A detailed guide to buying a Sewing Machine

Author- Vibhor Shergill (Brother of Sabhyata Shergill)

“You can have anything in life if you dress for it” 

-Edith Head

In this fast-paced world, merely ‘dressing’ is no longer a basic human need, but ‘dressing well’ is one. The kind and fitting of clothes we wear has a great influence on our confidence level when dealing with people. Clothes can greatly impact how others perceive us, so much so that one’s dressing sense may become a deal breaker.

Take for instance, a well educated and well skilled person walking into a job interview wearing baggy, over sized shirt and an ill fitted pair of pants. What do you think would be his chances of finally making into that organization. Almost NIL, unless the organization is in dire need of workforce.

Fortunately, one does not need to spend thousands of bucks to buy dresses that fit one well nor does one necessarily need to buy dresses from over-the-top expensive brands to have an everlasting impression on someone. A sewing machine does the trick.

Now, if you are a frequent visitor to the posts on this blog, you might be probably aware that we take each topic from the grass root level and we will do the same with this post as well. We will begin with the basics first, understand the different types of sewing machines available in the market and how they work along with the Pros and Cons of each. Following which, we would proceed to discuss how some manufacturers, in order to keep the upfront cost of the machine low, cut manufacturing costs and produce below par sewing machines, the components of which have very poor shelf life that fail only after a few months of operation. Then, we will move onto deciding which are the best sewing machines available in the market that are not only efficient and long lasting but also offer the most value for money.

So without further a do, let’s begin…

THE BASICS
Sewing machine was invented by Sir Thomas Saint in 1790 in the view of decreasing the manual sewing work performed in clothing companies. Since then, several other artists came up with their design of the sewing machine and made the appliance an instant hit with the audience. It found its takers both in domestic and industrial spheres.

The main component of any sewing machine is the needle which has a tiny hole at its lower end for inserting the thread. The needle moves up and down to push a loop of thread through the fabric where it attaches to another thread from the bobbin. A bobbin is a part of the sewing machine located underneath its surface on which the second spool of thread is wound. The bobbin rotates in sync with the movement of the needle above.

The bobbin has a hook that grabs the thread from the needle above when the needle is pushed through the fabric. The bobbin loops the top and bottom threads together forming a tight lock stitch. To hold the thread, there is an assembly called as tension disc. The disc can be tightened for sewing thin fabrics or loosened for sewing thick fabrics.


(Image of bobbin situated underneath the machine)

Now, having learnt how a sewing machine works, let us proceed to discuss the various types of sewing machines available in the market along with their Pros and Cons.
Sewing Machines are primarily offered in the following configurations:-

1. Mechanical
2. Electric
3. Computerized

Mechanical Sewing Machine
As the name suggests, this type of sewing machine requires the user to do most of the tasks manually, such as deciding the stitch lengths, determining whether one is sewing a straight stitch or a zig-zag one, manually turning the lever for moving the needle up and down through the fabric.

PROS:-

• Easy maintenance. Since mechanical sewing machines do not rely upon complicated circuit boards and electronic mechanism to perform the stitching operation, they are a lot easier and cheaper to maintain. Also, chances of failure are very small due to the absence of electronic parts.

• For absolute beginners. Due to the presence of less-advanced features than other configurations of sewing machines, mechanical sewing machines make for great devices for beginners to hone their stitching skills.

CONS:-

• Time consuming. Since most of the operations need to be performed manually by the user, mechanical sewing machines tend to take a lot more time than their electric counterparts in doing the same task.

• Limited number of stitches. Mechanical sewing machines are not as precise as the electric ones and therefore can not put as many stitches on the fabric as the electric ones do, making the stitched region prone to tearing if excessive stress is applied.

Electric Sewing Machine
This configuration of sewing machine consists of a motor. This motor gives power to the needle to move in and out of the fabric. An electronic foot pedal is provided with these machines which is used to control the speed of the motor, where a light press on the pedal keeps the motor speed low and a firmer press on the pedal provides greater motor speeds. Due to the presence of the foot pedal, the user can control the position of the fabric with both hands.

