Elina 40

I purchased this machine from Spotlight and have been meaning to write this review for sometime now.
This is an extremely frustrating machine to work with. The tension is extremely temperamental and needs constant adjusting even when you haven’t changed your fabric type.
The additional stitch options down the side are great - but Elna should have placed more emphasis on getting the basic stitches and other elements of this machine right and maybe you’d be forgiven. This is not a fun machine to work with and be warned it is not a work horse by any means. It skips stitches constantly. Breaks needles all the time. Not sure why. The small size of this machine (not its fault I know) making changing the needle very difficult - a challenge when the needle keeps breaking. If you tug on the thread too much the whole line of stitching comes undone. Tension again! It is very difficult to thread the needle (in fairness it does have a self threader but I’ve not been able to work it out ). Its also a very noisy machine. Is the light on this machine in the wrong place - it’s hard to work with the light as it throws so many shadows.
On the plus side - it has multiple stitch options - if you can get past the issues listed above.
It’s a heavy machine so clearly built well - but maybe Elna should take it back to basics and redesign the housing and do something about the poor tension control.

I’m frustrated so just about to purchase a new machine and cut my loses. Shame.

Good machine purchased from spotlight. Needle threader broke after 2 month. Spotlight could not order replacement part and elna customer service firstly failed to ring them back several times and then directed me to a service centre 250 km away for a $15 part. If you're going to sell the machine in places like Cairns you need to provide some backup service

When a sewing machine takes over an hour to sew 6 inches, there is some serious problems, I have been sewing for over 50 years so I know sewing machines. This thing just skips, breaks needles, breaks cotton, regardless of the correct tension, correct needle, the correct thread makes no difference, will never buy an Elna ever, I would rather sew by hand.

The upper thread tension needs to be constantly adjusted for both straight sewing and zig zag stitches. It is very loose and easily pulled out. I have had to set the dial at almost seven to get the stitching anywhere near even. There is barely enough room beneath the upper housing to get my fingers underneath to change the needle. I find sewing has become a very frustrating and unpleasant experience since I purchased this machine about 6 months ago.

I just really enjoy using this machine and it's never let me down yet. I've had it over 4 years and sew all the time. It's intuitive and easy to operate and is serving me well as I delve into quilting. I don't use half of the functions available but I'm very happy with it. It's a good weight without being too heavy and it's quiet. Stitches perfect every time.

Bought this from Spotlight December 2016. Thread holder is ridiculous. Buttonholer only worked Properly for 2 buttonholes. Now I have to change the stitch code and then change it back to 16 (the code I use) between every buttonhole. Worst problem is the presser foot. Keeps stopping mid stitch. Sometimes will do this constantly ie every single stitch and sometimes will sew fine for a few minutes before stopping again. And it doesn’t always want to restart either. This is a maddening machine. Bought on sale. Should have put my mone6 towards something else. Complained to Spotlight who want the machine for 2-3 weeks and both Elna and Spotlight refuse to lend me a replacement machine. I’m in the middle of making a wedding dress, and they know that, but not interested in providing customer service beyond the minimum required. My advice...stay well away.

Easy to use. Only negative is that the cotton reel holder on the top is very awkward and there is no access to the small section that can hold the bits and pieces. The bed has to be removed and when you do everything falls out. Apart from that it is good. It sews rubber backed material which my u-beaut expensive Brother won't and also allows me to use shirring elastic, another item that the Brother will not allow. I am very happy with it as I purchased it on special for $299 at Spotlight but would be hard pushed to recommend it at its normal price of $899.

I agree with you! I am a reasonably experienced sewer & I've had an Elna SP for over 40 years. Stupidly I decided I would upgrade - Elina40 would make a better boat anchor (apparently made by Janome). I have trouble with tensions all the time. Absolutely hate the fact that when you switch off after a session & go back to sewing again, you have to reset all the stitching - doesn't hold the last settings. The foot pedal sticks & the machine just sews all on it's own, only way to stop it is to switch it off! I also bought mine at Spotlight. I Have persevered with this machine & have decided to try another - but will get a genuine Elna this time.

I bought the Elna as an upgrade from my old Elna 21. My thoughts before purchase were; it's got more features, it's newer and it's computerized among other things. – That was the huge mistake!

The machine worked perfectly well most of the time, aside from a few things.

