Top Sewing Machines under 5000 Rupees

Sewing machines are an integral part of the textile industry. Sewing is so different from what it used to be, and so are the machines on the market today. With so many different sewing machines, shopping for one can be daunting. Continuous enhancements of the earlier machines and advancements in technology have led to the emergence of some of today's most sought-after tools in the textile industry,

From budget basic to modern marvels, the hunt for the most indispensable of sewing tools is implausible. There is a long list of machines that are worth a test drive, dividing them by the sewing skill level, the kind of sewing they are suited to for, and the pros and cons of each category. In this review, we will let you achieve a starting point for your search. Read it to know that which machine is the one for you.

► Singer Straight-stitch Sewing machines

Any cost below 6000 Rupees is too less for a quality electric sewing machine. That is why even the cheapest electric sewing machine of a well-known brand costs not less than 6500 Rupees. For sewing machines below 5000 Rupees, the two best brands are Usha and Singer. One is an Indian brand, and another is a US brand.

Both brands have a long list of best-selling sewing machines in 3000 to 5000 price range. However, they are not electric sewing and lacked sewing functions as well. They cannot sew zigzag patterns. They are straight stitch sewing machines, powered by either foot, hand, or a motor.

Usha Bandhan is currently the most favorite sewing machine under 5000 Rs. We have covered it below in this piece. Its best alternatives come from Singer, my favorite brand for an easy-to-use sewing machine.

In recent months Singer brand has launched many new variants of its straight stitch sewing machine. They are priced below 5000 Rupees. The cheapest sewing machine variant in them costs just 3300 Rupees.

Singer brand sells them through its shopping platform in the online market. They are not on sale at Amazon and Flipkart. You need to buy them either from an authorized dealer or showroom in your city or from Singer brand’s shopping website.

The reason behind recommending Singer brand’s straight stitch sewing machines are their eye-catching design, solid build, and certainly the reputation of the company. For home use, I would not recommend a straight stitch sewing machine. Increase your budget by only 2000 Rupees more, wait for a discount offer and order a Singer Electric sewing machine.

► Usha Bandhan Sewing Machine

In the last decade and a half, Usha International has been a dominant player in the India’s sewing market. The brand offers innovative and durable products at every price point for all types of uses. Whether the need is for home, tailoring shop, dress designers studio or a ready-made dress factory, Usha has some sewing solutions in a machine form for a greater user’s satisfaction.

Usha has written a success story in the last decade by doing a number of things and that should be a case study for new startups. Not only it has been introducing new products regularly- in modern design as well as in the old prominent design of sewing machines, it also has been spending a fortune on sewing machine education, training, and other related social activity among marginalized sections of society.

The Usha Bandhan in a traditional design is a low budget sewing machine with some limited features. At the outset, I would like to clear it is nothing but a decent choice for doing some patch-up works. You would not appreciate it as a choice for sewing a dress completely. Even if one dares to do that – it might take at least a month or more to complete a dress.

In my opinion, the sewing machine is a good choice for some basic works. Other than repair & patch up works, Usha Bandhan may also attract to older generation being not comfortable with an electronic sewing machine.

Since there is a visible difference between the old and new design of sewing machines in terms of speed and working, I would never recommend Usha Bandhan for training purpose.

→ Sewing Machine with high efficiency

As is in the image, the professional design of sewing machines has always been like this until today’s automatic machine arrived. The old design of sewing machine requires a table with a paddle, which is connected to a big wheel that is further connected with sewing machine wheel through a belt for delivering speed to needles for up & down movement.

However, Usha’s design engineers have correctly realized, such space-consuming arrangement is not going to be appreciated; therefore, they have given a flip into the design. Now, the machine could be given necessary speed by a hand-managed handle as well. Those comfortable with a motor based sewing machine may also opt for the option of attaching a motor to it. It looks, however, a wired notion: first, buy a 3500 rupees machine, second, buy a 1000 rupees motor, and finally look for a service engineer to assemble them.

If you really want a motor based machine that is basically electronic sewing machine, then why not spend just 2000 rupees more to buy Bother LS-2000. The Brother sewing machine comes an attractive design and more sewing patterns. Another excellent option is Usha Prima.

Let us discuss the design of Usha Bandhan. It looks amazing. There is nice silver chroming at the front followed by deep black painting all the way around, which are finished off with some nice yellow flora design on the sewing platform. This Usha sewing machine has an antique design with some modern finish.

Expect no modern facilities like automatic needle threading, four-step buttonhole, multiple design patterns or option to select stitch pattern according to the fabric. The Usha Bandhan is pretty basic sewing machine with even slower sewing speed, and as I said earlier, it is a better choice for the senior citizen than young designers.

The machine is in old design with a few enhancements to suit today’s convenience. Therefore, I find not much to explain since the image included here itself sufficient in telling – what are controls options, this more or less antique sewing machine has.

→ Performance and Key Features

Usha Bandhan is pretty straight forward in terms of variety of sewing. It, however, can sew straight and reverse as well. A control lever has also been given at user’s side for regulating stitch order and length.

