Features:

  • SINGER COMPUTERIZED SEWING MACHINE: The SINGER Quantum Stylist 9960 portable sewing machine has loads of ease-of-use features to allow you to fulfill your creative dreams Has a large selection of stitches including basic, stretch and decorative stitches for fashion sewing, quilting, home decor and crafting There’s even a selection of fonts to personalize projects
  • AUTOMATIC NEEDLE THREADER: Threading the machine is so easy that you can have the entire machine threaded, from the spool to the needle’s eye, in seconds The built-in needle threader threads the eye of the needle for you, eliminating eye strain and frustration
  • BEST SEWING MACHINE: The SINGER Quantum Stylist 9960 sewing machine has 600 Built-In Stitches including 5 Alphanumeric Fonts and 13 built-in 1-Step Buttonholes with Exclusive Buttonhole Underplate It also has Mirror Imaging and Stitch Elongation providing even more creative possibilities
  • HIGH-SPEED SEWING MACHINE: The SINGER Quantum Stylist 9960 sewing machine has a maximum sewing speed of 850 stitches-per-minute, projects can be sewn quickly
  • SEWING MACHINE ACCESSORIES: A variety of presser feet are included with the sewing machine: All-Purpose Foot, Zipper Foot, Buttonhole Foot with Underplate, Button Sewing Foot, Blind Hem Foot, Satin Stitch Foot, Open Toe Foot, Overcasting Foot, Darning and Embroidery Foot, Rolled Hem Foot, Cording Foot, Straight Stitch/Quilting Foot, Even Feed / Walking Foot 110 volt machine designed for United States and Canadian use only
but I saw WAY too many complaints about the crappy service when something goes wrong

After reading the mixed reviews here, I decided to try the Singer Quantum 9960 for myself. (It cost the same at Singer's website, but I saw WAY too many complaints about the crappy service when something goes wrong. I'm so glad I looked at Amazon! I was able to buy a 2 year plan for it for only $27! Not to mention I saw Amazon was quick to help those who had some issue with their machine.) Once I got it set up, I immediately started sewing a table runner. The stitches are even and tension perfect! I read where someone said the fabric gets chewed up unless you start sewing far into the fabric, but that isn't happening to me at all! I can start sewing right at the edge and even back stitch to lock the stitch and it doesn't pull the fabric down under the needle then either. It comes with so many feet that I can't imagine anyone not having every foot they may ever need! The extension table doesn't fit flush against the bed, and when I read a woman's complaint about that, I thought perhaps it might bother me, but it really doesn't ? I don't even notice it at all while I'm sewing. I haven't tried the many stitches it has yet, but I do plan on making a sampler of them soon as one person suggested. I'm quite happy I decided to buy it, and I would recommend it to others for sure!

Did my research this machine far exceeds the cost!

Before deciding on a Janome take a look at this machine! It will work with the most delicate material to canvas duct! Just be sure to use the appropriate needle. I love this machine had it for a month in a half. Excellent for the money! I love the foot pedal, start stop button, automatic threader, reverse button, up down needle button and the ease of creating bobbins and threading them! Great for quilting! Has the same functionality as higher priced Janome machines but more capabilities and accessories included. Happy creating!

All-in-all, I'm really happy with this machine.

I've only had it for 3 weeks so I haven't tried out everything yet. I initially had trouble with the thread cutter but I rewound the bobbin and that fixed the problem. I'm working on 2 quilts now and it sews beautifully with no trouble on different thickness. This has replaced the Brother machine I bought earlier because it heated up after sewing for a few hours. It would sew again after it "cooled down" but I didn't appreciate sewing on "Brother" time. I haven't tried all the special decorative stitches but I'll get there! It's heavier than all get out but it doesn't bounce around the table like the Brother did either. All-in-all, I'm very happy with this machine.

Very nice machine, especially considering the value/cost

Very nice machine, especially considering the value/cost. I've been using daily since it arrived about 3 weeks ago. Love the speed control as I sew doll clothing with small tight turns and it comes in handy. Has a lot of great features that are found on higher price machines. It is VERY quiet and smooth running! I find the auto thread cutter a nice feature but when I use it the bottom threads always tangel when starting the seam, sometimes I need to do top stitching from the bottom. Sometimes when working with fine fabrics like voile it wants to slightly bunch, and I'm not great at resetting tensions (one feature I love on the Viking is you tell it your fabric and it auto sets the tension, would be a great feature if they would add it to this machine!). Other than those two issues I find this a fab machine and fun to work on!