Additionally, there is a rotary dial on the electric sewing machine that provides controls for various stitch lengths and types. Variety of stitch patterns, such as tricot stitch, reverse stitch, shell stuck stitch etc. can be achieved with electric sewing machines. Some machines also provide features like automatic thread cutting, automatic tension setting and automatic needle threading. Applications of electric sewing machine include button holding, button fixing, quilting, embroidering, lace fixing etc.


(Image of a woman working with an Electric Sewing Machine)

PROS:-

• Compact design. Electric sewing machines are compact devices as majority of the operations are motorized and are performed by the circuit board which results in an easy to carry form-factor that allows the users to place and use the machine wherever there is a power socket.

• Stitch pattern variety. Since significantly higher number of stitch patterns and designs can be achieved with electric sewing machines over the mechanical ones, one has the freedom to perform any kind of stitch operation on the fabric.

• Innumerable applications. As discussed before, electric sewing machines are versatile devices and can be used to perform variety of stitching operations from zipper attachment to button fixing to hemming etc.

CONS:-

• Difficult to repair. Electric sewing machines, though quite long-lasting and easy to use, ultimately rely on electronic components for their operation. If any component fails, the entire circuit board needs to be either repaired or replaced which requires a highly skilled technician.

Computerized Sewing Machine
This category of sewing machines is the most technically advanced sewing equipment available on the planet. Computerized sewing machines are designed to cater to the advanced stitching, embroidering, hemming and quilting requirements. The user can select from hundreds of pre-built sewing patterns and designs. Furthermore, by the virtue of USB ports in the sewing machine, the user can create advanced stitching designs on a computer and link it to the machine to have that design on the fabric.

Computerized sewing machines also have a provision for memory card accessibility which lets the user save the previous designs and stitching patterns onto the card which can be used for future stitching needs. An interactive screen displaying the progress of the work and the previously saved patterns accentuates the ease with which the user can perform stitching on the fabric.

PROS:-

• Automation. With computerized sewing machines, all processes, right from threading the needle to creating the user specified stitch pattern on the fabric are done by the machine itself, with little to no human input apart from selecting the design pattern. This saves a lot of human time and effort.

• Precision. Since these sewing machines do not require much input from the user, the precision of the stitch and design pattern on the fabric is extraordinary.

CONS:-

• Overwhelming controls. The features and stitching designs on offer in a computerized sewing machine can make stitching a fairly easy affair. However, if not so tech-savvy are to use the machine, the very features that seemingly make stitching easier might overwhelm them and they might not be able to use the machine at all.

Having learnt about the different configurations of sewing machines available in the market, let us proceed to discuss the ways in which some manufacturers try to cut manufacturing costs and maximize their own profits and in turn deliver a sub-standard product to the customers which has a very short shelf life.

COST CUTTING TECHNIQUES

• Poor quality, inefficient electric motor. The electric motor is one of the main components of a sewing machine as it is responsible for driving the sewing needle through the fabric. For its paramount significance, it accounts for about 30% of the entire cost of the appliance. However, to save production costs and to maximize profits, some brands resort to installing a substandard electric motor that rotates at low RPMs and is unable to generate the necessary torque to guide the sewing needle through denser fabrics. As a result, proper stitching does not take place. Moreover, due to the stress of the task, such electric motors tend to overheat only after a few minutes of use causing its copper windings to initially distort and then finally melt over the period of months, rendering the entire sewing machine non-operational. The repairs/replacement costs might go up to a few thousand rupees and this process is often reoccurring.

• Fail prone logic board. All the processes - stitch patterns, button fixing, embroidering are programmed and embedded in the circuit board of the logic board and are activated by the press of a button by the user. In other words, a logic board is the heart of electric and computerized sewing machines. Hence, it is one of the favourite areas of the manufacturers to cut costs. Some manufacturers tend to use inexpensive logic boards with badly laid out and poorly soldered components (transistors, micro-controllers etc.) which cease to perform their intended functions when the soldering wears off.

