What is the Difference Between a Home and Industrial Sewing Machine?

Seven labels that describe sewing machines, but all machines fall into one of two categories. Home sewing machines may have labels including residential, personal, domestic, or of course, home.  Industrial sewing machines may have a liable for professional, industrial, or commercial. The differences might seem small to new sewers, but for an experienced hand, there is a stark contrast. 

In the past, homemakers would use home sewing machines for making garments for a small group of people, while industrial sewing machines were used in commercial settings for mass manufacturing. Today the differences are a little more nuanced than that.

Choosing the Right Machine for You

Anyone looking to compare and contrast industrial and home sewing machines are likely on their way towards investing in a new piece of equipment. As these are often hefty investments, it's vital that you carefully weigh your choices when buying a sewing machine.

Stitch Types

Part of the fun of sewing is exploring different stitches and having the availability to use decorative stitch types. Industrial machines do not provide that option. Most industrial machines provide a single stitch function which allows them to have a long life and produce consistent results in every project. This is ideal for someone running a sewing business who needs to output quite a few projects with consistency.

However, if you're looking for several stitch options, you might still want a home sewing machine. Even beginner machines will have between 20 and 100 different stitch settings.

Quality Comparison

Quality when it comes to home machines requires a lot of finesse. You'll need to adjust your tension often and accommodate for your thread type as well as your material. Industrial machines, however, always provide the highest quality stitch. If you're noticing a lack of quality when it comes to an industrial machine, then you may need to clean your machine or make repairs.

Speed

Home machines allow people to work at a comfortable pace. However, industrial machines enable sewer to fly through the fabric. If you're worried about speed and want to produce work faster, then you will probably want to consider an industrial sewing machine.

Maintenance Demands

Thanks to advancements over the last few decades home machines hardly ever need maintenance. Most have self-oiling or built-in oiling systems and don’t require any brushing or dusting. When you do need a repair, it is often easy to find replacement parts or a repair vendor.

Industrial machines need regular cleaning, depending on the level of use. If you're regularly using your machine, then you'll need to clean and oil these machines weekly or bi-weekly.

Thread

Home machines are renowned for their ability to handle all types of thread and weight. They are often flexible so the crafter can use the same machine for a wide variety of projects working with different fabrics as well as threads.

Industrial machines do best with heavier deniers used in commercial products. However, these threads can still cause problems as they can get caught up in the machine. Industrial machines do not do best with lighter weight threads as the pull and speed can cause the thread to snap often. 

Expense

When it comes to investing in a machine, you'll likely want to stay away from the lowest end of sewing machines. If you're looking to purchase your first machine however feel free to keep in the range of just over $100. Home sewing machines are by far and away less expensive than industrial machines. Most industrial sewing machines exceed $1,000, and they may not deliver everything you need.

When deciding between a regular sewing machine versus an industrial sewing machine, it’s no surprise it comes down to what projects you’re producing. To get help choosing the right investment for you, contact Goldstar Tool at 1-800-868-4419.