SINGER 5532 Heavy Duty Extra-High Sewing Speed Portable Sewing Machine with Metal Frame and Stainless Steel Bedplate

I have been looking for quite some time to buy a nice and reliable sewing machine for my simple sewing needs that include jeans/pants hemming, sewing light/medium leather, garment repairing, etc. A simple non-heavy-duty household machine would probably be ok, but it is not a bad idea to get something with more power yet being able to carry it around the house from time to time. There are really heavy-duty industrial sewing machines popping up on local Craigslist that cost around 300 and more but those machines will make your room look like a sewing workshop.After doing hours research I ended up buying a $300 Janome HD first. It looked solid with nice basic features but I never managed to make the thread tension right with it. Even on the highest upper thread tension there were upper thread loops showing on the bottom side of fabric. That machine was made of metal mostly and has a decent motor too. However, not happy with the tension I sent it back and continued with the search.The Singer 5532 Heavy Duty model was on my mind before but after reading some negative reviews about the reliability I opted out for Jenome. However, I noticed that most of the negative reviews were left for a different Model of the same kind - 4411 or 4423, not 5532 or 4432. I cannot say anything about those 2 cheaper models, but 5532 and 4432 are the same machines, only 5532 is made for US/Canada 110V electric outlets only. With more stitch options and price twice more than 4411, 5532 in my mind is a better and more reliable machine too. It works pretty well and leaves nice and even stitches every time. I would definitely recommend a Singer walking foot for heavy multi-layer fabric, leather, etc. There is one on Ebay that I picked up for 18 bucks and it makes a world of difference. The machine handles denim and medium leather just fine too with the right thread (T90, my favorite) and Shmetz Size 110/18 needles. I took the covers off and was pleasantly surprised to see the heavy solid aluminum frame inside and 95% of metal parts, including the shafts, all gear assemblies, arms, etc. The stitch wheel cams are made of plastic or nylon, they are made of metal on Janome though. I could not detect any visible flaws with the mechanics at first glance, all the nuts and bolts are tight, the joints and washers are well lubricated with grease and oil, I put a little extra oil and grease on the stitch cams and sliding parts just in case. Overall, it really looks nice and solid, I think the machine should last many many years with moderately reasonable use (knock on wood). Sewing leather occasionally should be ok, but definitely not recommended on a daily basis with this model though, there are special industrial models for that task. There is no computerized circuitry inside 5532 that can fry and turn the sewing machine into a brick or a door stop. Threading is super easy and well outlined on the body of the machine. I had a minor issue with the automatic threader but it uses a little screw to adjust horizontal position of the hook to fit the needle ear that worked like a charm. I know that only time will prove how reliable 5532 is and hopefully I will not need to return to this review to edit it. But so far life is great and I would be happy to recommend 5532 to everyone!Here is a picture of one of the bar stools that I recently re-upholstered with genuine 1.5mm leather and sewed with 5532 (T90 nylon thread and 110/18 leather needle with walking foot):https://www.dropbox.com/s/2m9wzfwvj3kbcpe/2014-08-16%2011.42.10.jpghttps://www.dropbox.com/s/kylgm4wz25zpbvf/%24_57.JPG

Unlike the cheapie "Singer branded" ones out there, this is a REAL Singer. I love this machine. After my 31 year old Stylist died a month after its 30-year warranty was up (hmmmm), I replaced it with this. Very solid and powerful. Runs smoothly still singing that famous Singer song. I only gave it 4 stars because:1. The bobbin cover was made to come off and if you put it down, being clear, it is hard to find. Being plastic, I will step on it when I am looking for it someday. I bought a spare.2. The automatic needle threader rarely works and the LED light is nowhere near as bright as the old incandescent from the last machine. I use a goose neck lamp to provide enough light to thread the machine and see my work.Still I wouldn't trade it for any computerized machine or any of the lightweight all plastic ones on the market.