Now, having discussed how some sewing machine manufacturers cut costs, let us proceed to zero down on some of the best sewing machines available in the market that not only make use of long-lasting, efficient components but also offer the most value for money.

All you need to know before buying a Food Processor.

Author - Vibhor Shergill (Brother of Sabhyata Shergill)

If there was one wish most of us would love to make true by all means, it would be to get mouth watering, delicious delicacies to eat as soon as we return home after the day at work. After all, who doesn’t love the sight and smell of a freshly prepared vegetable soup or a recently baked brownie. The stress of the entire day subsides as soon as we take the first sip and the first bite.

However, tasks like slicing, grinding, chopping, blending, shredding and pureeing of several food items like vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc., that are required for preparation of numerous dishes and desserts are quite tedious and time consuming when done manually. This is when a food processor comes to the rescue.

So, considering the numerous advantages that a food processor provides over manual labour required in the preparation of numerous dishes, in this post, we will talk about everything related to food processors.

Now, if you are a frequent visitor to the posts on this blog, you might be probably aware that we take each topic from the grass root level and we will do the same with this post as well. We will begin with the basics first, understand what all functions a food processor can perform along with the working of a food processor. Following which, we will move on to discuss the factors one should pay attention to when buying a food processor and how some brands try to cut costs and manufacture below par products that are very inept in performing the intended tasks as their components fail only after a few months of operation. Then, we will move onto deciding which food processor would be the best for you, according to your needs.

You might be glad to know that my father works at a company that manufactures home and kitchen appliances like refrigerators, food processors, kitchen chimneys, washing machines etc. So, at home, we frequently have a conversation about these appliances, what goes into making them, how some brands try to cut manufacturing costs to increase their profit margin etc.

Today, I will try my best to pass on the knowledge that I have acquired from my father over the years, to you so as to help you make a good buying decision.

So without further a do, let’s begin…

(Image of a Food Processor)

THE BASICS

Before proceeding onto discussing how a food processor works and what one should look for when buying a food processor, we must know what functions a food processor can perform and why is it called as a multi-tasking kitchen tool.

The tasks one can perform with a food processor include:-

• Grinding. A food processor makes for a very powerful grinding tool which can grind anything from nuts, to sugar, to whole grains, etc.

• Chopping. This is one of the most used functionalities of a food processor. A food processor can be used to chop all types of vegetables and fruits into uniform slices to serve as salad or to use in other recipes.

• Kneading. This is a task that requires a lot of physical effort and labour when done manually. But, with the help of a food processor, kneading of flour can be done quickly and efficiently.

• Pureeing. Be it for preparing sauces, for preparing dips or for preparing soups, pureeing of various vegetables and fruits together is a task which is performed by a food processor with ease.

• Grating. A food processor is a very capable grating and shredding tool. So, the next time you plan to make your favourite pasta or pizza at home, your food processor would be more than happy to grate the cheese for you.

Having discussed the various functions a food processor can perform and how it helps in reducing the stressful manual labour, let us proceed to discuss how a food processor actually works.

A food processor consists of a motor, which is present at the base of the food processor and is the heaviest part of the appliance. The weight of the motor ensures that the food processor stays at one place and does not move around when the motor is spinning at high speeds.
From the motor, a shaft extends upwards to power the various attachments which solve specific purposes among chopping, kneading, grinding, etc. A bowl, into which the food items are loaded for performing any of the above mentioned functions fits onto the shaft and locks into position.

A lid sits on the top of the bowl and attaches snugly onto it, thus preventing any spillages that might happen when the motor rotates. The bowl and the lid are made of durable and high quality plastic.
The lid has a tube, known as the feed tube, one can load the food contents into the bowl with the help of this feed tube.

Now, having learnt about the working of a food processor, let us proceed to discuss the areas one should pay attention to when buying a food processor that ensures that the appliance would serve you well for several years to come.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A FOOD PROCESSOR

The Motor
When it comes to buying a food processor, one must pay utmost attention to the wattage of the motor that powers the food processor. A motor with higher wattage ensures higher spin speeds. Higher spin speeds ensure that even the densest of the food items are finely chopped and the thickest of the nuts are efficiently ground.

