Singer 7258 Review Summary
The Singer Stylist 7258 is an award winning (Consumers Digest) sewing machine, and one of the best in its class. Unfortunately, the price segment it falls in puts it up against some stiff competition from Brother and Janome, but that’s no reason to overlook this gem.
What I like:
– great accessory package
– drop-in bobbin with clear housing
– easy threading (once you get the hang of it)
– smooth operation
– pedal free with good controls
– simple control panel
– good selection of stitches
– twin needle capability
What I don’t like:
– no oversize table included
– not suitable for thicker fabrics
– short cord on pedal
Get Pricing and User Reviews on Amazon.*paid link
Contents
Singer Stylist 7258 – Full Review
Hey, I’m Sally James, and today I’ll be taking an in-depth look at this brilliant sewing machine from Singer.
Well, it’s a pretty machine. I’m not real crazy about the turquoise color of the control panel area, but at least it’s a soft color so you just sort of forget about it once you’re busy sewing.
I like the button and control locations, and with only three buttons to hit you don’t have to worry too much about hitting the wrong one at the wrong time.
Looking at the included accessories…well, wow. A package of 10 presser feet means you hit the ground running right out of the box.
Throw in a pack of needles, bobbins, spool pin with extra felt, spool caps, a little screwdriver, seam ripper, dust cover, and darning plate and you have a wonderful starter package. Oh, you get the pedal and power cord, as well as a manual and DVD too.
The machine feels really study, and I completely believe Singer when they say it’s built around an all metal frame. Quality construction!
Features Breakdown
Let’s start by looking what the machine offers, and more importantly, what that means to YOU.
– 100 stitches
The number of stitches on a sewing machine is not that important to me in general. I’ve never used even half the stitches on these machines, and I end up sticking to only a small number that I use for most projects.
Singer has outfitted the 7258 with a wonderful array of decorative stitches – a whopping 76 of them. They included only 9 basic, every day stitches. These should get you through most of your everyday mending and stitching jobs.
You also get 8 stretch stitches and 7 fully automatic buttonholes. So, this is a very good and versatile spread.
– Automatic needle threader
Squint squint, aim, miss. Haha, we really don’t want to thread needles by hand, do we? The Singer 7258 offers an automatic needle threader that’s so simple to use once you have the hang of it. Thumbs up from me, that’s all I can say.
– LED display and control panel
A rather simple control panel and LCD display allows you to choose your stitches. Use the up and down arrow buttons to select your stitch, and the machine automatically chooses the optimal width and length for you. It’s a pretty standard computerized sewing machine control setup, but it works just fine.
– Droppity Boppity Bobbin
Yeah I know, I’m a bit silly sometimes. Okay, yes, this machine has a top drop-in bobbin system and, even better, a clear bobbin housing so you can actually keep tabs on your thread. I love machines that combine these two features, so yet again the Singer scores points.
– Pedalless Auto Pilot Sewing
Pedalless? Unpedalled? Whichever, you can sew without the pedal on this nifty little machine. A conveniently located speed slider right slap bang in the front middle of the machine allows you to adjust the speed when in auto pilot mode. Simply unplug the foot control to use this sewing mode.
– Programmable needle up/down
Oh man, don’t even try to do serious fashion sewing without a needle up/down function. The 7258 thankfully includes this function, and it is controlled by a simple up/down button on the front of the machine. Use the up position when you want to remove your fabric from the machine, and the down position when your doing twisty turny sewing jobs, appliques or quilting.
– Light My Way
A blueish LED lights up your work area. No need to explain this feature – you want to see what you’re doing, and this helps!
Performance
The threading system on this machine (with instructions printed on the machine) is a little confusing at first. I had to grab a needle threading video off Youtube to get it done. It gets easier the more you do it though, and pretty soon you’ve got the hang of it.
The machine sews like a dream. It runs smoothly and it’s not very noisy either. The stitches come out really beautifully. Once you start layering fabrics or sew tougher fabrics, the machine suffers notably, skipping stitches and jamming.
As I’d expect from a machine at this price range, it is suitable to light duty work on thinner materials only! This is not a criticism – you have to keep in mind this is an entry-level machine.
Sewing without the foot pedal may be a bit scary for some people, but the speed control slider works like a charm and the easy stop/start button on the 7258 means there really is nothing to fear. Once you get used to it, you’ll love it.
The needle up/down works exactly as it should and makes quilting and appliques that much easier. The automatic tension also seems to work perfectly so far. Also worth noting is that this is a free arm machine, but you need to detach the accessories tray in the front.
The 7258’s conveniently located buttons and speed control.
Add little touches like automatic presser foot pressure, automatic reverse, automatic locking straight stitch and a 13 needle positions, and this is a winner.
Verdict
There is very little to fault the Singer 7258 on. It is right on par with the competition on this segment, it performs wonderfully within its limitations and has all the features and accessories you need to perform most tasks out of the box.
The inclusion of an oversize table would have been nice, and I also found the cord on the pedal too short to position it anywhere else than down the front of the sewing table. The needle threader also takes a bit of getting used to.
Get Pricing on Amazon.*paid link
Just keep in mind, again, that this is an entry-level machine that is meant for light duty sewing. Don’t expect to sew multiple layers of denim or other challenging material with a sub-$200 machine.
Short Video Overview
Other Machines to Consider
The closest competition in this price segment for the Singer 7258 is the Brother XR9500PRW.*paid link There is so little to choose between these machines that I’m almost inclined to say it doesn’t matter which one you get: both will perform much of the same tasks equally well.
The Brother includes an oversize table and maxes out at 850 stitches per minute against the 750 of the Singer 7258, but in most other respects the two machines are a match for each other. If you have any brand loyalties, that may be the deciding factor.