The Best Baby Lock Sewing Machines

It is very hard to call out a single product as being the very best of the very best. . The best sewing machine is the one that fits your current skill levels and is capable of helping you see through all your sewing projects without major headaches. But from a more objective point of view, what makes a sewing machine “the best”?

5 Best Baby Lock Sewing Machine Comparisons

IMAGE MODEL FEATURES
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Altair
  • Stitches per minute: 1,050
  • Built-in stitches: 494
  • Machine weight: 37.5 lbs.
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Zest
  • Stitches per minute: N/A
  • Built-in stitches: 15
  • Machine weight: 13 lbs.
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Crescendo
  • Stitches per minute: 1,050
  • Built-in stitches: 573
  • Machine weight: 33.9 lbs.
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Joy
  • Stitches per minute: N/A
  • Built-in stitches: 19
  • Machine weight: 11.5 lbs.
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Lyric
  • Stitches per minute: 850
  • Built-in stitches: 250
  • Machine weight: 21.3 lbs.
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Useful Sewing Machine Features

If you’ve never bought a sewing machine before, you’ll most likely be confused with terms part of the list of specifications. When you understand what each feature means, you will also know whether it’s important for you to own a machine with that particular feature.

  • Feed-dog adjustment: This feature refers to a machine’s capacity of being able to drop the feed dogs below the sewing surface. With this feature, you will be able to do darning or freestyle embroidery.
  • Integrated dual-feed: Machines that have this feature will avoid rucking of fabric, as integrated dual-feed will make sure that you can easily sew two pieces of fabric together and have both of them run smoothly across the sewing plate in the process.
  • Automatic buttonholer: Sewing machines that don’t have this feature will require you to manipulate a dial or stop and turn the fabric in order to sew a buttonhole. With this feature, sewing a buttonhole becomes a one-step process and, depending on the machine model you have, you can also place a button is a specially-designed slot located on the foot and have the machine calculate the correct size of the buttonhole.

a close up shot of an Automatic Buttonholer on a Sewing Machine

  • Automated needle threader: People that have a hard time running the thread manually through the eye of the needle could greatly benefit from this feature. This is a mechanism operated by a hook and a spring, which automatically guides the thread through the needle’s eye.
  • Auto thread tension: There are machines that require you to manually adjust the tension of the thread, but having a machine with this feature ensure that it’s done automatically. This feature will calculate the correct tension for the thread, but most machines allow you the override option, in case you want to adjust the thread tension by yourself.
  • Lock stitch facility: This feature makes sure that the stitches are locked off when the sewing sequence is finished, with the help of a reverse stitch.

What is a Baby Lock Sewing Machine?

Because this round-up is focused on what Baby Lock sewing machines can deliver in terms of quality and features, it seems only fair to look into the company a little bit before moving on. The first (and probably the most important) thing you should know is that Baby Lock products are designed by sewers.

When you buy a product designed by people who actually use it on a regular basis, you know that they are focused on solving the real-life problems you have to deal with. It is ten times more difficult for someone who never laid hands on a sewing machine to create a product that meets your needs and demands, which makes Baby Lock stronger than some of its competition.

a man using the Baby Lock Zest Sewing Machine

Baby Lock is a brand owned by the Tacony Corporation, a really large manufacturer and distributor of commercial floor care equipment, ceiling fans, sewing machines, and vacuum cleaners. The company was founded back in 1946 by Nick Tacony.

But this information is probably irrelevant to you because what you care about is what the company can deliver for its customers, not when it was founded, so let’s not get lost in the history of it all.

Top 5 Baby Lock Sewing Machine Reviews

We don’t want to bore you with too many details, which is why we should dive into the top 5 best Baby Lock Sewing machines. But first, we do feel the need to warn you: if you’re looking to buy a sewing machine that’s made of cheap plastic and costs less than $50, Baby Lock is not the right brand for you.

It is a premium brand that has invested in technology up to a point where creating your own sewing projects and sending them to your machine can be done through a wireless connection. Let’s dig in!

Altair

Altair
  • Stitches per minute: 1,050
  • Built-in stitches: 494
  • Machine weight: 37.5 lbs.
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The Altair sewing machine is amazing, to say the least. It is a true beast that can bring embroideries to the next level, with features like wireless capability, a large workplace, color visualizer, and their IQ technology. Thanks to the IQ Intuition Positioning App, you can take a picture with your phone, send the image wirelessly to the machine, and have it displayed on the integrated LCD of the Altair.

Let’s start off with an impressive number: 494. That’s how many embroidery designs the machine comes with, including 200 of them being exclusively found on Baby Lock machines. With large thumbnails, the library is easy to navigate so that you can find the needed stitch as fast as possible. The machine has a wireless capability, which means that you can transfer designs from your computer straight to the machine.

The LCD screen on the machine measures 10.1 inches, which is basically as big as a large tablet. That means more room for you to select your stitches and colors. Also, impressive? The fast response of the touchscreen.

Who Should Buy This?

The Altair sewing machine is a real champion amongst others of its kind. It is an expensive machine, which means that it’s only worth the investment if you are a professional sewer or need a machine that can handle a variety of complex projects. It is, by no means, a sewing machine for beginners, and the specs we’re about to present are proof of that.

Pros:

  • Shows 16,777,216 colors.
  • Includes a generous amount of accessories.
  • IQ Intuition Positioning app.
  • 2 x USB drives.
  • Resume mode.
  • Programmable shut down.
  • Automatic sensors.

Cons:

  • Expensive.