For a Heavy Duty sewing machine this is a piece of garbage (about 5 hrs of use!). I managed to get one project done and it decided to nest in the bobbin every time I tried to start a run. Now for all you nay-sayers about the bobbin not being threaded correctly and the tension and top thread being correct, I DID DO THOSE CORRECTLY. The issue is that the hook and bobbin holder have become misaligned and the looping of the top thread around the bobbin doesn't relesse correctly. As a result it jams up - and breaks needles. For a heavy duty machine (and I was doing light stuff) this is completely unacceptable. I really wanted to find a machine that was reliable an could do many different types of work and was hoping this would be it. I've returned it and am trying a different machine.

First the negative. The work light is nearly useless. I removed the heat shield and replaced the light with a Kakanou BA15D LED light. This little upgrade makes it 5 stars.I got this for my wife as she was very frustrated with her cheap old machine (Simplicity). She now happily sews away without frustration. It is not the machine she wanted, but it does everything she needs. It is fast and powerful, has automatic threader, stretch button hole, smooth and quiet operation. She is now very happy I got her this simple, durable machine and not something with tons of useless extra features. She has been using it daily for about 5 weeks now and continues to appreciate and enjoy it more with each use.

Bought this a couple years ago, love my Singer, does everything it claimed to do, put it dang near through everything by now and it's still going strong. Mighty nice machine, I'm a country woman, don't always fool with patterns and such a lot, sometimes I like to go my own way and that can make for some interesting sewing as well as interesting sewing maneuvers, believe me when I say it holds up real well under duress. At least mine does anyway, just make sure you know how to set it back right if you mess it up like knocking the needle out of alignment, etc., I know how to do all that plus I keep my machine clean and well oiled. But it is a beaut to have. You'll like it, I do. It'll handle rough stuff for sure. It looks and is built like a tank which I appreciate, it can handle heavy fabrics as promised and that's what I needed.

At first, I was thrown off by the plastic construction of the machine, but it worked. I was able to sew through leather with ease using a leather needle. I like the stitch patterns and the ease of using the machine. Now for the Cons: The light on the machine is too small and you can't adequately see what you are sewing. I took a pole lamp and aimed it at the sewing machine for extra light. After a week the needle threader stopped working and I returned the unit and purchased another manufacturer's machine.

It arrived just in 24 hours. Machine works perfect.only the thing for those who are colour conscious. This is dark gray colour . its very good machine.i sewed jeans quilt n many more things.i works on it weekly.amazon shipping was perfect and before time.I am satisfied because internally it is strong n steel body for which I was looking for.I don't like light machines...thank u singer and amazon.

it does not do a good job with certain fabrics also it you have 3 layers of a cotton fabric, or any fabric of that thickness , the machine for some reason does not feed the fabric when you first start sewing, you need to have some fabric hanging on the back so you can pull it , then it will work fine but the fact that only 3 layers of fabric is all it takes to make this machine stop feed the fabric bothers me a lot.If I got this from a store I would have returned it but I never returned anything I bought online that is why I kept it.

bought for a family member and she uses it every day with no issues

i hate sewing but i am short and need to hem pants and my boyfriend is always asking me to patch up his pants for him so i finally caved and bought a new sewing machine because the old vintage one i inherited from my aunt was always jamming and breaking the thread and didn't have a zigzag stitch for patching. the singer 5532 was really easy to set up with easy to follow instructions and hasn't jammed on me yet. i still don't like sewing but it is less frustrating with this machine

The manual only covers how to set up the machine for sewing. It could have been more detailed.I had to pull out the manual for my Kenmore machine to see which needle to use for which material. I was using the needle supplied with the machine to sew polyester. The thread kept breaking. But once I switched to the 90 ball point needle, it was smoothing sewing all the way through. For those who are experiencing problems, I'd recommend they do an internet search to see which needle should be used for which fabric.Was a little disappointed when the machine arrived. The construction was plastic, while the Amazon promo blurb indicated steel construction. I'm guessing that probably the innards are all steel. The case was also haphazardly put together, as there were parts of the case that were slightly bent and sticking out. A couple of hard presses snapped the pieces into place and all is fine.Seeing that the manual is so skimpy, I had to look for a video on the net to see how the automatic button holer worked.As one person indicated, the foot pedal is way too light.Overall, the Singer is a fine machine.