Customer Reviews

Singer Sewing Machine Model 8280

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

I purchased this machine as a replacement to the ancient sewing machine in our attic that was my great grandmother's. It boasts of being able to sew through three layers of denim, but I haven't tried that yet. I did make a pair of pajama pants out of a tricky thin, slightly stretchy satin, and it worked impeccably. The auto-tension adjustment is a piece of cake and the different stitches work very well. As a beginning sewer, this machine meets all my needs. The slipcover that came with it is very nice as well - no huge case needed to keep it free of dust.

I bought this machine three months ago and it has sewed everything from hospital scrubs to a quilt during that time. Prior to this purchase it had been years since I had last used a sewing machine, but the instruction manual guided me easily thru the set-up and useage. Well-outlined, illustrated and clear.
I am not an expert seamstress, but this is so easy to use and quiet enough that you can have it in the living room without disturbing anyone. I have not experienced any problems at all and this machine came with a 25 year manufacturer guarantee. Overall I am very happy with my purchase!

SHORT VERSION:
My first impression when I began sewing was that using this machine was so much easier and simpler and SMOOTHER than my old expensive Necchi. In general, I have hated sewing, but using this machine made sewing FUN. I am now looking forward to my next sewing project.

Having not sewn anything other than repairs, for over 30 years, I found this little machine to be an excellent value. It can be TRICKY to thread and to load the bobbin but ONLY in as much as YOU MUST FOLLOW the clearly illustrated instructions. WHEN DONE CORRECTLY THE MACHINE RUNS FLAWLESSLY.

One thing I found helpful is that the TOP SPEED is not so fast that it is difficult to manage, yet it is fast enough! Some machines have such a fast speed that you can never put your foot all the way down on the pedal. This machine has a very good sensitivity and a manageable fast speed with my foot resting on pedal. Much more comfortable than having to control my foot!

I bought my machine at Target and it came with a DVD that was extremely helpful because it demonstrates visually all the same instructions that are in the (excellent) user manual. I would highly recommend this machine to everyone who needs to sew simple things now and then, do repairs, etc. I made curtains using a difficult fabric, and it worked beautifully the whole week I used it, PROVIDING I followed directions which INCLUDE SIMPLE TESTS FOR THREADING and inserting BOBBINS so that YOU CAN BE CERTAIN you have done it correctly before you start sewing!

The only thing I noticed missing is a long basting stitch. I needed to do gathers and I was able to do it, even with my heavy fabric, but in my opinion, the longest stitch available on this machine is not very long. If you need a machine with a true basting stitch you will not be happy with this machine.

THE LONG STORY:
I bought this little machine after I pulled my old Necchi out and could not get it to run. But first, I hit Craigs List looking for a GOOD older, used machine, because by golly, nobody was going to sell me some new cheap piece of junk. I KNEW BETTER than to buy a cheap sewing machine. I have had my Necchi for over 30 years and it was used when I bought it! I would have had it repaired again, but did not have time. I had put off curtain making too long and needed to begin sewing IMMEDIATELY.

When the ONE good machine on Craigs List did not function properly when I tested it, I caved in and stopped at Target on the way home. I would TRY a new machine, and return it if it did not work good enough. I had decided to purchase something UNDER $200 to ensure I did not get a TOTAL piece of junk!

I was instantly suckered in by the $65.99 price tag on sale from $89.99. I could not resist. It looked and felt as good as the $200 machine and Target is only 2 blocks from my house if I had to return it! I only needed to make curtains so I had a small hope it might be OK. NOW, I would happily pay $200 for this little machine because I do not need anything more than it offers. So, if you need an affordable machine and can't find this one on sale, even full price, it is a good value.

FIRST thing I did that night was WATCH THE DVD INSTRUCTIONS. I was blown away by how GOOD the DVD is. If at all possible, BUY THIS MACHINE THAT COMES WITH THE DVD AND WATCH IT BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE!

SECOND, the next day I read the instruction book. WoW, it is also very very good! One page per item and easy to follow. EXCELLENT USER MANUAL.

THIRD, plugged it in and DILIGENTLY FOLLOWED INSTRUCTIONS FOR WINDING BOBBIN which worked perfectly every time, AND got it THREADED also DILIGENTLY FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS!

This darling little affordable machine has worked PERFECTLY on very annoying and rather heavy knitted fabric that required zigzagging BOTH sides of every cut, prior to touching it with scissors, to keep the stuff from falling apart. I have used every stitch on the machine. I have used wide long zig-zag and short narrow zig-zag, stretch and straight. Every stitch comes out perfectly with TENSION on the factory setting.

