Customer Reviews

Singer 3116.RF Simple 18-Stitch Mechanical Sewing Machine

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

The reason I gave the Simple Singer 3116 a one star was because there is no zero star. I bought a brand new one. Do not waste your time or your hard earned money. I would be embarassed to put my name on anything that hookie. Chinese made. The bobbin jammed over and over and over the first day I started to use it. Singer said, " it might be off timing ". It's brand new for crying out loud. The instruction video was superb. But that's where it ended. The product is really frustrating.
Let me tell you about the bobbin. It sits in a half moon shaped depression that you slide a " hook " into and then while holding that easily disgorged piece with one hand you have to slide the race over all that and then clip " dog ears " over each side to hold it in place. Then you take the bobbin and slide it in to the center post. I can't think of anything more prone to failure than that design except perhaps just tossing those parts in there without even dog earring them.
From the Singer Customer Svc CTR apparently this is not new to them. They said the electronic units do not have " this problem ".
Hope this helps with your decision making. I wish I had seen this prior to buying mine.

This product should be taken off the market. It just does not work. A brand new sewing machine , that just sits pretty on the table. I bought this for small projects at home and the very first day, the bobbin jammed jammed jammed jammed and jammed. It was very frustrating. I cant seem to get it work.

This machine has worked well, my issue has been with the bobbins! The only bobbins that fit well into the bobbin case are the few bobbins the machine came with. I've tried ALL others, they all slip out. That's another issue, the thread is continually slipping out of position in the bobbin holder and you have to pull out your stitch and start over!!! Frustrating! Not only that, after only 4 months, my bobbin winder absolutely BROKE! It doesn't work at all. I had to buy an external bobbin winder (wanted one anyway), but I am just going to junk this machine and get a new one. I hate the bobbin issues! Turns a 20 minute project into an hour!

DO NOT BUY THIS MACHINE . I have been sewing since i was 13yrs old . I am not an expert but i do know when to trade in this machine for one that is 35yrs old & actually works....yes 35yrs old. The kind man @ the sewing store actualy let me trade it in ...he said it was a piece of crap i agreed. The other posters are correct in what they say i was having the same exact problems . Thread always knotted up, tension problems & the vertical bobbin is TERRIBLE. I cannot believe they call this a SINGER. It got to the point where sewing the simpliest thing was too much stress & aggravation . Save yourself the trouble & listen to us DO NOT BUY THIS MACHINE .

This sewing machine is just awful. As a recent college grad, I was excited to start using some free time to make nice gifts for my family and friends. This machine was middle of the line (not too cheap, not too expensive) with some extra features and the Singer name. I thought purchasing a Singer on sale was a steal but this machine has been the worst thing I've ever purchased.

It worked fine for the first project but then something inside must have come loose and the thread will get completely knotted and stuck in the presser foot and in the bobbin, bobbin case, and all over and around the inside parts. When this happens, the material has to be cut out from the machine since the machine literally sews the material to itself. I've taken the machine apart several times and re-aligned it, but this only helps for about 1 seam length. Then the machine starts clunking and making weird noises and catching material again. DO NOT BUY THIS MACHINE!!! Spend the extra money and get a good machine. It'll be worth all of the frustration, wasted time, wasted fabric, wasted thread, and rushing to purchase last minute gifts because the beautiful gift you were almost done making has been ruined by your machine.

I am not a complete novice, I've been sewing on my mom's machine since about 3rd grade so this is definately not operator error. My mom has had the same machine since before I was born (almost 30 years) and it's never needed more than routine maintenance. This machine is a load of junk not worth the price to fix it. I am just going to disassemble and recycle.

I've been sewing since I was in elementary school, when I used to make my parents' nursing scrubs. When I moved out, I wanted a simple machine with which to make simple projects, so I bought this at Wal-Mart without bothering to check reviews online like I usually do. That was my first mistake. After all, it's a Singer, so it can't be that bad--right?

That one never would work. I returned it to the store and exchanged it for another of the same, thinking it was just a fluke. I've gotten equipment that was bad before, the one random one in the batch that doesn't work, and wasn't ready to give up just because of the problems I was experiencing with the lower tension.

The second one kind of worked the first few times I used it, so I thought everything was okay. That was four years ago, and I've dreaded sewing ever since. Sometimes it will do fine, but then it will start making clunking noises and the bottom thread will get into a horrible, knotted-up mess. Adjusting the tension doesn't help. I'm using the right bobbin, and it's in properly. Sometimes it helps if I take all the thread off and rewind the bobbin, but not always, and not for long. A friend who's been sewing for decades tried to help me, but to no avail. The most annoying thing is that sometimes it will work, then ruin a project right when you're in the middle of it. I shouldn't half to rip out almost as many stitches as I put in EVERY SINGLE TIME, risking tearing a hole in the fabric whenever I do. I thought it was just that I had somehow become totally incompetent, but apparently not.

I'm usually a pretty easy-going person, but I was so disgusted to see this machine still for sale all over the place at Christmas this year that I told the salesladies at my local JoAnn's how horrible a machine it was and recommended they refuse to sell it to any more unsuspecting customers. I picked out a Brother CS6000i from Amazon for Christmas and have already sewn more projects in a few hours than I could have managed in days on this piece of junk, including several that the Singer had previously chewed up so badly I had to cut off portions. I'll never buy a Singer again if they're willing to keep something like this on the market.

I was given this machine as a gift more than a year ago and have gone through everything in the owners manual to try to get it not to jam. But, I have not managed to sew more than about 3 inches without it jamming. Don't waste your money on this piece of junk; it's not a good deal if the item doesn't even work.

I have been sewing for 48 years. I have NEVER used such a piece of junk. From the first day, it jammed on the bobbin side. I replaced the needles, sanded any burrs I found on the case, and it is STILL jamming. I agree, Singer, SHAME ON YOU! I'd love to get my money back, but was so disgusted that I just put in the closet and borrowed an older sewing machine from my sister....it's probably too late to get any money back. (this is the first negative review I've ever given anything in my life).

I am a novice and have had my SSimple approx one year. My projects are mostly curtains, pillows and duvet. I am really surpised about the comments as I have had none of those issues I read about. I've purchased and used plastic and metal bobbins without a hitch. To date no problems whatsoever - Crossing my fingers

This is a great sewing machine if you're starting to learn how to sew. My friend has had this sewing machine for over a year, and I didn't start using it heavily until recently.

My main qualm with this machine is how much rethreading has to be done. The thread in the bobbin would get caught at least three times in an hour, and it was very frustrating. However, we did find the root of the problem (it wasn't threaded properly in the machine). After that, we had little to no problems.

Another problem I found was in the quality of the stitching. I use a different machine, and I compared the quality of the stitching, and it was incredibly surprising how different the two looked even though it was the exact same stitching setting. It just looks really dirty and a bit muddy. I'm sure if I increased the width, it would make a bit of a difference, but it should be clean and presentable at any setting. For machines at a similar price, you can get a little bit more value.

The machine is also very loud. However, I am used to loud machines, so that doesn't affect my marks at all.

Despite my previous comments, this is actually a great machine to learn on. It has enough features to justify the price. It also comes with a few extras as well. It's the kind of machine one would use for a few years as they learn and when they really find out they love sewing, move on to another one that has a little bit more power. It would be a great gift to anyone looking to learn or who would like to know the basics of sewing. But if you're looking for something to grow with you, look elsewhere.