My review of the Singer Heavy Duty 4423 I bought late 2019.
Affiliate Link Disclosure: Please be aware that this post contains affiliate links. This means I receive a small commission if you decide to purchase through one of my links. As usual though, all opinions are my own.
I recently started sewing denim and upholstery fabric. Not super heavy, but heavy enough that I don’t want to use my Bernina to sew it. I really wanted an industrial machine. I am used to the industrial machines, they are fast, very fast and easily cope with heavy denims or upholstery. But, where I sew is upstairs and no lift, so in other words, no go.
So I started browsing around for a replacement. I read a blog post about a popular sewing blogger’s review and coincidentally, I had found the same machine, the Singer Heavy Duty 4423 Sewing Machine, on sale. So I bought it and hoped for the best.
Now Singer has always been my favourite machines. My mother had a Singer Supreme Stylist 534 when I was young, before she bought her Janome. I found the same model Singer, for $20, when I got back to Australia and I loved it. I used it for my heavier sewing, and things that were less delicate. But one day I was sewing and the next thing I know there was smoke and sparks and that was it. The end of my Singer! I have kept it and I might see if my Sew Doctor can replace the cord and maybe rewire. However, till then the new Singer Heavy Duty 4423 is it.
First Impressions:
I am a huge online shopping junkie, so of course something like this I purchased online, sight unseen (don’t do this)! I didn’t really do much research which is unusual for me mainly because I assumed great things about Singer Machines.
- This is an analogue machine, so does not have a computer to control the stiches etc.
- Low shank foot
- led light
- Needle threader
- 23 stitches
- Can do button holes AND sew buttons on. Now I haven’t tried this yet but will find a video to show you how.
So, the body is plastic! It’s solid and all, but I thought it was steel. Good for the weight not so much the feel of it, no biggie for me but you might feel different. The machine itself is very chunky and solid feeling though. The internal frame however is metal, and the bed plate is stainless steel, or rather a thin layer of stainless steel over the plastic bed plate underneath.
The dust cover is very, very disappointing, it is very delicate papery fabric and not really something I use any more. I think I might make another one that I like.
The tools I got with them are the buttonhole foot, zipper foot and button sew on foot (the one with the blue grippy things in the pic) a seam/stitching guide, plastic bobbins, two different spool caps, a metal screw driver (the triangular metal thing in the pic), a cleaning brush with a unpicker in the handle and two singer sewing needles.
The threading is well illustrated step by step, right on the machine.
Use:
It could have been the table I was using but the machine seemed clunky and unstable when I first started sewing. Needles were breaking fairly easily, and the tension seemed wonky. I didn’t expect it to be perfect out of the box, but I did expect it to be smooth sewing and was a bit disappointed.
After a few tweaks of the bobbin tension and a change of table. The machine started feeling how I expected it to feel. I know this doesn’t sound like a very technical description, but I really ‘feel’ how a sewing machine works rather than get into the mechanics of it all haha.
Yes it sews through denim, and upholstery fabric, several layers of canvas, etc. I haven’t been scientific about it but I am starting some backpacks shortly so will be able to see exactly how many layers I can sew through.
I can’t sew as fast as I would with an industrial. For one I feel like the needle is going to break. But so far missing stitches have been few and far between.
Funnily enough I then stopped sewing a short while after purchasing and went completely to working by hand. Sewing, crochet and knitting. But this year I am back which is why I thought I would do a review.
Thinking of purchasing the Singer Heavy Duty 4423?
If you are thinking about getting this machine, I would recommend it. As a beginner’s machine you would do very well with this as it is easy to use, very sturdy and is very good value for the money, especially if you get it on sale. Or if you need a second, hard working machine this is a definite contender.
You can usually get it on sale, in Australia it would be $360 which is down from the usual $600. I bought mine from Spotlight. You could get it from Amazon, and if you use the link here I will make a small commission from your purchase, Thank you!! You can purchase directly from the Singer site. But really shop around to find your best price.
Now if you are interested in further research before purchasing. Here are a few links (not affiliate!) which I should of watched prior to purchasing my self haha.
Singer Australia instructional video for the 4411 and 4423 model
An REALLY indepth review on whether it really is heavy duty.
FYI, yes, according to the Sewing Machine Repair Guy, it is heavy duty and maintenance is very easily done as the outside body can be fully taken off and access to all the different areas in need of oiling etc. so win win.
For those who love to maintain their own machines
Making a button hole and sewing on buttons!
Conclusion:
I like it. It doesn’t sew fast like an industrial, but it is accurate, sturdy and reliable and lives up to the name.
Once I start sewing again I will update any other insights on this post.
Thanks for reading!
Stay safe
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