I tested it against The Sweet Home's recommendation (Janome DC5100) and found the 9960 to be better.

After reading more sewing machine reviews than could possibly be healthy, I ended up following the recommendation made by The Sweet Home as the Intermediate Sewing Machine pick and buying the Janome DC5100. I was upgrading from an entry level Brother CS6000i. The result? I ended up returning the DC5100 and keeping a Singer 9960 I also bought with a three year extended warranty for less than half of what the DC5100 cost me. Personally, I wanted the sewing machine for modifications and projects. I don't sew every week, but when I do sew, it often includes thick materials like multiple layers of straps and webbing, or the type of durable fabrics you find in motorcycle gear. In other words, I needed something heavy duty. But since I'm young and like technology, I'm attracted to computerized machines with hundreds of stitches, a nice LCD interface, cool features and good aesthetics. Also, I'm a man, so a pink sewing machine kinda puts me off. When I received the Janome DC5100, I have to admit I wasn't impressed. It just looks old and overpriced. The incandescent bulb makes it look antiquated (although it's replaceable with LED's, albeit with mixed results), the LCD screen looks like it was pulled off of a Casio calculator, and it isn't really that user friendly. It's simple to use, but it just doesn't feel like it's user friendly. In some ways I found myself missing my CS-6000i which costs about 20% of what the Janome costs. Build quality was superb of course, as the interior is pretty much all metal. Since I wasn't that satisfied, I kept looking and a kept arriving at the Brother 9960 again and again. It had all the cooler features of the CS-6000i (plus a thread cutter, which I have to admit I like), as well as being very heavy weight (read stable), having a larger bed, an extension bed, including a plethora of presser feet and much, much more. Warranty remarks were spotty, but considering it's 4.5/5 Star reviews out of around 1800 reviews, obviously not many people were sending their machine to warranty service. I decided to order it and test it side by side. I'll keep it short. Both the Janome DC5100 and the Brother 9960 (which also has a metal interior wherever needed, and is heavier) are capable of sewing through 7 layers of nylon webbing, and neither are sewing through any more layers than that. That's pretty much as much will fit under the presser foot. 7 layers is certainly past the limit, and way more than I expected. The stitches won't be pretty, but it will work if needed. It might get stuck, need some help or you might have to redo small portions, but the alternative is spending 1000$ on a SailRite which is much, much more utilitarian than either. And ideally I'd like to stick with only one sewing machine if possible. So given that the Janome DC5100 isn't really any more capable than the Brother 9960, and the Brother costs less than half, I don't really see the point in spending double the money. Plus, obviously neither is an industrial machine, so if I have to push a machine to the limit knowing I might break it, I'd much rather break a 280$ machine than a 650$ machine. And the 3 year extended warranty cost me 27$, so with that at least I know warranty will be easy. Other benefits of the 9960 is easier threading, thread cutter, better LED lights, a much nicer interface, a much nicer LCD screen, a better cover, an extended tray, a more neutral aesthetic design, a more modern design, more accessories, more online tutorials & YouTube support, and many other aspects. It's also nice that you can store it with thread inside and it still closes, which is great for quick fixes. Honestly, the only thing I can say in favor of the DC5100 is that it feels more robust in the sense that the components are all metal in the inside, but if that doesn't translate into more strength, I'm not sure what the benefit is. So end result, I returned the DC5100, and kept the Singer 9960 knowing both are equally as strong, and saving about 300$ in the process. I can know say with confidence that the 9960 is capable of sewing heavy duty materials, or at least as competent as you'll find under 700$ in the computerized sewing machine category.

