The Singer Heavy Duty 4423 isn’t messing around. Its sturdy metal build makes you feel like it could sew through anything, and at up to 1,100 stitches per minute, it can do so very quickly. It’s also inexpensive, though this mechanical sewing machine does lack some frills included in computerized models. For the majority of sewists, it's a perfectly suitable choice of the best sewing machines that wont let you down.
Singer Heavy Duty 4423: How it performed
With only 23 stitch patterns, the Heavy Duty doesn’t give you much to choose from. Along with six basic stitches, it has four stretch stitches, 12 decorative stitches and one style of buttonhole. In general, your bases are covered. You do have to manually change the stitch width and length settings, but the dial controls are easy to figure out. Our reviewers found it to be sturdy and solid, and this machine would be ideal for someone who isn’t well-versed in technology or just likes to avoid it.
This machine also has great sewing results. For one, the buttonhole feature is easy to figure out. It is marketed as “heavy-duty,” so we tried sewing on four layers of denim at one time. Surprisingly, the straight stitch that resulted was just as neat and straight as on two layers of thin cotton. The straight stitch is all-around tidy, but the backstitching does look a little sloppy. We also noticed some puckering while working with satin, which is something we noticed with the majority of the sewing machines we tested.
You’re on your own with speed control as there is no switch to control it on the machine itself. You have to figure out exactly how hard to press the pedal to prevent your fabric from suddenly getting away from you. As it can sew incredibly fast, it’s also the loudest machine we tested. It reached 71.4 decibels at its highest speed.
This Singer has a sewing light, automatic needle threader and thread cutter, just like the other machines we tested. A soft case is included to shelter it from excess dust as well. It also comes with three extra sewing feet: a buttonhole foot, button sewing foot and zipper foot. Other machines we tested came with far more, like the Singer Confidence 7640 and the Singer Stylist 7258. There are other accessories included with this Singer model though, like a screw driver, seam ripper and spool pin cap.
Should you buy the Singer Heavy Duty 4423?
It's a no-frills sewing machine without any digital elements, but the Singer Heavy Duty 4423 has one of the best and sturdiest designs we've seen. This sewing machine has a reliable design and was able to power through three layers of hardy denim. It has 23 stitch options to choose from, which is significantly less than some of the computerized machines we reviewed, but for most sewists it will do a brilliant job of creating clothes and home decor.