To get start: one first has to do the bobbin winding, which is here made easy with auto tripping bobbin winder, followed by the selection of thread according to the fabric color, now pass the thread through the needle hole, slide the piece of cloth under presser feet, lower the presser foot, and move the wheel handle to begin stitching.

The machine can be given speed in three ways: use foot paddle, attach an electric motor, or continue with default hand-held speed wheel. Why one should not consider fixing a motor with it- I have explained in preview paragraphs. Setting up a tailor-table is also wasting precious space in the home. It is better that use Usha Bandhan without any addition or adding support to it.

Pros:-

• Stylish Design and light weight
• Simple working process

→ Should you buy this Usha sewing machine?

If the requirement is just to dress repair and patch-up works, which, in fact, is a daily’s task in any family and costs good money, too, then the Usha Bandhan could be an excellent choice. My verdict is based on two market realities: one, basic electronic sewing machines cost minimum 5500 rupees, and second, there is no good quality sewing machine below the price of 3000 rupees at present. Therefore, a reliable sewing machine one could buy assuming that it would last at least 10 to 15 years is the Usha Bandhan or any similar model from the brand.

► Singer Start 1306 Sewing Machine for Beginners

As it is evident from the product name, Singer 1306 is much more suitable for beginners, wanting shape up a career in fashion designing. It comes with many positives than a few negatives. At the price of 6500 rupees, Singer 1306 is one of cheapest solutions available for first-time users. With a “Fashion Maker” tag, it is having all initial features needed for making designer salwar suit, blouse, frock, and shirt-pant anything one wish to stitch at home.

It is made by following one simplistic human engineering for electronic sewing machines. Controls are few but enough for a better result. Manipulation of default settings could also be done in easiest fashion – not much hassle users would face, despite being a beginner. An accessory compartment is also built-in so that users can keep things used in sewing & embroidery works at one place, well arranged.

→ Modern Looks and User-Friendly Design

The machine stands on a hollow metal frame, packed in a high-quality plastic shell, which is polished well and have a few designs for an attractive appearance as well.

Singer has blessed the model with six stitch patterns in which four is actual stitch designs, and in the balance two – one is decorative stitch and another is buttonhole. To switch between stitch designs easily – a big size control knob is on the user’s side. Threading diagrams are also printed on user’s side helping the first time users for – how to feed threads to the sewing machine.

Although Singer Fashion Maker 1306 is lacking automatic needle threader, but it has all hooks and points placed on the top for bobbin winding. The absence of needle threader should not be a concern since the sewing machine is essentially meant for young designers, not for old-aged mature users, who generally have a tough time seeing through a needle hole.

→ Sewing Features

Although Singer 1306 is for beginners, but with the top speed of 750 stitches per minute, it should also be considered for fast stitches. As discussed earlier, it has the five stitch design to translate the high-speed sewing on fabrics. Automatic four-step buttonhole feature could also make easier to stitch buttonholes in just a few seconds.

Singer 1306 gets “Fashion Maker” essentially because it can deliver decorative stitches on fabrics through six stitch patterns in two different colors due to dual spool pins. Users could also feed some designer threads to dual spools, placed on the top of the machine.

To stitch cuffs, pant hems, other difficult to reach area including collars are made easier with Singer 1306’s free arm feature. Extract the side, which is at user’s side under the presser foot to get the unit ready for free arm sewing. By the way, to unplug bobbin also, the section has to be extracted. In addition, the section has some empty space, too, essentially developed as a free compartment for users.

→ Free Accessories

In order to make the most of the machine, there are many accessories included in the sales box. Singer ships the following accessories if one buys the Fashion maker 1306 model:

• All-Purpose Foot
• Darning Plate
• Buttonhole Foot
• Bobbins
• Zipper Foot
• Spool Pin Felts
• Pack of Needles
• Soft-Sided Dust Cover
• Needle Plate Screwdriver
• Seam Ripper/Lint Brush

Pros:-

• Excellent choice for beginners
• 12 types of thread design on fabric
• Four-step button holler
• Free arm, accessories compartment, and automatic tripping bobbin winder
• Light Weight: just eight Kg
• Three presser feet included
• Automatic tension control
• LED light for sewing in dark or in low light
• Easy stitch selection
• Darning plate for fast and Free-motion sewing
• Extra high-pressure foot and simple one-step lift

→ Should you buy this Singer sewing machine?

It looks like Singer has totally ditched this model. Neither the model has been listed on the official website nor has any tutorial been made online for user’s assistance. Since the model is ideal for beginners, more information on its usages might be helpful in order to use it at full potential.

Singer 1306 is a brilliantly designed sewing & embroidery machine for beginners. If you already have had tailoring experience with any automatic sewing machine, it might not appeal much then. However, for a price of 6500 rupees, it could be an excellent choice for beginners and home users as well.

This article is dedicated to intermediate level sewing machines and Singer 1306 is the last product in the list of four, which we have selected as most suitable. Machines after these four are mostly advanced sewing machines. Singer 1306 is one of the best entry-level sewing machines.