I Bought An $8 Sewing Machine From Temu

Hi!
In this video, I try to find out if an $8 sewing machine is worth every penny.
If you like what I do, you can help me to continue by purchasing merchandise from my Spring store - teespring.com/stores/the-jaso...
The shears I use the most - amzn.to/3cscIH1 (Amazon affiliate link: I earn from qualified purchases)
Want to buy some fabric for your next project? Check out Ripstop By The Roll - kzbin.info?even...
(AFFILIATE LINK, if you purchase using this link I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you)
Looking for waxed canvas or other heavier fabrics? Check out Big Duck Canvas - kzbin.info?v=pD...
(AFFILIATE LINK, if you purchase using this link I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you)
Check out my other KZbin channel, TheJasonWINS (When I'm Not Sewing) for videos on some of the other things I enjoy (sometimes sewing-related, often not). - / @thejasonwins3765
You can also follow me on Instagram - / thejasonofalltrades
Thanks for watching!
00:01 introduction
02:21 description/claims
06:38 unboxing
11:38 sewing tests and demonstrations
23:59 unexpected machine teardown
26:11 more sewing
33:41 running on battery power
34:45 closing thoughts

[@alp-1960]

I couldn't take my eyes off that lovely Bernina while it was in frame LOL. Glad my family aren't the only folks who giggle at badly translated appliance instructions. Have fun.

[@shelleywallace7875]

I have two of these. One is the same model as yours and the other one has a handle. Both work fine. If you have trouble with your machine it is usually operator error. The one with the handle I use for sewing very lightweight tarp tears and hems that have come undone. The other sewing machine is used for small jobs where you have to bring a light weight machine to the work. I have nine regular sewing machines in cabinets that I have collected and repaired spanning years from 1907 to 2012 that I enjoy using for sewing clothes. Every machine gets used including the two small plastic $8 ones.

[@gigiontube]

1907 😳 Maybe 2007 🤔

[@shelleywallace7875]

@@gigiontube Yup, 1907 Industrial Singer. It is so heavy duty it will never die. I recently used it to reupholster my tired old RV. I bought a roller wheel to help it get through the thick fabric. Worked great.

[@fayewilliams-smith7815]

Are you a collector? I have a couple of old machines in cabinets. The Lenore and a singer

[@lavonnewalker373]

If it’s threaten wrong or the thread falls out of place it will do that every time. I went on vacation and made a whole quilt top on my down times using it.

[@shelleywallace7875]

I'm a fixer. If I see a machine for sale that is broken or missing something I will buy it a fix it and find a home for it. I didn't find a home for 8 of them so far. If I get any more, I will need to find a bigger house.@@fayewilliams-smith7815

[@rebeccaaugustine8628]

Thank you, Jason! I am looking for a small, easy-to-use sewing machine. This will NOT be it!

[@ShortyCatRamblings]

I think it would be a cute decorative/conversation piece for a sewing room!

[@shelleywallace7875]

Mine usually sits idle but it really works and has done a good job quickly a dozen times or more when I don't want to haul out and set up a big machine for a little job.

[@MsLouisVee]

Let’s not forget it’s use as a nightlight😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@deelirious]

In my experience as a translator, some of these wrong translations come from the fact that to save money they give the translator a word or two without context or it is directly an automatic translation and those are rarely good enough.

[@howlingwind1937]

😂😂😂😂the instructions for this machine, sounds as good as putting your tongue on a large block of ice. At least it did have grease inside it even though it doesn't sound like it. Loved your review, I was in stitches of laughter at times, over all for $8 it's not a total right off. Thanks for sharing. Cheers!

[@scottiehall8695]

I know what my white elephant gift will be this Christmas!

[@gerGoPrint3D]

This could be useful to take on camping trips or multi-day boat trips, where you might need to fix / patch up things and there is no electricity. The size is also ideal for that

[@wendyrowland7787]

Meanwhile those of us who still remember how to sew with needle and thread would have done the job before that piece of junk was even threaded up.

[@alexandrachristiansen383]

A needle and thread is all look ways in my bag when I go camping and has always been handy

[@TheBikemaster94]

I have so many old clothes that can be turned into other things 😊 in the past I would just throw stuff away during my spring cleaning phase 😂. I couldve fixed torn chairs and jeans instead of throwing them away.🎉

[@kaywoo7328]

This was fun! I laughed while learning some things ...Thank you for the "Laugh-N-Learn" !

[@user-xk7ox4cn2f]

I think it could be useful in card making or scrap booking.

[@shelleywallace7875]

Good idea.

[@MsLouisVee]

its kinda cute and trying so hard. It can be a nice night light. 😊

[@barbaramatthews4735]

Theyre English is better than my Mandarin or Cantonese. I still get a good laugh at the translations. I lived in Japan when I was in the Navy. They had random English on items that were funny too. Again their English is better than my Japanese. I do speak some Spanish, but just enough to get in trouble.

