Singer sewing machines at Lidl

ivyleaf

I was in Lidl today and they had Singer Serenade sewing machines for £79.99.

Hope this helps someone!

Going_Digital

Sounds like another 'brand' that has little to do with the original company. If it appears in Lidl it must be a cheap Chinese made unit.

Thanks for posting the deal ivyleaf, I'm sure that it is a good price for a sewing machine but don't let the singer name fool you into thinking it will be a quality machine, it will be the same quality as other low cost machines. It will basically be a case of brand stamping where a cheap product out of a far east factory has had the singer brand added to it to give some perceived value.

ivyleaf

Thanks for replying - I'm sure you're right, and I already have a good sewing machine - just thought it might be useful to someone looking for a "beginner's" machine, as a lot of people are having a go at sewing for the first time atm.:)

billy_1

I Dont think they can just put any name they want on a product, dont think Lidl will approve counterfeiting !!!!!!!!!!

Going_Digital

billy_1 wrote: »

I Dont think they can just put any name they want on a product, dont think Lidl will approve counterfeiting !!!!!!!!!!

No I think you have misunderstood.

Many well known names that used to be known for quality products no longer make their own products to the high standards they used to. If the company is still in business they will often buy a cheap far east designed and built product and add their name to it. This means they can sell the product for more than they could if they used an unknown brand. For example if you went into a shop and saw a 'Ying Wong' sewing machine for £59.99 or a 'singer' machine for £79.99 chances are you would consider the singer machine because it is a name you recognise and have some expectation of the singer model being better. When in actual fact the chances are both machines come from the same Chinese factory and in some cases may even be an identical machine just a different badge on it.

Even more common is where a business has gone out of business and the name has been bought by a brand management company. These companies licence the use of the brand on a variety of manufacturers products. For example Warfdale used to be a respected loudspeaker manufacturer but now a brand management company owns the brand where they licence it to Argos so the name can be used on any product that Argos wishes to stock. So Argos find a low cost cordless phone and have the Warfdale name stamped on it. There is no Warfdale company making the products it is in fact a collection of products from a variety of Chinese manufacturers that have been branded as Warfdale so that people feel better about buying the product, but identical products will also be found under other brand names as the same factory sells the product to hundreds of OEM's who have their own brand added to the same product.

Not being an expert on sewing machines I don't know if £79.99 is a good price or not but my post was really a case of letting people know that it looks like a reasonable price for a sewing machine but don't let the name make you think that it better than it actually is. Another example of this is you will see is Lidl selling Stanley tools, this used to be a company known for high standards but not any more they simply add the stanley name to cheap tools to take advantage of the reputation of the name.

Going_Digital

ivyleaf wrote: »

Thanks for replying - I'm sure you're right, and I already have a good sewing machine - just thought it might be useful to someone looking for a "beginner's" machine, as a lot of people are having a go at sewing for the first time atm.:)

Agreed it does look like a good starter machine for someone looking for a low cost machine. I think if I wanted one I would go for it.

billy_1

Yes i know what you are saying about branding i will report back when my wife has used it for the first time !! Yes she bought one ££

splodger_2

I've got one of these - it's a Singer 8280 and seems pretty good for the money.

Metal innards, light, on/off switch, enough basic stitches for 99% of use I reckon. And a soft cover, spare bobbins, needles, etc.

Was going to go for the cheaper E&R classic from Tesco, but glad I got this one instead.

Already altered a few t-shirts, and if I can do it anybody can!

Going_Digital

Also comes with 2 year guarantee, that is pretty good.