Brother TN-04BK Black Toner

I'm a novice sewist who only likes to do fast and easy (weekend) projects. So far, I've made a pair of sleep shorts with elastic; hemmed jeans; fitted baggy t-shirts; and essentially played around with the machine. My father also hemmed a bunch of draperies for my sister's condo and he seemed to like the machine quite a bit.PROS- good number of basic accessories, incl. zipper foot, narrow hem foot, blind hem foot, a few extra needles, one twin needle, three plastic bobbins, extra spool pin, plastic darning plate and screwdriver. Zig zag foot was already installed when I received the unit. All the feet are metal except for a clear plastic "button sewing foot."- "free arm" feature is handy- seems solid enough. I don't mind the plastic, keeps the price down and makes it easier to carry.- also like that it doesn't need much space to store. I made a cover for it w/ approx. measurements 17"x13"x6" --can easily carry w/ one hand due to integrated handle.- foot can be raised about 3/4"- a coin instead of screw driver can be used to tighten needle holder. You could use your fingers, but the screw is small.- handles denim relatively easily, even six layers at a folded hem. keep the back of the foot lifted with a piece of wadded cloth or tilt it carefully with your finger.- robust feed dogs. In fact, I can't imagine using this for sheer cloth, might stretch apartCONS- louder than I expected from reviews- no quilting feet are included (I don't mind, given you get a lot of other accessories, but some might)- there isn't much space on the right side of the foot if you need to pass your project "through" the machine- threader only seems to work for size 11 and 14 needles; it's okay, I keep a wire needle threader on the side for jeans needles- selection dial feels fragile. Might break under heavy use- no setting to have the needle automatically stay up or down when you stop sewing. You'll need to manually turn the (too small) handwheel. Might not be that great for people with arthritis- foot pedal is best operated barefoot to get the most finesse. It has little middle range and likes to go at 80mph on the least provocation.POTENTIAL THREAD TENSION PROBLEMSThis machine is indeed "tempramental," as another reviewer put it. If you have tension problems:- metal class 15 bobbins seem to work a little better than plastic when dealing with finicky tension problems, but then you lose the advantage of being able to see your bobbin thread levels. The manual continually harps on using the correct bobbins though, so remember: do as the manual says and not as I do. :)- the tension screw for the bobbin appears to be locked in place with a dab of green enamel paint, so you can't mess with it.- be sure that the bobbin thread is properly threaded under and through a small metal tab under the plastic guide. If you take the bobbin case out, you'll see the metal tab.- be sure you're threading with the presser foot up- give the upper thread a gentle tug as you thread through point 2 (near the top of the machine) to make sure the thread "seats" itself between the tension discs- rethread the upper all over againOnce the tension's been resolved, this machine sews beautifully...until it doesn't...but so far mostly good. I'm not very experienced, so it could be that I wasn't following proper threading procedure previously--but it does seem my grandmother's ancient White sewing machine was forgiving compared to this one.OVERALL:Buy if the machine is on sale for cheap; you expect to use a straight stitch most of the time, as the tensioning problems won't be as obvious if they happen; you don't need to sew sheer cloth; you're okay with troubleshooting potentially frequent thread tension problems; you want a light machine with a good number of accessories that can handle denim. I think it's a contender for around one hundred-ish dollars. (I got it for somewhat less than that during one of Amazon's Gold Box deals.) Best of luck to those who choose this machine--you may need it!

This little machine is a great buy. Personally, I made the decision to buy because I got tired of paying tailors 10-15 bucks a pop just to take up a pair of pants. If you are a guy like me, make sure you read the instructions first. They even have pictures. It's not rocket science. "Even a caveman..."Once you get use to the machine, it's like poetry in motion. Of course, I'm new at the sewing thing, but I have to say that the experience with this machine has been great. I got it on a Gold Buy for less than a hundred bucks (WOW), but I've seen it for as much as $270 (OUCH). For me, it will pay for itself in less than 10 alterations. Who knows, if I get good enough, I may start making some of my own stuff..or not. Anyway, as a starter machine, I highly recommend.

I purchased this sewing machine based on the price and positive reviews. I had very little sewing experience so I needded something that wouldn't make it frustrating. This was a good machine to start with as it has the basic stitching functions that you will use when starting out. The instructions booklet was also very good and was my constant companion when I first started. I was surprised at how many accessories came with it and I couldn't imagine it being any easier to thread a machine. Each step is numbered with directional arrows so even if you didn't have instructions you could do it. I would highly recommend this machine if you are a beginner. It easy to use and doesn't take each much space at all.

I wasn't sure what to expect from some of the reviewers comments and the price of this machine. I certainly didn't need a toner cartridge! I'm new to sewing and with the features that this machine has, I figured that it could do just about anything I could ever need it to do. My mother, an experienced sewer, was there for moral support for my first attempt. This machine was great! Easy to use, quiet, and worked very well with no issues what-so-ever. I can't help but think that unless the machine was truly defective, that the people having problems with it, either didn't read, or didn't understand, the instructions. As a matter of fact, I know that's true because some things people mentioned as problems, are covered in the manual. I let my mother try it and she even liked it better than her old Singer. She said that she was looking for an inexpensive machine because she didn't need a fancy one like this with all these options. When I told her the price, she couldn't believe that this nice machine was so inexpensive. So far, I've got no complaints.

I purchased this item to sew a "kung-fu" carrying bag that can hold long 8-footer spear and staff while holding bunch of other stuff in it. Thick sewing did not cause it any problem as I sewed zipper through double-fold material, and sewed on haress which is also quite thick without any problems. The set-up is very easy, straightforward. I had have some experience with sewing machines before, and this was the easiest one I ever had to use. Creating bobbins and installing it was blast, and what's my favorite part is that it has tool that threads the needle for you. Yes, that's right, you don't have to lick the string and hope to God that you could put it inside the eye of the needle! It does that for you. I have used it to sew on buttons as well. It came with plenty of accessories, more than I ever will need. I can't say if it will last forever if you use it for commerical purposes, but for usual day-to-day home stuff, it should be more than enough.

I have done one test and am now working on one project with this machine. The test went fine--the fabric was simple cotton. But sandwiching curtain fabric and lining together is causing the stitches to be very short. And as far as I can tell there is no way to adjust the length of stitching. (EG straight stitch one is a certain length, straight stitch two is another length -- basting or gathering in my cotton test -- but on my curtain fabric, tiny.) Does it need different feed, different needle, what am I doing wrong? Or is it the machine?