[@zynzane9680]

Other videos are showing the same machine and it works. I just pulled out my old model unopened and it works. I got it years ago for paper crafting, and so far it is fine for that. The only thing is I can't wind a bobbin on it, but I can wind a bobbin if needed on my regular machine. Mine came with two wound and two empty metal bobbins.

[@abolsley1]

This was just entertaining listening to you reading the instructions! lol

[@skipopidid]

I could see something like this being used at festivals and ren faires for painic sewing a last minute hem or for repairs.

[@shelleywallace7875]

Yeah, I repaired a heavy curtain hem with mine because I didn't want the hassle of taking the curtain down off the curtain rod. I just used my little machine with the handle. It didn't skip a stitch. Looks the same as the rest of the hem.

[@responsibilityfailure]

I used it as a single dad and it was very useful. I know nothing about sewing but i fixed some minor tears in curtain and some other items that were just tiny holes that were easy and less than 3 inches long

[@jdhtyler]

MAGNETIC bottom bobbin is how it works. I was surprised, I was given a non working machine with a plastic 66 bottom bobbin and a bent needle. (the machine worked after replacing the needle and metal bobbin ) I found out searching the WWW, there is a magnetic bobbin case this NEEDS a steel bobbin for the tension. The purple machine I have will also do zigzag wow. Noise - it is the loudest machine I have and it is "not" a pleasure to use.

[@LasseGreiner]

That is very interesting, thanks for the insight!

[@DramaMustRemainOnTheStage]

The tentioner gets me every time. I want a sledge hammer 🔨 😂

[@judyferguson3185]

Hilarious😅. Reading the instructions is almost worth $8😅😅😅😅😅😅. Very entertaining😊😊😊

[@markfannin3975]

Totally enjoyed this video.!. Appreciate you taking the time for some 'experimental' sewing concepts. All the best.

[@kellymitchell1631]

😂 you are a passionate man I think I would have given up way earlier than you!!

[@joydavis9264]

I'm only 14 minutes in, so you may figure it out before the end, but when you figured out about the on-off switch and the foot pedal but you were saying, I guess there's no speed control, I was sitting there going, it's RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE! The thing marked L and H. When the button is out it's on high speed. You need to push it in for low! Anyway... going to finish watching now. Edit: Okay, you did mention low speed later. I guess you just meant if barely depressing the foot pedal. 2nd Edit: You should try the cute little 12-stitch machine for $30 now that DOES have reverse stitch. 3rd Edit: Hahaha! It doesn't make the translation better, but I think what you are pronouncing as "wound" (like an injury) is actually "wound" as in a tense of the verb to wind, like winding thread - like something wound too tight. hahaha... That at least makes more sense as an included word than the way you were pronouncing it. Last one: I can't remember now if you said it in this video or if I was reading through comments and someone said they couldn't wind a bobbin with this, but that's not true. It's been a long time since I've had mine out, and it was kind of janky the way it worked. You had to put an attachment in the middle of the little winding hand crank thingy to the side and have one bobbin there as I remember, the one you're filling, and there was no way to disengage the hand-crank thingy from the needle going up and down like you would with a normal machine. But anyway there was a certain way to put the spool on top and have it go to the one on the side hand crank thingy and you had to kind of hold some slack in the line yourself with a finger or whatever and maybe even move it up and down a little to help it fill the bobbin evenly, but you'd pressed on the foot pedal and let the thing go at it - with the needle part unthreaded of course - but it would indeed fill the bobbin that way.

[@lildarlin1211]

Hysterical....you are soooo patient lol

[@jeffreyhickman3871]

I picked 🆙 one ☝️ of these sewing 🧵 machines several years ago, because I couldn’t find a handheld one. I bought it at Goodwill for about $8.00. I also think 🤔 it’s the same color as yours. The trouble 👿 was, I simply crammed the sewing 🧵 machine in a drawer, because hand sewing 🪡 seemed to remain my favorite 😍. It is still in its box 📦, to this very day. When I find a place to live, I’m getting this sewing machine out to use it. Ya said it’s pretty 😍 powerful. I’m pretty sure 👍 this machine can handle both bobbins 🧵 and regular sized thread 🧵 spools 🧵. Just subbed!! Your friend, Jeff!!

[@wniner8194]

That is the factory machine that made your undershirt!

[@califdreamingable]

I'm not sure why you were having so many issues, I have that machine. Impressive little sewing machine, great for small jobs, I didn't have any of the issue you had.

[@thejasonofalltrades]

I imagine the performance and quality vary quite a bit from machine to machine, at that price point there can't be a great quality control process.

