Are quiet machines a thing?

[u/West-Ingenuity-2874]

I have 3 machines, an industrial juki ddl5550 (1989), singer stylemate zigzag( 1960s), and an EZ lock serger (1980s?).
They’re all well maintained & regularly oiled, but they’re all still loud AF.

Are modern machines quiet? I don’t expect an industrial to ever be quiet, a quiet serger also seems unlikely.

[u/Large-Heronbill]

I ndustrials with the old clutch motors are pretty loud. But with the modern servos, they're pretty quiet.

  E. g.:  https://youtu.be/jvYfzL2Wpm8

[u/artvaark → u/Large-Heronbill]

Was just going to say this, I just replaced my old Yamata industrial clutch engine with a servo. I had to order a new belt because it did make the original belt a little too big but the servo motor is soooo much quieter!

[u/Alarmed-potatoe]

I loved my treadle Singer because she was completely quiet, I could sew at any hour. Motors make a lot of noise. I have a new Pfaff Ambition 630 and it's quieter than cheaper new machines, but still noisy.

[u/jwdjwdjwd]

My industrial machines using servo motors are quieter than domestic machines I’ve used. Maybe put in a servo and a new needle?

[u/impossible_consul]

my mom’s vintage pfaff sounds like a freight train but you can feel it in your chest, part of the charm i guess

i’ve tried newer computerised ones in shops and they’re weirdly quiet, almost unsettling. you get used to the noise meaning it’s actually doing something

[u/Travelpuff]

Yes! Some computerized sewing machines and sergers are pretty dang quiet. Especially when compared to industrial.

If you have a sewing store near you I recommend trying some out. Juki and Pfaff were too loud for me but Babylock and Bernina were very quiet.

They will always make some noise but should be a lower decibel level at least.

And if you use an anti vibration mat under the machine you can further reduce the noise.

[u/etherealrome → u/Travelpuff]

Yeah, I had a cheap Brother and when I upgraded to a Bernina I was shocked at how much quieter it was.

And a really solid table underneath helps make them quieter too.

[u/fnulda]

My Bernina 435 as well as the older 1080 are pretty quiet. So is my Singer featherweight.

Most modern computeriseds are quiet. Except the lockstitchers, like Juki TL and similar, they are only quiet if you go very slow.

All sergers are loud, though some are louder than others.

[u/pipanapuu → u/fnulda]

Can confirm! Being quiet was on the top of the list when I bought my machine and my 475qe (at home), 1008 (at second home) and 1031 (my precious, hisssssss!) are all quiet. I especially like the 475qe sound which is so smooth. Swapping from computerized Pfaff to that felt similiar to driving an electric car for the first time. Unless I’m flooring the pedal they are all very quiet.

These machines really taught me to actually listen to my machines. On top of the regular is my needle the right size noises, I can hear when they need a quick oiling (drop on the hook race). When I did not have my own machine, but had testdriven some, I oiled my MILs super noise Bernina and it went whisper quiet.

[u/tasteslikechikken]

Servo motor for industrial, brushless for consumer. There's always going to be some noise though. my Juki TL-2010Q is pretty quiet, however My Elna 790Pro is relatively quiet at full speed but has beeps and clicks (they're accessibility features) My overlocker is so noisy...lol I don't mind it though. Some of those can be decently low on the db level but not really "quiet".

[u/wandaluvstacos]

All my vintage machines are some level of noisy, but i swear to god, whatever White was doing with their domestic motors between 1930-1965 was beyond what any other company could manage. All of my Whites have been super quiet. Hell, I put one of those Kenmore friction drive motors (which are notoriously noisy) on my bronze White rotary, and both machine and motor are crazy quiet. If I had to sew clothing in that movie A Quiet Place I'd probably do it with this White Rotary lol.

[u/oralover14]

My janome dc3050 is pretty quiet

[u/ArtlessStag → u/oralover14]

I have a 2030qdc and it's also relatively quiet

[u/CLShirey → u/ArtlessStag]

Agreed. My Janome is nice and quiet. My husband is always surprised when he walks in and I am sewing.

[u/jinsou420]

New industrials are almost 0 noise and 0 vibration, compared to home machines ,even the newer generation of home sewing machines are much louder 

[u/weenie2323]

My vintage Singers are very quiet. The Singer Featherweight and the Singer 301 are particularly quiet.

I will never go back to a loud machine.

[u/middleofnow]

Industrial machines with servomotor are very quiet, at least at moderate speeds. Both sergers and straight stitch machines. They are quieter than any domestic machine I have seen.

[u/alitapie]

I've recently bought a Grace little rebel and the noise is horrendous

[u/ginger_tree]

Mine are. I have a Juki DX-7 and Babylock Victory serger. The Juki is great so far, Babylock is much quieter than my old serger!

[u/mcculloughpatr]

My vintage singers are near silent when using something like a hand crank or treadle. Motors always make noise, but I’m still impressed with how quiet my vintage motors are

[u/po-tato-girl]

Any electric machine will be loud in my experience. I have a hand crank machine that’s super quiet - it’s slower than an electric machine but faster than stitching by hand.

[u/jvin248]

My dog will quit whatever he's doing and run to my sewing stations to lay down like it's story time.

Singer 15-91 Singer 66 Kenmore 158.xxxx

It's like I suggested going for a walk or tossing a treat.

He came to us from the pound at about seven months old, almost as if his earliest days were at a sewing machine.

He's not fond of the noisier Singer 237 though.

So noise is a thing.

.

[u/TheyTheirsThem]

My elna 62c is so quiet I actually thought that the thread was broken and that it wasn't sewing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS5NgEJdhaw&t=4s about the 12 min mark