I'm in love

I learned to sew on a Singer Touch and Sew machine that my mother purchased from a door to door salesman. Times have really changed. You buy on the internet, and watch a YouTube video for demonstrations of all the features before you buy, which is great because the videos are always there, unlike the traveling salesman. The one thing that hasn't changed is that Singer has always been synonymous with quality, and this machine did not disappoint. Using this it has been almost like playing and watching a magic show all at once. It has so many features it is ridiculous. I started looking for a drop in bobbin machine to mend clothes, but ended up with this machine because is a great value. There is not a single project this machine Singer failed prepare for in this machine. I am extremely pleased with the top loading bobbin because I learned to sew on the Singer Touch and Sew machine, which had that feature, but for some reason, manufacturers stopped including. While this is a great feature, I wish they would go back to how the Singer Touch and Sew machine loaded the bobbin without ever removing it from it's drop in location. You just pressed a button before pressing the foot pedal and it loaded hands free. I know it sounds lazy, but it was so easy and so cool. I had to relearn to thread a bobbin by removing it. I know it would take some re-engineering, but it would make Singer the only machine with that feature. I made two wedding dresses for my sister and me on the old Touch and Sew Machine, so my mother's $1000 investment in that machine really paid off., which proves that even an expensive sewing machine can pay for itself if you use it and don't just let it just sit and collect dust. Now, I've got must find some projects for this machine, which won't be hard because it comes with so many features, presser feet, and a great instruction manual. I've got a bad back, and only intended to use the machine to mend rips, but i can't let that be all this wonderful machine does. Using it will be like playing. I've been playing with it by learning the features and the stitches. The only feature that took a little getting used to was the needle treading. I was having trouble making it work, so I watched a Youtube video and noticed that I wasn't pressing the lever far enough down to get it to work. It pressed fairly easily to a point, but did not go far enough to thread the needle. I tried watching the video, and I was doing as it said, but it didn't say that you might have to press up and down a few times to get it loosed up. I pressed a little harder the first few times, and now, it works great. I don't mean that you should press it so hard you break. Just work with it, and it will loosen up. I figured it may have gotten a little stiff sitting around a warehouse. Anyway, now I'm a pro at using the automatic needle threader, and it is as easy as described.

Read This Before You Spend $5,000

This machine compares very favorably with the current Bernina 550, for a fraction of the price. Singer's touch screen is superior, as it is not only a color screen -- theirs isn't -- it is much clearer. There is no comparison in terms of the appearance of the two machines. This Singer is flat out gorgeous in person, and it's purple. Singer has really knocked it out of the park in terms of presentation with this one. The photos here do not begin to do it justice. I literally gasped when I pulled it out of the box. I do miss having a knee lifter on this machine, which my Singer 580 embroidery machine has, but the superb quality of the 9985 considering its low price is ample consolation. With 960 stitches, it blows the Bernina 550 right out of the water, as it has only 177. Of course it is the quality of the stitch that counts, and the Singer 9985 stitches as beautifully as any machine costing thousands more. I am working my way through the entire catalog of decorative stitches and functions, and have not found anything so far that is less than perfect. What is really unexpected in a machine at this price is the degree of precision you can bring to bear on your decorative stitches. Say you wish to place an outline of decorative arrows around a neckline facing or placket; you can figure out by stitching a sample how many arrows you are getting per inch, and program the machine to run a certain number of arrows and stop, so you can precisely pivot and turn or reproduce a certain line of stitching or whatever. The selection and editing of decorative stitches is simple and intuitive if you are used to doing anything with a computer. Not every stitch can be elongated or made wider to the same extent, but it is easy to tell what you can and cannot do once you see it on the screen. Considering this capability, you really have way more than the 960 stitches advertised. For best quality decorative stitching, I recommend using 40-wt rayon or polyester machine embroidery thread on top and good quality polyester sewing thread to match your item in the bobbin, and attach the transparent satin stitch foot. Tearaway or wash-away stabilizer under your project will make a world of difference. Many stitches can be flipped or rotated, so you could stitch a line of left-facing triangles next to a line of right-facing triangles, or run some lines of straight stitches in between for a cuff or something like that -- in other words, the creative design possibilities get crazy when you have these advanced editing capabilities, and the results are perfect because you can edit precisely where each stitch starts and stops. With this wide selection of stitches, even the simplest garment can be embellished with embroidery to make it look amazing. Stalking Pinterest and Instagram photos of embroidered garments has inspired me to combine multiple rows of decorative stitches with straight stitching around garment edges, repeating thread colors I've used in the embroidered motifs I've done on the Singer Quantum Futura 580 on the front, back, and sleeves. Built-in stitches did not seem to add much to fashion sewing for me in the past because in regular sewing thread, they can look pretty sad, but the options this machine offers combined with the wonderful threads widely available to machine embroiderers make fashion sewing exciting in a whole new way. The hand quilting-look stitch combined with the walking foot offers a feature usually found on only high-end machines. I was skeptical that a machine at this price point could produce a decent quilting stitch, but by following the directions in the manual and making the necessary tension adjustments, the result is quite impressive. The manual is pretty good. When I get a new machine, I usually go through the manual page by page and try every stitch, technique, and foot to learn as much as I can and make sure everything is functioning properly. Though I have not completed the learning process yet on this machine due to my eagerness to get to the fun stuff, I have read through the entire manual and it seems that everything I need to know is in there somewhere. The quilting section should not be construed as instruction in quiltmaking by any means, and it is kind of weird that they do not mention the even-feed foot until several pages later, and free-motion quilting and stippling should probably not be attempted based on the instructions here, though of course YouTube videos abound. I find Singer manuals maddening in that the English version is on the left-hand side of the page, with French and Spanish on the right. It would be much more efficient for all users if they would put each language in its own section. The small format of this manual means the print and illustrations are quite small. I'll be looking for the manual at the Singer site so I can read it on a device which enables me to zoom in. Speaking of instructions, I'd just like to point out that this uses size 15 bobbins, not 15J as the "customers also bought" copy above might indicate. The difference is slight but if you use the wrong bobbins, you will really mess up your shuttle race. When I selected this machine, I assumed it would use 15J bobbins just like my embroidery machine, which would be super convenient. Alas, that is not the case, and it is kind of a pain. You must use Singer brand bobbins, and not cheap copies, which are not the same size. This is kind of a pain, but it's worth it to me to have all these other awesome features I never expected to own. And did I say it's purple? The Singer 9985 is the perfect companion to my Singer 580 embroidery machine. I am super thrilled that I was able to get such a high quality machine with so many awesome stitches and features for such a low price, with free shipping. Not to be snarky, but a local dealer of the expensive brands does not carry this machine in her store, and I can guess why, though she offered to special order it for me, at the full list price. *snort* If I were trying to sell a comparable machine for almost $5,000, I would not want this one sitting next to it, either. Thanks, amazon!!

