Singer 9960 Sewing Machine Review
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The sewing machine you will purchase is a big decision. It is an investment in a machine you will hopefully use for years to come. You want a machine that will be easy to use and be able to grow with you as your skills improve. To find the right machine, you need to spend lots of time comparing prices and specs to find your perfect model. What machine will be able to provide this total experience? Is the sewing machine at a price point you can afford? All these are questions you’ll need to ask before making your purchase. To help with your selection, we are reviewing the Singer 9960. It’s one of the most popular sewing machines available today. We will compare it with several other similar machines to give you the best analysis of the sewing machine. Read on to learn if the Singer 9960 is right for you.
Comparison Table
What Is the Singer 9960 Sewing Machine?
The Singer 9960 is one of the most popular sewing machines around today. It is known for being easy to use and is a good sewing machine for both sewing and crafting. The Singer brand is also known as makers of some of the most popular and highest quality sewing machines around. The Singer 9960 is a bit higher in price than other sewing machines on this list. But, it is considered a worthwhile investment for many sewers because of its versatility and range of features. The sewing machine weighs 28 pounds and is considered heavy, but sturdy.
Product Specs
The Singer 9960 is a computerized sewing machine that has 600 built-in stitches. It also comes with 13 automatic buttonhole stitches. The machine is fast and completes 850 stitches per minute. The bobbin is top drop-in and is in a see-through container so you can keep an eye on your thread. The Singer 9960 has an automatic needle threader, a start/stop button, and a speed slider. It also has an LCD screen with a built-in digital advisor. The sewing machine also comes with 15 different types of presser feet to accommodate as many sewing options as possible.
Pricing
The Singer 9960 can be purchased for around $300 on Amazon, which is the second most expensive sewing machine in this review.
How the Singer 9960 Compares with Other Sewing Machines
We picked a few similar sewing machines available on the market to see how they compare with the Singer 9960. We looked at the different features of each machine, technical specs, price, ease of use, and warranty to rate each machine.
- Singer 4411
- Brother CS6000i
- Brother XL2600I
Singer 9960 Sewing Machine
Ease of Use: 4 out of 5 Stars
Everything on the Singer 9960 is easy to find and easy to use. But, the plethora of features makes the introduction to the machine an overwhelming experience for beginners. The speed button can be used while a sewer is also operating the manual controls on the sewing machine. The drop in bobbins with the clear container and good sewing light are also nice ease of use features that make the Singer 9960 stand out a little more. Other ease of use features on the Singer 9960 include the free arm and the LCD screen brightness control. The higher weight on this machine means that it won’t be portable enough for a beginner to take to a sewing class.
Performance: 5 out of 5 Stars
The Singer 9960 is a high performing sewing machine that is very versatile and lasts a long time. It stitches 850 stitches per minute which is fast, but also adjustable. The heavy weight of the Singer 9960 makes it a super sturdy machine that creates an even and clean stitch. Features like autopilot control and foot control make this a good machine to grow with. Beginner sewers will feel more comfortable on autopilot and the LCD screen will alert the sewer to an error while experienced sewers will like the command of the machine that the foot control affords them.
Design Quality: 4 out of 5 Stars
The overall look of the Singer 9960 is sleek and clean. The start/stop button on the front of the sewing machine stands out in green. The machine allows the sewer lots of creative freedom over their projects. The quality of the stitches is good, and the sewing machine can handle heavier fabrics well.
Warranty: 5 out of 5 Stars
The Singer warranty covers any repairs or replacements for free in the first year and covers mechanical parts for up to 25 years, which is a standard warranty when looking at other machines on this list.
PROS
- Number of stitches
- Automatic needle threader and cutter
- Foot control and autopilot control
CONS
- Expensive
- Not portable
- Can be overwhelming for beginners
Singer 4411
The Singer 4411 is a low-cost, heavy duty sewing machine that handles all your sewing jobs. It comes with 11 built-in stitches and 1 four-step buttonholer. The sewing machine creates 1,110 stitches per minute at its fastest speed. It has a top drop-in bobbin as well as a clear cover over the bobbin. It is a mechanical sewing machine and operates tension, needle position, stitch type, and stitch length and width with a dial. The stainless steel bed plate makes feeding easy.
Ease of Use: 4 out of 5 Stars
The Singer 4411 is a light 14 pounds, which means it’s portable and can be carried to a class, but has a heavy internal metal frame to make it sturdy. While the sewing machine doesn’t have a digital helper, the dial operation is often actually easier, especially for beginner sewers. It also includes nice ease of use features like a free arm. But, it doesn’t have more sophisticated features like an automatic needle threader.
Performance: 5 out of 5 Stars
The Singer 4411 will give a sewer high-quality stitches no matter if they are sewing through one layer of fabric or several layers. The stitch speed of 1,100 stitches per minute is very high. The motor is 60% stronger than other sewing machines, which makes it able to handle heavy duty fabrics like leather and denim well. The stitch quality on the Singer 4411 is reliable.