Zest

Zest
  • Stitches per minute: N/A
  • Built-in stitches: 15
  • Machine weight: 13 lbs.
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The Baby Lock Zest is one of the best sewing machines for beginners, one that spares no expense when it comes to quality and number of features that you can get for a mid-to-entry level machine. It comes with 15 built-in stitches that will allow you to create amazing sewing projects. It has a front dial that easily allows you to adjust the length of your stitches, up to 4 mm in length.

It features a free arm that makes it easy to work with sleeves and pants. The front-loading bobbin has the capacity to hold a generous amount of thread, so you’ll rarely find yourself replacing bobbins in the middle of the project. The four-step buttonhole feature is really simple to use, for just the right size for your buttonholes.

The portable design features a top handle that makes it easy to move the machine around, and this will prove to be useful in situations where you have to take your machine to class or when you want to remove it from storage and place it on your work table.

Who Should Buy This?

The Zest is ideal for entry-level sewers, but also for those who have gained a little bit of experience with a cheaper basic machine and are ready to upgrade to one that has more features and built-in stitches.

Pros:

  • 15 integrated stitches.
  • Free-arm.
  • Electronic foot control.
  • Thread cutter.
  • It can hold a lot of thread.

Cons:

  • Still heavy at 13 pounds.

Crescendo

Crescendo
  • Stitches per minute: 1,050
  • Built-in stitches: 573
  • Machine weight: 33.9 lbs.
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The Crescendo is another one of Baby Lock’s masterpieces, this time perfect for those who want to step up their quilting game. It comes with a sensor pen that can be used to guide your machine to the exact location that you want your needle and stitches to be positioned. the dual-feed system of the machine is digital, which translates into even fabric feeding for superior project control.

The LCD screen measures 7 inches, and it can display 260,000 colors. The integrated light will radiate 10 inches around the needle, making sure that you can monitor what goes on in the working area regardless of the light conditions in the room.

The extension table is the cherry on top so that you can extend your working space to match your quilting project needs. The automatic needle threader makes it super easy to get your needle ready for sewing in the blink of an eye. Other mentionable features include twin needle settings, programmable up/down movements for the needle, lock key to keep the current stitch settings, and Guide Beam for precise stitch alignment.

Who Should Buy This?

If you are a fan of quilting and want a machine that can keep up the pace and deliver commodity, excellency, and precision for working on such projects, the Crescendo will not disappoint.

Pros:

  • Integrated LCD display.
  • Twin needle settings.
  • Sensor pen.
  • Dual-feed system.
  • Guide Beam.
  • Automatic thread cutter.
  • Plenty of accessories.

Cons:

  • Expensive.
  • Heavy.

Joy

Joy
  • Stitches per minute: N/A
  • Built-in stitches: 19
  • Machine weight: 11.5 lbs.
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The Joy sewing machine shares a lot of features and looks very similar to the Zest, only it’s a bit more advanced and will also cost you more. It comes with 19 built-in stitches that should prove to be more than enough for those needing a sewing machine upgrade, but without adventuring into buying a really high-tech and advanced machine.

There is a rotary dial so that you can easily select the length and width of your stitch. The thread cutter is there to eliminate the need for scissors when you want to cut the thread. The drop-in bobbin works amazingly well, just like the advanced needle threader.

You will learn how to thread the machine in no time. There’s a free arm that will make sure sleeves and pants won’t cause any frustrations. Other features of the Joy include a pack of accessories, electronic foot control, drop feed, plus a four-step buttonhole,

Who Should Buy This?

If you’re looking for something slightly more advanced than the Zest, we recommend you look into the Joy: a machine that’s designed for medium-level sewing machine users that want a product they can rely on.

Pros:

  • 19 built-in stitches.
  • Free-arm sewing.
  • Adjustable stitch width and length.
  • Electronic foot control.
  • Thread cutter.

Cons:

  • No utility stitches.

Lyric

Lyric
  • Stitches per minute: 850
  • Built-in stitches: 250
  • Machine weight: 21.3 lbs.
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If you were to ask us, we’d say we saved the best for last. There are plenty of things that make the Lyric a great sewing machine, and a quick look through the feature might help you determine if it’s the best one in your case, as well.

It comes with an LCD screen, but it’s not touch-sensitive like the ones on more advanced models. Instead, the controls are right underneath it, so you can still smoothly navigate through the features. The push-button features are here to make sewing an easier task, thanks to buttons that allow you to start and stop sewing, or to choose your favorite settings. It comes with 250 built-in stitches, which is more than enough even for people with more sewing knowledge and skills.

When you want to thread the machine, all you have to do is press a lever and follow the path. The quick-set bobbin winder makes it really easy for you to make your bobbin in advance, and the machine will stop once they’re full. Other features worth mentioning are the top-loading bobbin, the reinforcement key, the automatic thread cutter, and the twin needle sewing.

Who Should Buy This?

The Lyric is a product for people who already know their way around a sewing machine. It’s more expensive than other similar products, but the quality of the components and the intuitive features are there to smooth the entire sewing process up to a point where you’ll wonder how you ever got the job done without the Lyric in the first place. This model is also great for dressmaking on an easy-mid level.

Pros:

  • Integrated LCD screen.
  • 250 built-in stitches.
  • Reinforcement key.
  • Twin needle sewing.
  • Includes 14 snap-on feet.
  • Programmable reinforcement stitch.

Cons:

  • Expensive.

Bottom Line

The great thing about Baby Lock as a brand is the fact that they have integrated technology up to a point where you can control your projects and your sewing machine from an integrated touchscreen display, yet the boring and tedious jobs are done with little to no effort on your behalf.

We do know that Baby Lock sewing machines are anything but cheap. Yet, that doesn’t make it a brand worth leaving behind. We tried to include their more affordable models, but keep in mind that if you’re looking for quality and a generous number of helpful features, Baby Lock is one of the best brands out there. Read on to find the best places to buy sewing machines online.

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