The biggest problem I have ever had with any sewing machine is getting the TENSION SETTING right. This machine is the first one that seems to always have the correct tension. The stitches never bungle up and tangle and make a knot. I read the reviews on this machine and they are a mix of love it or hate it. I feel that the only reason people have problems with thread tangles is because they did not do the simple tests for threading and inserting bobbins.

After watching the DVD and reading the INSTRUCTION BOOK, it would be very easy to feel confident that you do not need to double check the threading and bobbin instructions every time, because IT IS ALL SO SIMPLE! I am fairly certain that is why some people hated this machine! They really believed they were doing things exactly correct, but probably were not.

I could end my review there BUT if I were shopping, I would want more specifics so here they are:

SPECIFIC FINDINGS: This is why people have problems with this machine!

The people who had problems with this machine, either had a faulty machine or were not following the instructions for bobbins and threading! They call this machine an Easy Threader and yes, it is easy ONCE YOU FIGURE OUT THE TRICKS:

1. The machine has marks on it to show threading direction. I was confused at first because one line is dotted and one solid. Dotted is for BOBBIN winding! You actually have to wrap thread all the way around a little knob for Bobbin Winding, but you do not do that to thread the machine!
2. The DVD is very specific about a TEST to perform after threading machine. I would call it the TUG test. You MUST NOT be able to easily pull the thread with the pressure foot down. If you can, it is not threaded correctly. I had a hissy fit over that because I would thread it, and thread it (absolutely correctly), and the thread WOULD STILL pull easily! Then, for what seemed like no good reason, the thread would not pull and everything was correct. I did not think I had done anything different, but obviously I had.
3. THIS IS WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE: When bringing the thread down the FIRST time into the RIGHT HAND slot, you MUST HEAR or maybe just FEEL a very slight CLICK by actually pushing the thread slightly towards the machine when inserting thread into that slot. THAT seems to be the difference between success and failure when threading! Once I got the hang of it, it works easily every time!
4. The DVD is also very specific about the Bobbin DROP, or BOUNCE test, when inserting a newly wound bobbin. I have never sewn large projects. Mostly mending! I have never needed to wind more than one bobbin of any color thread in my life. In the past week I have used 3 LARGE spools of thread and wound numerous bobbins! Truthfully, I had to look at the picture in directions every time I put the new bobbin into the case. When I tried to do it without the picture book I messed it up. With the book, EASY success every time.

Even though I have never done much sewing, I did take 3 years of Home Economics in High School. Although I graduated in 1972, I guess some things stick with us forever! There are little tricks I learned that came back naturally and I realize that if someone never learned these things they might have more difficulty using ANY sewing machine.

HERE ARE SIMPLE TRICKS:
1. When you are ready to begin sewing, do not start at the very edge of the fabric. Instead, position the needle about ½ inch in from the edge, and begin the stitch there.
2. DO NOT USE FOOT PEDAL to begin any stitch. Use the hand wheel to put the needle down into fabric, before pressing foot pedal.
3. VERY IMPORTANT: be sure both thread ends are long enough to HOLD ONTO easily, so that you can pull them away from machine while you use your right hand to start the needle, using the hand wheel on the right side of machine. This simple thing helps the pressure foot to get the fabric moving and this is what keeps thread from bunching up under your fabric and making a mess!
4. Backstitch the ends because you do not want your stitch to come out. You need to tie off the ends. The easy way is stitching in reverse. If you begin stitching ½ inch in and put needle down & up by hand, you can then hold down the reverse lever and put the needle DOWN one more time BY HAND so that the NEEDLE IS INSERTED INTO FABRIC BEFORE YOU BEGIN USING THE FOOT PEDAL. Then, STILL PULLING THOSE THREADS OUT THE BACK, begin using foot pedal while stitching SLOWLY IN REVERSE. END REVERSE while needle is UP rather than with needle in fabric, otherwise, use hand wheel to raise needle out of fabric before you begin stitching forward using foot pedal. I even use hand wheel to lower needle back down into fabric before changing direction, forward or back. Once have got the reverse and forward stitching in place, you can let go of those two threads you have in your left hand, because the pressure foot is now able to move the fabric more easily once it is back to ½ inch from the edge again!
5. It has been over a month since I used the machine so I am trying to remember which direction the hand wheel is supposed to turn. I THINK you always turn the wheel TOWARDS YOU to put needle up and down, but whichever way it works correctly, learn that, because you will ALWAYS turn the hand wheel the same direction regardless of whether you are sewing forward or backward. To sew in reverse you must HOLD the reverse lever. The direction of the hand wheel has nothing to do with direction of stitch. Get comfortable using the hand wheel and you will have much greater success with ANY sewing machine.

