An inexpensive sewing machine is a machine up to $ 250. It is usually equipped with a swinging shuttle (although they indicate vertical in the description) and because of this it vibrates strongly during operation (the more you press the pedal, the stronger it vibrates).
The first thing you should pay attention to is the spring (more precisely, the pedal for securing the stitch). Quite often, it is weakened and because of this it is impossible to fasten the line (reverse button).
Second, if there is the possibility of sewing with two needles, check that there are both holders for spools (because often one or both falls out, but this is not paid attention to).
Third - the tension of the upper thread when choosing the thickness of the fabric (from 0 to 7 usually). The instructions often indicate that thin fabric is 0 and thick fabric is 7. It took a year of torment to understand that the instructions were wrong, and you need to set the thickness on the contrary. I usually use 0 for very thick (including foam), and 3 most often. 7 is not yet useful, but maybe I'll try for chiffon.
Fourth, it’s good when there is a backlight in the car, but because of this, the oil dries up very quickly, and you have to lubricate the machine every week, otherwise the thread breaks constantly and it is simply impossible to sew. Another year of life was spent on the realization of this fact.
In principle, Chinese machines of good quality and, when they don’t want to sew, maybe it’s not the manufacturer, not the bobbin, not the thread tension, not the thick material, not the thin threads, not the bad needles - but that the machine needs to be lubricated more often.
Fifth, the buttonhole function (for buttons) is very useful. Not all cars have it and the foot is not everywhere. Although it is more needed when sewing blouses and pants, but mainly machines of this class use clothes and sewing summer dresses for repair.
In principle, in terms of price and quality, I liked the Boutique S-15. He has been working properly for more than 4 years, has never been repaired.
However, during operation, it was found that the screw for the needles sticks out to the right (and not behind, like on other machines), and when moving the fabric it can hurt your fingers.