As a rule of thumb,

• If there are five or more members in your family, it is wise to go with a food processor that has a motor of wattage 750 W and beyond.

• For a family having three-four members, a 600–700 W motor shall be sufficient to carry out all the tasks productively.

• Any lesser than three members in the family, a 500–600 W motor shall suffice.

The above mentioned capacities of the motor, according to the family size have been mentioned by taking into consideration that most of the food preparation would be done at home.

(Image of the motor of a Food Processor.)

The Feed Tube
As mentioned earlier, a feed tube allows to load the food contents in the bowl. Therefore, a feed tube should be wide in size. A lid with narrow feed tube often requires pre-cutting of many food items by hand before they can be loaded into the bowl or one would have to remove the lid altogether, to load the larger food items directly into the bowl. This could become cumbersome when food items need to be loaded into the bowl more than once.

The Attachments
This is one of the most important components of a food processor. Without having the proper set of attachments to cater to one’s intended use, no matter how capable the motor or how durable the bowl is, they would not be of much use.
The attachments that are generally required to cater to the Indian cooking conditions are:-

Standard attachments

• S-shaped blade. Also known as the Sabatier blade, this blade sits at the bottom of the bowl and comes as standard in every food processor and is good for performing average tasks like chopping and mincing. Additionally, the sabatier blade can also be used for kneading the dough, however, the kneaded dough is not as even, as obtained by using a dedicated kneading attachment.

Specialized attachments

• Shredding, Slicing and Grating discs. These three attachments are made of metal and sit at the top of the bowl over the shaft. They work in similar ways, though they solve different purposes. Through the feed tube, food item is pushed in the bowl where it makes contact with the rotating disc and gets shredded or sliced or grated into finer pieces, depending upon which of these three attachments is used. The finer pieces of food obtained, get collected in the bowl.

• Dough blade. This attachment is made of plastic and has straighter paddles than the S-shaped blade. This allows the blades to do a better job at kneading the dough rather than just slicing through it, which happens in the case of S-shaped blade.

• Blender. This attachment is in the form of a jug and fits onto the shaft, right in the place where the bowl fits and is used to make milkshakes, smoothies, etc.

• Citrus press or juicer. This attachment is dome-shaped and sits at the top of the shaft. When a fruit is pressed along the rotating dome, the pulp of the fruit gets removed and is collected in the bowl.

(Image of the several attachments of a food processor)

Now having understood about the different components of a food processor and the various types of attachments that perform specific functions on the food items, let us proceed to discuss the ways in which some manufacturers try to cut manufacturing costs and maximize their own profits and in turn deliver a sub-standard product to the customers, the motor and blades/attachments of which have a very short shelf life.

COST CUTTING TECHNIQUES

• Poor quality overheating motor. The motor of a food processor is one of its most important components and covers almost 30 percent the cost of the entire food processor unit. Hence, it is one of the favourite areas of some manufacturers to cut costs and increase their profit margin. The inefficient motor deployed by some manufacturers tends to get extremely warm only after a few minutes of spinning. As you might be aware that metals expand on heating, which causes the copper windings in the motor to initially distort and then finally melt, thereby leaving the entire food processor unit, out of operation. Cost of repairing the motor might range from a few hundred bucks to more than a thousand bucks and this process is recurring.

• Inefficient blades and attachments. The quality, sharpness and durability of the blades and attachments are often overlooked by many customers. This gives some manufacturers a perfect opportunity to cut costs. What those manufacturers do is, instead of actually making use of high quality razor-sharp stainless steel blades in the food processor, they tend to merely polish the ordinary blades to make them look like they are of great quality and can cut through any food item. However, in reality, the shine and the sharpness of those poor quality blades wear off within two to three months of use. Following which, customers have to get the blades replaced and this process goes on.

Now, having learnt about how some food processor manufacturers cut costs, let us proceed to zero down on some of the best built food processors, both in terms of the quality of the attachments used and the build quality of the outer body. The food processors mentioned below make use of high quality materials both for the motor as well as the blades and are also energy efficient in their working and thus offer great value for the money spent.