[@debraclogston9379]

It's the invisible sewing machine! Educational and fun to play with for hours! Ill go away now....Stay safe.

[@edug1168]

It's a wonderful night light.

[@debraclogston9379]

One last thing, I also have a Bernina record. 830. On the side of the road.

[@DramaMustRemainOnTheStage]

I got my grandaughter one and we gave up really fast I want my Singer Featherweight 😂❤

[@joycedollar1198]

Looks like a piece of pucky. Thank you for review. Would have never thought it would work. Love the descriptions so funny interrogations. That alone is entertainment.

[@debraclogston9379]

We had a Blanchard in my last shop, one of the tags had the d printed backwards. Control speeb.😊 The best translation yet was for a diamond core drill bit . It warned you about not goinng overspeed or the tool will go "poof!".

[@jgoo4572]

This would discourage anyone not to sew. Do you own a sledgehammer and have slow motion on your camera? :)

[@thejasonofalltrades]

Um, yes, yes I do 😂

[@Idaho-Idaho]

I no see link connect Amazon to push money get machine. Dog no cloth on body need to fabric sew to put on dog. (Translation: thanks for the fun video. I can't decide to buy one of these bad boys or use the $8 for a down payment on a coffee.)

[@debraclogston9379]

Chainstitch? My mind is spinning in overdrive. I could poke that machine for miles. I have a child's Singer-electric that is way beyond that.

[@KAPPYCAM]

i was yelling at my screen, stop.. the thread is going in the machine.. but you just kept going... glad you fixed it. i almost want to get one to play with.. might be a good travel machine.

[@judyferguson3185]

I was doing the same thing, laughing and trying to tell him what to do😅😅😅😅😅

[@ceceosborn176]

Until you took it apart, i was thinking maybe it needed lubricant on the gears.

[@joshwhite2830]

I look forward to the head to head comparison with the Singer HD on sewing 6 layers of waxed canvas.

[@debraclogston9379]

Can you sew waxed canvas? I want to try a duffle bag but wasn't sure it was a good idea.

[@joshwhite2830]

@debraclogston9379 you definitely can sew waxed canvas. You can then even go over the stitching with fresh wax

[@SherryBrubakerPollock]

Thank you so much for this thorough review and demonstration. I just received mine, which I paid almost $25 for, and even with following your tips rather than their (incorrect?) instructions, I can't get it to sew more than a couple of stitches before it bogs down, stops and then breaks the needle thread. (Also, the foot pedal isn't working at all for me.) I only need a little sewing machine to supplement my knit and crochet business, and so far this unit has me totally frustrated. Now, for the record, I tested it using batteries. I'm going to retry it with the AC adapter, and if it still fails, it's going back to Temu.

[@bigjohn75]

Head to head against One of those handheld cheap so machines would be funny.

[@janicecameron3688]

I bought the 57 dollar sewing machine from temu , lasted one day and crapped out.

[@darlene9154]

I have one too and it did the same thing. It bunched up and I could not get it to start again. I’m Canadian and I think I paid over $20 for it. I gave up and will probably throw it out.😡

[@MsLouisVee]

Jason, I think you’ve grown fond of the little thing😂

[@DramaMustRemainOnTheStage]

SINGER FEATHERWEIGHT? ARE YOU SERIOUS. oh i have my moms and i love that maching. I need a tune up on it

[@debraclogston9379]

Beware the plastic! I picked up a metal frame stylist to be crushed by dead gears. Im gonna try the replacement parts.

[@TammyLeeW]

Entertaining

[@einars899]

The needle is threaded left to right. And the bobbin is on the left side of the needle. Does that mean that the bobbin is not inside the hook? Or is this a hint that a bottom tension device does exist, but not the way we are used to? Or is it just that it is early morning here. And I'm only on my first cup of coffee.

[@LasseGreiner]

As pointed out, a magnetic tension of the bobbin is likely. Never seen that in person either but the explanation is the best so far.

[@jmarylastone]

aww - I want one lol - but on the "hmm" side the battery operation is food for thought

[@thejasonofalltrades]

That was the one thing about it that actually had me starting to like it.

[@catherinegrace2366]

That’s awful! Thank you for trying it out for us!

[@jackiedigliani6014]

Tension

[@andriashevetz2511]

That's hilarious 😅 it looks like a kids mixer!!!

[@KC4VNU]

OK! I triple dog dare you to sew me a new 150 Genoa Dacron sail for my Hunter 34 sailboat on that thing! ;-)

[@thejasonofalltrades]

I'll get right on it! 😂

[@user-rc3lt5bc1e]

Does it come with earplugs? Because that sucker is loud!

