Brother ST531HD Strong & Tough 53 Stitch Sewing Machine with Finger Guard 16x8x12

I have bought this machine 16 times to be used by boys and girls who are incarcerated, for my grandchildren, and for myself. Teachers say the kids can’t break them and they will sew any project. Teen boys have been thanking their art teacher for teaching them a real skill. One girl who was in a foster group home found the cost of buying this machine worth saving her money from a part time job. She had learned to sew with a group and missed having a machine. My grandson made a kimono-like jacket with alternating blocks of green and black for a cos play event and his squares came together very precisely and he loves this machine. In other words, this Brothers strong and tough has proven itself to be easy to operate, easy to thread and set up, easy to carry and handle , and satisfying to create without problems and frustrations. It is tough! It is easy to use! It functions well in a great variety of ways! It’s easy to thread and set up. I just bought this latest one for myself to make my granddaughter a rendition of a designer gown she saw. Actually, she wants to make it herself and I’m sure it will be beautiful. This machine has proven itself to me time and time again by many first time sewers and experienced teachers.

I have been a seamstress all my life and at 70 I thought I knew about sewing machines. I have used a Bernina, which I felt was too fussy for me, and switched to Brother when I bought my first Serger. Besides the quality of Brother machines, I feel they are a great company that backs their products. With my Brother machines, I have made more than 40 Renaissance Court costumes, including King and Queen costumes. Now that I am a grandma (Meemo) I have started making doll clothes. I have had a computerized Brother for the last four years but because I am now planning on making covers for an outdoor lawn swing and patio chairs, I decided to get the Brother Strong and Tough to use with the heavyweight fabrics that will be necessary for those projects. Once I had this machine out of its box, it was set up in minutes. The stitches are nice and even and it is easy to adjust the tension and type of stitches. I have used it now on faile and dotted swiss while making dresses for my granddaughters' dolls and I have had my seven-year-old granddaughter using the machine as I teach her sewing. I had bought her a lightweight Brother as a birthday present but I think I am going to get one of these for her instead. It is a much better machine. I have stored my computerized machine to make room for this one on my sewing table. I find now that after all these years, I prefer the mechanical machine to the computerized ones. What a revelation! All the extra stitches on my computerized machine go to waste as any embroidery that needs to be done I do by hand. Always have. Always will.I appreciate that this machine has a rubber base to keep it from moving while I sew. I appreciate that none of the stitches skip and that it is easy to start sewing at the edge of the fabric without having to hold the threads in the back to keep the stitches from bunching. I like that the presser foot has an extra height adjustment to use on thick fabrics, something I will be needing when I make the lawn swing seats.There a couple of things I miss from my old machine but will adjust to quickly. The "down needle" button for pivoting fabric. The longer cord on the pedal foot which I could drop behind my table top instead of draping forward across the table. The quieter running motor, so I can sew at night without waking my grandkids and their parents up. These are all minor issues though in exchange for a really good machine that I expect will be the last one I get.All of the machine feet I have for my old Brother fit this machine as well, but the bobbins are a slightly different size and not interchangeable. It comes with four bobbins, and I had purchased more bobbins for my granddaughters' other machine that fit this machine just fine. AND it came with a Teflon foot which will come in handy on many of the fabrics I use for the doll clothes.I am a very satisfied customer. Thank you Brother for continuing to make such great products.

The Brother ST371HD is an amazing sewing machine! With 37 built-in stitches and 6 handy sewing feet, it handles everything from basic repairs to creative projects. The free arm option is great for cuffs and sleeves, while the included thread pack adds extra value. It’s sturdy, user-friendly, and perfect for beginners and experienced sewers alike. Highly recommended for its reliability and versatility!

I bought the Brother ST371HD in March 2022, after looking at high-end and low-end machines and everything in between. I’ve always used Singer machines - my most recent, bought in the early ‘90s, was a basic, non-computerized model that worked pretty well. It was loud, though, and starting to show its age. So, after not finding any Singer models that I liked, and deciding that I didn’t need an embroidery or quilting machine, I found this Brother model. It has a lot of features that I like - automatic needle threader (a struggle at first, but I finally figured it out), clear bobbin cover, horizontal spool holder, automatic buttonholer, free arm and just enough fancy stitches. It’s much quieter than any Singer I’ve owned. It sews a very neat seam. I’ve sewn through several layers of fabric with no problem.The threading was a little fiddly at first, but the directions are on the machine, which helped. And, the controls are slightly different from what I’m used to, but that’ll improve with time.I gave this machine 4 stars because, after I made some buttonholes, it would only sew in reverse. A couple of YouTube videos later, I was able to fix that by moving the hand wheel back and forth several times. The problem may have happened because I forgot to put a lever back in place after making the buttonholes - the gearing got out of whack somehow.It does not appreciate cheap thread - I have several spools of department store thread, and the Brother said “nope” to those.I’ve had no further issues with the machine and can recommend it for anyone who wants a sturdy machine with some modern updates for sewing clothing, housewares and the like.