(PSSST! I’m going to have an AWESOME giveaway really soon. Check back on Thursday or Friday for your chance to win some of my handmade goodies, the latest copy of Stitch magazine and a spool of pink lace!)
The Review.
After owning this machine for over 6 months, I think I’m finally prepared to share my experience with my Husqvarna Viking Emerald 116. I checked out a lot of consumer reviews before I made my decision and it was really helpful so I thought I’d spread the love. Here’s the cheesy picture from the website. Note that this picture is of a 118, not a 116. It looks DARN similar, though.
Bottom Line: This is a pretty decent machine for the money.
In fact, many of the sewing machine shops I went to hid this machine in the back because it is such an obviously decent machine for not too much money. They want to upsell you the more expensive Emeralds instead and act like the 116 isn’t even an option. In fact, I have reason to believe that Viking is going to discontinue the 116 because they can call it a 118 or a 183 and sell it for $100+ more by adding on a few made-up, BS features like “needle up/down.”
I’m a serious sewer who puts serious miles on my machines. I’m also on a budget and I have zero tolerance for “toy” machines like the god-awful Singers you buy at Walmart.
My main criteria for choosing this machine:
- It had to be non-computerized. (Computers are computers. This is a sewing machine. I never needed to have a computer involved in my sewing before and I didn’t intend to start now.)
- It had to be under $400, preferably under $350.
- It had to drive like a machine, not a toy.
Believe it or not, there are very few sewing machines that fit this description. The Emerald 183 was pretty much my only option.
My favorite features:
- The needle threader. Amazing. I didn’t even know I needed this until I had it. However, I will admit that it does feel twinky and I’m always worried I’m going to bend it or break it. Someday I suspect this will happen. I will cry.
- The mechanism for disengaging the handwheel. It’s not the kind where you twist the outer wheel one way while twisting the inner wheel the other way. It’s the kind where there is only one wheel and you actually *pull* it out to disengage the motor from “sewing” mode and switch it to the “winding the bobbin” mode. This works SO MUCH better than the other type because it never gets “stuck.” I used to wrestle with my Riccar trying to get the wheels to spin away from each other and eventually gave up altogether and just let the machine sew into the air while I wound the bobbin. This is so bad for the motor. With my Emerald, this never happens.
- The last stitch on the dial. It’s a nice little stitch that almost looks like a vine. This is one of the prettiest stitches I’ve ever seen on a non-computerized machine. I used it to decorate the lace on a cardigan and it looks pretty sweet.
- It’s not a computer. Why oh why do all sewing machines have computers on them now-a-days? C’mon now. You think that thing isn’t gonna skitz out on you just like your Super Nintendo did 8 years ago? These things called “computers” don’t last, folks. I can’t imagine anything more frustrating than dealing with a senile old computerized sewing machine 20 years later. “Stitch length 05. NO, I said stitch length 05. OH FIVE. STITCH LENGTH FIVE. FIIIIIVE DAMMIT!”
Things that suck:
- The bobbins are plastic. This is lame. They inevitably fall on the floor, I step on them and they break. The little hole that I poke the thread through on the flat side when I’m winding the bobbin sometimes has burs that make it difficult to thread. Plastic sucks. Unfortunately, 99% of new machines only use plastic bobbins. Boo.
- It’s not as hefty as I want it to be. Ok, I did only pay $300. For those of you new to sewing, that is nothing. But somehow, as a Husqvarna, I expected this thing to be stronger. I mean these people can make chainsaws, right? I took it through the mega flat-felled seams on my jeans and voila - I threw it out of timing. I was in California where things are insane and had to pay $100 just to get it fixed. That was right after I bought it. This was pretty upsetting.
- It’s “self oiling.” Do we believe this? I certainly don’t. To me, “self-oiling” just means they made it harder for me to casually open up the machine and get oil into it’s moving parts.
- It has an “automatic” buttonholer. This is pure, unadulterated BS. Yes, I read the instructions. Yes, I tried several times. Does it work? *&^% no. The buttonholes look like garbage and they aren’t sized properly to the button. This is lame. I wish I tried this feature out in the store before I bought it. My non-automatic buttonholer worked way better than this AND I had more control. With this machine, sometimes I even have to go back over the buttonhole manually with a satin stitch.
- The case is lame. Ok, this might be nit-picky but the “case” is just a plastic cover. It doesn’t totally enclose the machine and keep it safe for rides in the car or other outings like it should. The plastic cover just hangs there over the top of the machine like a lamp shade.
I’m pretty happy with the machine all in all. It’s not my dream machine but heck, I couldn’t afford my dream machine anyways. When I retire rich and famous? A Bernina. And a long-arm quilting machine. And an industrial…you know, for doing custom upholstery on my classic car collection.
