or hanging unwanted threads. Plus the block script monogram stitches adds elegance in everything you stitch.

With the amazing stitching speed of 1000 stitches in a minute, it will keep you on time and will let you complete your projects as soon as possible. To complete your quilting projects, the machine ahs throat space of 9”x 5”to deal with larger quilts without any mess.

To decorate the quilts, it comes with 5 unique blanket stitching options for applique, latest and updated feed setup to manage even the thickest fabric smoothly, a hand look quilt stitch.

The machine also comprises knee lifter to lift the presser foot to tackle multiple layers of fabrics of any thickness and an inbuilt thread cutter to give a professional finishing touch to every seam.

Pros

• Ideal for quilting and sewing
• Computerized features so easy to use
• Multiple foot options like walking and darning foot
• Wide table to place your fabric conveniently especially quilts
• Script monogram and block stitching options
• Drop feed controller and knee lift to adjust multiple layers of fabrics
• LED display to see the multiple information and details for a perfect stitch
• Automatic thread cutter to snip the unwanted threads with memory ability
• A fast setup for drop-in bobbin with indicator light and twin needle guard
• Built in 4 buttonhole which can be made custom sized
• 66 extraordinary built-in stitches

Cons

• Someone complained that the machine started skipping the stitches after three times of usage
• A buyer said that this is the worst product anyone could ever purchase

Final Opinion

In my opinion, as per your requirement and budget you may consider these two options. The first one is Brother ST3711 HD Strong and Tough Sewing Machine which is the best heavy duty machine you can ever wish for.

The powerful, user convenient and easy to understand features makes it user friendly. The 37 unique stitch with metal needle plate, free arm stitching gives you enough room to show your endless creativity.

The second machine on my list is Janome MC-6300P Professional Quilting Sewing Machine. This heavy duty computerized machine is an ideal option for all the experts.

To get your hands on this quilting machine all you need to do is bring it home. It is way easier to use then you think. Stay elegant and graceful always!