Obviously, I am NOT an accomplished seamstress and yet, I was able to have complete success with this little Singer sewing machine. Perhaps, it is because I am so unsure of myself and my ability, that I am willing to pull out the instruction book every time I thread and insert bobbins and DO THE DROP (bounce) TEST and the PULL TEST every single time!

If you do these simple tests, and you still have problems with this machine, I would think that it is because you have purchased a faulty machine and you should return it, get a different one, and try again!

Good luck to all who must venture into the frightening WORLD of STITCH! One last TIP: When you buy any sewing machine, also BUY A NEW SHARP SEAM RIPPER! That way, if you do need to correct something, you will have the correct tool for the job!

I am mystified by the 4 and 5 star ratings this machine has received. I myself have had nothing but problems. I followed instructions and used only singer needles/bobbins. I have spent more time replacing needles, re-threading and fixing tangled-up bobbins than I have spent actually sewing. I finally gave up and purchased a Brother machine that works beautifully. Customer support at Singer was not helpful--tended to blame problems on user error. This I can accept, but I truly believe I have done everything right and that this machine is just a stinker. A shame, Singer used to have a great name and now I will never buy another.

All I've done so far is make alterations on a shirt (basically sewing seams and hems) but it seems to work fine. I haven't used a sewing machine in at least 10 years but this machine was pretty easy to use and I set it up pretty quickly. If I had never touched a machine before I don't think the instructions would have made sense to me, though.

I don't know about the 30 stiches but if you need something very simple and affordable to sew straight lines I can recommend this machine.

I bought this machine a few months back on sale. I needed a decent machine with some basic stitches and this has fit the bill quite nicely. After reading the manual winding and threading was easy. I too ran into the bobbin jamming up and couldn't quite figure it out. But after reading the manual a little more I found out that it was my error. I wasn't pulling the thread through the slit and under the finger in the bobbin case. Once I did this I was able to hold it by the thread and it did not unwind. The manual says if you give it a tug it's suppose to unroll about 1-2 inches. Meaning your tension is right. I set the machine up again and guess what?! It sewed without jamming up.

Been working as I expected since then. I've boughten some other accessories and I am quite satisfied with the machine! It handles what I through at it. Now if I could just find a Hemmer foot I'll be set.

Purchased this about 6 months ago. Bought it so I could make curtains for my camper. (Saved a small fortune making them myself). Also mended some uniform pants and other small items. READ INSTRUCTION MANUAL FIRST. It tells you how to set the tension adjustments right, especially bobbin tension. Use good high quality thread and set tension adjustments and you shouldn't have any problems. Don't forget to do the maintenance on your machine, like cleaning and lubrication. The instruction manual covers that too.

This is my first sewing machine. Even though I have no sewing experience, the machine seems to be working well and has sewn through 6 layers of fleece without a problem. At first it was hard to get the stitches correct as it kept bunching up underneath the fabric and getting clogged. After many times rethreading and still getting the same result, I changed the length of the stitch and that corrected the problem. Since then I have not had any type of issues with it.

I had hoped for a simple yet reliable sewing machine to handle the sewing chores necessary for making my new home livable. And after some fooling about with adjustments the Singer 8280 hits the spot. I learned to sew aover 50 years ago on an old treadle Singer that had been converted to electricity and was the simplest early design. I see considerable common ground between the basic mechanism of the new Model 8280 and the old traditional Singer.

My machine had not been set up or adjusted from the factory so it took some trial and error to get it working correctly. The biggest and most important adjustment was the tension on the bobbin case spring was way too much and causing many problems before adjusting it down. Even though I losened the adjustment screw considerably it is still slightly too much and needs a final adjustment before I start on the big job of making curtains for the whole house.

But in spite of not being properly adjusted from the factory I have no real complaints with the machine as for the price it is considerably better built than the ordinary commodity sewing machines.

For simple straightforward sewing tasks I recommend it highly but if your sewing is complex or fancy I would say that going a few steps up in the price and staying with Singer or perhaps Pfaff..

Rick Draganowski

I hadn't done any sewing for a long time. It was easy to start up again knowing I hadn't made a huge investment in the machine. I trust Singer and this model has lots of bells and whistles for the price. I think the instruction booklet could be improved but overall, it answers my questions.