Review on 🧵 Compact Portable Sewing Machines for Beginners | 12 Stitches 2 Speed with Foot Pedal | Easy Household Crafting and Mending Sewing Machine by Doris Tran

I was a little worried it would look like a cheap toy. However, after looking at the unboxing reviews online, I was hoping it would be of pretty decent quality. I wasn't looking for professional quality, just something decent that could satisfy my handyman needs at times. I haven't used a sewing machine in decades, so I wanted something I could start over with without a lot of money if I decide not to keep up with the times. Unfortunately, my experience with this sewing machine makes me feel like I wasted my money. The first needle broke just testing it with a tissue sample, literally in the first 30 seconds. I replaced the needle and attempted to make a face mask out of an old t-shirt. (I've made one before but had to hand sew it, which is what led me to this purchase in the first place. I wanted to do more for myself without straining my arms.) The second needle broke halfway through the project and the third broke. literally in the last stitch. (The description says it comes with 4 needles but it only came with 3.) I don't know if it was due to my lack of skills, machine or fabric, but this project proved far from easy. (I had less trouble hand-sewing the first mask.) First, you can't control the speed with the pedal. So if you want to slow down the hard part, you have to do it manually. Using the switch makes it difficult to guide the fabric and stop the machine when needed. Second, I had to wrap the thread around my finger first, otherwise the thread would be pulled through the needle and had to be rethreaded. This happened several times. Very annoying! Especially when your adult-sized fingers can barely fit in the narrow space that the needle sits in and you have poor eyesight and can barely see what you're doing. I had a lot of trouble getting the seams straight or where they were supposed to be. The machine did not pull the fabric through. I would slide right to left which would make the seams look like crap or worse, let the fabric through completely. Although my first experience was terrible, I hesitated to return this product. I think I'll try again with other fabrics to see if this machine can justify itself. There is a chance that the fabric I used was not suitable for this machine and therefore led to most of my complications. I'll practice a little more and see if my opinion on this sewing machine changes. Also, I didn't find the manual very helpful in using the device. I recommend reading the online manual. -UPDATE I started returning this item after discussing my difficulties with someone who has more sewing experience. They advised me to return it as it was probably defective. I wanted to give it another try and avoid returns and exchanges as I still wanted a small sewing machine. Bought new Singer needles 90/14. I had no issues with the needle breaking, bending, or bending. I did a few test stitches with the same fabric I used for the first mask and I had no problems. I managed to make another mask and on this project the thread only came out twice at the beginning. I think it's because it didn't grab the fabric from the start (my fault, not the machine's). I've never had to wrap the thread around my finger. I think my first experience was a combination of bad needles and my own lack of training and experience.