[@bonniewood7642]

Worth every laugh

[@11THEFEZMAN11]

Watching you fight with it was almost as amusing as the instructions, which I am quite familiar with, Chinese to English is always funny, on a more “serious” note my “new” Bernette B79 didn’t like running v69 out of the box and that’s a $1500 machine. I had to buy a new bobbin case for it and kind of fiddle with the tension and needle size to get it to run smoothly, hence why I bought the sailrite. As for a use? I think you’re on target with “off grid” use, leave it at the cabin or under the seat of the RV / boat

[@shadowgolem9158]

New series! Best machine under 10$ is covered! Next do the best one (new) under 50$ and then under 100$. 😊

[@jdkeyes2000]

All I saw in this video was you having a preconceived notion that the machine is crap. then you and I do mean YOU caused the machine to malfunction. If you had followed the directions, as as bad as they were the machine would have worked. You didn't take the thread off the whip arm, you didn't catch that the thread wasn't in the tension discs, you didn't pay attention to how you took the bobbin out to put it back in the same way. YOU made the machine malfunction and you need to apologize to the little machine and to us the viewer.s.

[@thejasonofalltrades]

Hi. I take issue with your comment. It sounds overly harsh and seems to suggest you weren't paying full attention to the video. What you saw in this video is what I showed you - I'm the editor here, and I choose what you do and do not have the opportunity to see on my channel. I clearly admitted to all of the mistakes you point out, it's not like I was trying to hide any of that. That said, when I corrected the mistakes, the results remained the same. The machine worked well for me with the factory-wound bobbins and provided thread, and didn't work with the only other thread I tried. The point wasn't to do thorough testing of this machine to see if I can get it to work with a wide variety of threads and fabrics, it was just to try it out and see if it even works, because - NEWS FLASH - an $8 brand new sewing machine IS a piece of crap. I think I made it quite clear in the video that I was pleasantly surprised that the machine worked as well as it did, and it made a pretty nice looking stitch, but it as cheaply made as it gets, and should mostly be considered a novelty item, in my opinion. I checked out your channel, and it appears you are a quite talented pipe organist. I am a pretty bad pianist/keyboardist, so I respect the effort you must have put into becoming proficient on as demanding an instrument as a pipe organ. I would like to suggest that maybe you search Temu for the cheapest keyboard instrument you can find, and compare that to some professional-grade or high-end consumer-grade keyboards or organs. Do you think an $8 synthesizer will be a "piece of crap?" As for apologies, I am always quick to apologize for my transgressions. In this instance, I have nothing to apologize for. I wish you well.

[@judyferguson3185]

They didn’t have a good translator for the box instructions😅😅😅😅😅

[@rainieraine1192]

All they way through I thought you were going to sew your fingers 😱

[@SandraOrtmann1976]

I wonder how long those plastic gears will keep working...

[@thejasonofalltrades]

At least a few days, maybe? If I had a lot more time on my hands, it would be fun to do a torture test to see where the breaking point is.

[@SandraOrtmann1976]

@@thejasonofalltrades I guess there might be a lot more to this. Not only on the quality of the plastic, but also whether there are actual construction errors. This will also heavily influence the longevity of this product. Given the amount of plastic in this little machine and the likelihood of being thrown away after it stopped working, it all seems rather sad to me.

[@wendyrowland7787]

A needle and thread works very well for some of us.

[@davidquirk8097]

I'm missing the cats.

[@thejasonofalltrades]

I hear you! I have a video or two in the pipeline that I plan to do from home; whether they will choose to participate or not is anyone's guess :)

[@davidquirk8097]

@@thejasonofalltrades Cats will be Cats, so who can tell? I'm still liking the sewing videos but the cats are always an added bonus.

[@paulasalter1041]

😂😂😊

[@MrThedennisblack]

So when are you accepting my dare to make an actual project using this machine???

[@thejasonofalltrades]

Well, I mean, what is the project? 😂

[@barbaramatthews4735]

Project Runway...sew a simple project like an apron with a pocket.

[@kathleenamatangelo3713]

A sewing machine needs some weight sort doesn't move around!

[@LasseGreiner]

A clamp for fixing it to the table is needed. I only have clamps costing way more than the machine in my assortment, though 😢

[@thejasonofalltrades]

As @LasseGreiner points out, I was thinking of using metal strap or something similar to attach the machine to the table so it would be stable. Maybe I'll have to do a future video where I try everything possible to make the machine really usable!

[@LasseGreiner]

@@thejasonofalltrades you may want to be careful not to break it when clamping it down 😇, looking forward to whatever you decide on.

[@Karelife]

Your mean.

[@thejasonofalltrades]

Thanks!

[@TomekAC]

Tell it straight: This is junk, not worth even one dollar. Making os such things should be prohibited (for the sake of future generations 😉).

[@seymourwrasse3321]

I have too many hammers at arms length and too little patience.