Great upgrade from basic machine

I'm not an expert at sewing by any stretch; still consider myself a total beginner. This was an upgrade from an entry-level machine from another brand (I loved that machine too). This 9960 has a *lot* of functions. I haven't scratched the surface with the capabilities of this machine. What I have done is mostly repairs and alterations of my own family's clothes. With this machine I have upped the skills to add embroidered naming to some of my kids' gear. My most recent usage was a repair of some old denim jeans where I was working in one of the most difficult spots (for me) - near the 4-way seam in the crotch - with a lot of unpicking and re-sewing heavy seams. As an "advanced beginner" that went surprisingly well and I give credit to this machine for helping me out. All the basic stuff - threading, bobbins, etc - seemed natural to beginner me. I really like that I don't need the pedal if I don't want to use it. I'm still learning but have found no fault with this purchase, so it gets top marks from me.

Less than 5???

This machine is an absolute joy to use!! HOW could anyone find fault with it, or rate it with anything less than 5 stars?!? To just touch on a couple of my favorite features: first off, I never even use the foot pedal anymore; the very sensitive and clearly-marked buttons that control starting (that one lights up Green when you’re actually ready to . . . ) and stopping (same button: turns Red when Stopped!), as well as the Speed control slider, just make the foot pedal obsolete; for me, anyway. OK, and then you reach the end of your seam, hit Stop - and then you can touch another button, marked with a pair of scissors - the machine chirps, the needle lifts, and both threads are cut! Another button lets you pick whether to have the needle in the raised or lowered position whenever you’re stopped. And the needle-threader! Makes threading the needle such a piece of cake, and it’s no matter if the thread-end is frayed; it pushes a loop of your thread through the needle a few inches from the end! And you can wind bobbins while the needle is still threaded - I’m so happy to own one of these beautiful machines - you will be, too . . .

My Singer is a sexy beast!

I’m so new to the world of sewing (just started in late August) and the machine I had prior to the Singer was ok. It was a bit difficult to manage the speed and my sewing projects wasn’t the best. I found out about the Singer 9960 watching a video of a woman who was doing a tutorial on diapers and all I could focus on was the functionality of her Singer. I fell in love with instantly! I sold my 1.5 month old machine and used the profits to help purchase the 9960 and I have absolutely NO regrets! It’s very user friendly and I love the thread cutter button and the extension table. My crafts (while not perfect) have been much easier to do on this machine vs the other one. I love it!

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