Buying guide · computerised
Count the buttonhole styles, not the stitches. A machine that measures your button and sews the matching buttonhole in one step is what justifies going computerised; four hundred decorative stitches is not.
Count the buttonhole styles, not the stitches. A machine that measures your button and sews the matching buttonhole in one step is what justifies going computerised; four hundred decorative stitches is not.
140 stitches · 3.5" LCD · thread cutter
Brother's upper-mid computerised machine: 140 stitches, ten buttonhole styles, an automatic thread cutter and a 3.5-inch screen. One reference across the whole of Europe, absent from the US.
Best for: Garment sewing where buttonholes and finish matter more than raw power
≈ £695 / 1050 €
40 stitches · LCD · free arm · 2.95 kg
Brother's light computerised machine: 40 stitches, an LCD, a needle threader and a free arm, at just under three kilos. One reference on all six Amazon stores we checked.
Best for: Light dressmaking, alterations and a first machine that has to live in a cupboard
≈ 200 €
Computerised · DE, IT, GB only
Janome's computerised mid-range machine, and the first of three Janome models we found absent from the French and Spanish catalogues.
Best for: German, Italian and British readers who want a Janome computerised machine
≈ £350 / 430 €
Rarely as a purchase reason. Most people use four stitches. If you genuinely do decorative work, look at the stitch width and length ranges rather than the count.
On a machine you use weekly, yes — it removes a repeated chore. Check it leaves a long enough tail to start the next seam, because a short tail creates a new one.
Sewing machines and overlockers swing by a hundred euros or more across the year, and the biggest "discounts" often land at prices the same model sold for six weeks earlier. UniverTrack tracks the real price history across retailers, spots fake reductions, and alerts you when it is genuinely the moment to buy.