Design Quality: 4 out of 5 Stars
This is a really well-designed sewing machine, that becomes especially clear when looking at the Singer 4411s price point. It packs a lot of punch into a very affordable package. It looks like a classic Singer sewing machine, but the red accents give it a modern feel. It is lightweight while being heavy duty. The internal metal frame will last a long time, however as the sewer grows, the lack of additional stitches on the sewing machine might become limiting.
Warranty: 5 out of 5 Stars
25-year warranty over mechanical parts like the top, but 1 year for a full warranty including labor costs.
PROS
- Affordable
- Incredibly fast
- Handles heavy fabrics
CONS
- Difficult to turn the needle
- Few stitch options
- Mechanical sewing machine
Brother CS6000i
The Brother CS6000i has 60 different stitch types, 7 different types of buttonholes, and the sewing machine also comes with 9 different types of presser feet that come in handy when tackling different sewing projects. It has an automatic threading function and an automatic jam-resistant winding bobbin. You can also control stitch speed and thread tension, but the thread tension is controlled through a dial. The machine also has a start/stop button and foot control. It weighs around 17 pounds, making it slightly heavier than some other machines.
Ease of Use: 5 out of 5 Stars
The Brother CS6000i is considered a good machine for beginning sewers because it combines the easy-to-use qualities of computerized machines with LCD stitch selection and automatic needle threading without being overwhelming to a beginner sewer who can’t work through all the functions and stitches of a more complex machine. The one ease-of-use function the Brother CS6000i is missing is automatic tension control. This machine does tension control with a dial.
Performance: 3 out of 5 Stars
The Brother CS6000i isn’t good going through multiple layers of fabric, but it still sews at the quick pace of 850 stitches per minute and creates sturdy, even stitches that any sewer would be proud of. It is also a good sewing machine for quilting. The stitches the Brother CS6000i creates are even and high quality. But, this is not the case on heavier fabrics.
Design Quality: 4 out of 5 Stars
The design of the Brother CS6000i can come off as a little retro. But, the sewing machine is a good quality machine that is heavy and sturdy, which means it will last. The light on the sewing machine is rather dim and would be better if brighter. Features like the jam resistant bobbin are also well designed.
Warranty: 5 out of 5 Stars
The Brother CS6000i has a 25-year limited warranty. This is the standard warranty for all the sewing machines on this list.
PROS
- Speed control
- Automatic needle threading
- Jam resistant bobbin
CONS
- Not good on heavy fabric or layers
- No automatic tension control
- Dim lighting
Brother XL2600I
The Brother XL2600I sewing machine is very straightforward. It comes with 25 built-in stitches, 1 automatic buttonholer, and 4 extra presser feet. Its highest stitch speed is 800 stitches per minute. This is still quite fast even though it’s the slowest stitch speed in this comparison. It has an automatic needle threader and cutter. The bobbin system is drop-in loading and has automatic bobbin winding.
Ease of Use: 5 out of 5 Stars
This is another great machine for beginners. It is a computerized machine but focuses on function instead of gimmicks. The 25 stitches are selected through the easy stitch selector on the Brother XL2600I, and it also has a plethora of easy-to-use functions like automatic needle threading and cutting. The bobbin system is also particularly easy to use with drop-in loading and automatic winding. Features, like the free arm, also provide the sewer with more maneuverability with their fabric.
Performance: 3 out of 5 Stars
The machine may be light, but the performance it gives is still top notch. It can handle a range of fabrics and is good for everything from hemming jeans to more decorative sewing projects. The Brother XL6000I does have performance problems when it comes to tension control. The thread tensions on the Brother XL6000I do come loose.
Design Quality: 3 out of 5 Stars
The look of the Brother XL2600I reads as elegant and classic with a white body and blue finishes. The build is modest, which is to be expected from a machine that only weighs 11 pounds. It is great for a beginner because the machine reads as one they can master. Machine design problems do come into play with the bobbin. Even though it is jam-resistant, bobbins on the Brother CS6000I still tend to jam.
Warranty: 5 out of 5 Stars
The warranty on the Brother XL2600I is 25 years, which is standard when looking at sewing machines on this list.
PROS
- Very light
- Jam resistant bobbin
- Good for a beginner sewer
CONS
- Expensive
- Fewer stitches
- Tension problems
Conclusion
The Singer 9960 is the best machine for longevity. The huge number of stitches and functions, plus the performance ability of the machine make it worth the additional cost. It is for these reasons we have given the Singer 9960 an overall review of four stars. The other sewing machine that we think is worth considering, of the other three on this list, is the Singer 4411. While it is not a computerized machine, it is built for heavy duty sewing and is a good, well-built alternative option to the Singer 9960 for a beginner who is looking for an easier sewing machine to learn on; it is also good for a more experienced sewer who is looking for a heavy duty machine on a budget. Whatever sewing machine you choose, we hope it is a sewing machine that works well for your needs. Happy sewing!
