When selecting the best sewing machine, there are many brands and models to choose from, priced anywhere from $70 to as high as $5,000. The domestic sewing machine can perform many tasks from sewing straight or zigzag stitches to the creation of buttonholes and stitching buttons.

The following review should be helpful for consumers looking to purchase a quality sewing machine.

Singer Sewing Machines

In 1851 Isaac Merritt Singer spent $40 and 11 days to develop a practical, functioning sewing machine. His efforts resulted in the first lockstitch sewing machine patent. Singer then founded I.M. Singer & Company with New York attorney Edward C. Clark. The company became the primary manufacturer and seller of sewing machines. Today, the Singer Company is the oldest American sewing machine manufacturer and the most well known. It’s name is almost synonymous with sewing machines.

Brother Sewing Machines

Brother International Corporation is the manufacturer of many products including electronics. Brother is known for its ability to create a low-cost product and incorporate computerization. The Brother sewing machines include the LS-2125 Mechanical Sewing Machine, which retails for only $70.

Viking Sewing Machines

Husqvarna Viking is a Swedish Producer of high-quality sewing machines and sergers for home use. Viking, though pricey, has a good reputation among quilters and others who work their sewing machines a lot. Users report that Viking is the best sewing machine because of its durability and it is easy to use. Viking was the first company to develop the first writing sewing machine.

Bernina Sewing Machines

Bernina, a Swiss manufacturer owned and operated by the same family for four generations, is a renowned manufacturer of quality sewing machines. Bernina had the first high-speed hemstitching machine, the first zigzag machine and was the first to develop computerized sewing and embroidery systems that ran off of Microsoft Windows CE.

Janome Sewing Machines

Janome is a Japanese manufacturer of sewing machines that purchased American company NewHome in 1960. Janome's precision in robot technologies made way for the world's first programmable, computerized sewing machine, the Memory Craft, which are the best sewing machines for their ease-of-use and precision stitching.

Pfaff Sewing Machines

Georg Michael Pfaff constructed his first completely handmade sewing machine in 1862. Pfaff, a German company continues to be a leading manufacturer of sewing, embroidery and overlock sewing machines including the precision computer machines.

White Sewing Machines

In 1866 the White Sewing Machine Company introduced their New England model that measured nine inches long and six inches high. This small sewing machine could fit in a man's hand and sold for $10, giving birth to the portable sewing machine. White is known for manufacturing timesaving attachments to help with ruffles and braiding. Since the 1920s, White sewing machines have been a part of schools and other institutions.