NC6 Walking Foot Sewing Machine Review
Finding the right sewing machine can be tough! Especially if you are just starting out or trying to figure out which brand or machine is best for you! Luckily, I have been searching for the best, affordable, high-quality machines out there, to make the sewing machine shopping process much easier for you! Today I will be reviewing the NC6!
I have been using the NC6 for the past couple of weeks while doing a large amount of upholstery work for a current project. This project requires a variety of sewing skills and allowed me to thoroughly test the machine. After taking you through the main features, we will go through the benefits and drawbacks and by the end you should be in a great position to decide whether this model is for you or not!
I was extremely happy to find that the NC6 arrived fully assembled and tested before it shipped. It was slightly more expensive, but I was extremely happy when I didn’t have to spend all day getting the machine and table set up, but rather after a few easy steps I was ready to sew! The sewing machine was packed extremely well and was in excellent condition when it arrived. You can also see that the machine has been tested at NC before it ships to ensure quality.
The NC6 is not actually manufactured here in the US, but rather by Seiko in Japan. The Seiko facility is still located in Japan and they are widely known as one of the highest quality sewing machine manufacturers in the world. They have a high standard for parts and use high quality metals in all of their machines. More recently, many sewing machine manufacturers have outsourced most, if not all of their production to manufacturing facilities in China. While I understand this move and hold no judgement with this business practice, it has led to a decline in the quality and precision of the sewing machines and their parts.
In addition to the ½ HP Servo Table Motor Workstation, the NC6 comes with oil, an oil bottle, and a tool set for making adjustments on the machine, along with extra items such as thread, and a plastic machine cover. Set up of the machine is easy, only requiring a few parts to attach the sewing machine to the worktable, and just like that I was ready to sew.
I used the machine for three weeks, thoroughly testing the machine on different types of fabrics, at different thicknesses, at different speeds. I sewed large amounts of fabric, putting a good amount of fabric underneath the neck of the machine, used the knee presser frequently and used the stitch length dial to change switch stitch lengths mid seem. After three weeks of testing I did not run into any problems and I have almost no complaints! So, let’s break down the benefits and drawbacks!
Drawbacks: I only have two and they are very minor issues!
- A small detail I noticed is that the bobbin access plate on the machine gets stuck on table and doesn’t open up all the way. This can easily be solved by reaching from bottom to open the access plate up, which is what I have been doing, or you can easily put a shim in the table mount for the machine and it will allow the plate to slide right open.
- When you go to push the machine back to service the bottom side of the machine, the keen lift lever gets in the way when putting the machine back down after servicing, It took me a second to figure out that you have to pull the knee lift out of the way, and then the machine easily sets back down into place.
Benefits
- One on my favorite things about this machine is that it arrives fully assembled! This is not that common, in fact most machines come in a million pieces, with little to no instruction and it takes at least half of your day set up the machine and table. Shipping is slightly more expensive, but you save time and energy and know that the machine is working correctly up on arrival.
- One of the most impressive things about this machine is its simplicity. The simplicity in design takes the complication out of sewing and allows for easy handling of all types and thicknesses of material. It doesn’t have extra features that require learning to use, making it easy to just set it up and start sewing. This machine is so easy to use it’s great for beginners, but because of its quality, can withstand daily use of business caliber.
- Stitch Length Dial – this common feature on newer machines allows you to easily change stitch lengths, but most machines require that you sew a few test pieces after switching the length to make sure it takes the change. The NC6 stitch dial allows you to switch stitch length mid seam! I adjusted my stitch length many times right in the middle of sewing and it worked perfectly with no hiccups.
- Reverse Lever- also a standard feature on most machines, the NC6 reverse lever is both easy to use and easy to get to while sewing.
- I was very impressed by how smoothly this machine sews. Industrial walking foot machines by nature do not sew as smooth as butter, but the NC6 is way smoother than the other machines I’ve used. This really helps when working on projects, and especially when first starting out. The NC6 has a quality servo motor that allows for sewing at slow speeds, and while it is not the slowest machine I have sewn on, it was still easy to manage even when sewing at full throttle. It was nice to not have to think about foot position, I could just press the pedal and the machine took off nice and slow. This machine is definitely set up for beginners, as anyone can learn on it and it’s much easier than learning on a clutch motor machine! However, this machine can also handle everyday use, and definitely packs enough power to sew through thick materials with ease.
- Knee Lift- this is a standard option on newer machines, but this feature saves you a ton of time by allowing you to use your knee to push a lever to the side to move the presser foot up. This is much easier than reaching around to the back of the machine every time you need to lift the presser foot.
- The NC6 also comes with a magnetic light that you can attach anywhere on the machine. As long as it doesn’t get in the way of the moving parts of course. The light is very bright, and the long neck makes it very adjustable.
- The NC6 has the large style of bobbin. This extra big bobbin, or “M Type” bobbin, last much longer than your standard bobbin. This means less time spent checking to make sure your bobbin isn’t running out of thread, or frustratingly having to redo stitches after running out of thread, and more time sewing.
- The NC6 bobbin case is sturdy. Dropping your bobbin is bound to happen. Cheaper machines use thin metal and after you drop the fragile bobbin case, it will become bent out of shape. This can cause problems to the machine and may not sew correctly. The NC6 bobbin case is droppable and strong.
- The foot lift is rather high, 13 mm (by knee) 8.5 mm (by hand) and allows you to sew super thick materials.
Overall, I am super impressed with the high quality of this machine. It is well built with the best high-quality parts and manufactured to last the test of time. This machine has proven itself through its many years of manufacturing and will last you your lifetime. The NC6 is a good machine for anybody in the upholstery industry beginners and businesses alike.
While testing this machine I had the opportunity to get to know the owner of NC, and I am very impressed with his business. All NC machines come with a 2-year limited warranty and are all backed by NC’s amazing customer support. They will go as far as to facetime you to see your machine and help walk you through fixing your issue, if you ever do end up with a problem.
THE NC6 IS LUCKY NEEDLE TESTED AND APPROVED!!! NC has allowed us to sell the NC6 and a few more of their machines on our website. So, if you’d like to see even more specs on this great machine you can find them here.