The first and biggest flaw with this machine is the horizontal thread spool on top of the machine (as opposed to vertical spools on most other machines), having the thread orientated horizontally meant there was practically no tension on the thread as the machine sewed; it was more or less as if the machine simply 'lifted' the thread from the spool. - This consistently lead to very loose stitches and thus less strength in the stitch.

Additionally this made winding bobbins on the machine practically impossible, it almost came to a point where i considered purchasing a separate bobbin winder so that the bobbins i used in the machine were tight; ones wound on the machine were so loose i could pull on the end of the wound thread and it would unwind freely spinning around the centre of the bobbin until all thread had unwound, this frequestly led to large amounts of thread becoming jammed in the bobbin housing in the machine wuich required som work to untangle.

Another problem I frequently noted was the spind holding the presser foot to the fabric was pathetically weak, it was at times not strong enough to hold the fabric together, this was even more pronounced on heavier fabrics such as denim.

These frequent issues wasted a lot of time by slowing down my work process, eventually the machine just stopped working; and in the end I truely question whether the Elna 40 was worth the money I paid for it. I no longer look at it as much of an upgrade from my old Elna 21. – I took it to my local sewing shop today, the lady there said it would cost more to repair the components of it that were faulty then to replace the entire machine.

So, as a word of warning to anyone looking at this machine, avoid it, it will cause you nothing but headaches!

I bought this at Spotlight on special for $299. It's a rebadged Janome DC2200 (in America its a Janome Magnolia 7330).

It is extremely easy to use, i just took it out of the box, wound a bobbin, threaded it and sewed...it was that easy! I pretty much only do quilts and bought this for piecing (my old machine was pulling the fabric and weighs a ton), but i have also hemmed some pants, and so far its been a dream! Fabric feeds through nicely, barely have to hold or guide it, stitches are nice and even, tension is perfect ( I only ever use Gutterman or Aurifil thread).

I also bought the 1/4 inch piecing foot (no. 39574196) and the Janome Even Feed Foot 'for horizontal rotary hook models' (walking foot) they are fabulous. You must get 7mm feet for this machine or they wont fit.

Haven't tried denim or anything too heavy yet.

This is my first 'computerised' machine, however it's pretty basic. Has a digital display with some buttons to select the stitches and length and there is needle up/down (love it) and stitch lock buttons. Thats about it for computerised.

Everything about it is easy, and if you are just wanting to do basic sewing and quilting i don't think you need more than this offers, its a great price when you can get it on sale too. All my seams are perfect. Has saved me so much time on unpicking.. because i dont need to.

My only gripes are the needle up down button is above the stitch lock button and sometimes i press that instead which is annoying. Also the storage in the arm attachment is just stupid, your stuff flies out when you take it off it, it needs a lid on the end of it. I use a sewing box anyway so no big deal really. Other that those im really happy, just hope it lasts a good time.

I bought my Elina 40 in May 2015 at Spotlight and I love it. I am doing sewing alterations and work on my Elina almost every day with no problem. It is so easy to stitch a buttonhole and it looks professional. The machine is user friendly. With my Elina, the best is to sew with a good quality cotton, otherwise the upper tension can be a problem.

I bought this machine to replace my old one which I have the other famous brand for 10 years. Love this machine it has a lot of functions that will never disappoint oneself. Have never enjoyed sewing that much. Price is very reasonable so no need to go for the famous brands . I will recommend to anyone.

I love this machine, I have put a long review on about how good this is, this machine has a one step button hole which is perfect for beginners and experienced sewers too, it has stitch length and width, a few useful extra stitiches and a few fun ones too and has speed control which is a big bonus for kids and when do intricate work so you don't have to worry about your foot control if you are less experienced.

I run a sewing, craft and cooking workshop and have bought 10 of these sewing machines, and will buy more in the future, they're so easy for children to use, I teach from 6 years onwards and they all feel comfortable and confident on it. It has speed control so they don't need to worry about going fast, it goes slow for them, it's easy to use, safe, has a needle threader (perfect for you too). They are strong and lightweight, it's easy to thread & has a drop down bobbin. The children have made cushions, quilts, skirts, toys, decorative homewares etc. They love every second of it, I wouldn't buy a different machine, it's also super easy and versatile enough for adults, with all the bits and bobs you need, although if you do a lot of button holes a one step would be better, but no speed control quite often on those, experienced sewers will always want more functions but for newer it's best to have it easier and simple, some new machines are too simple, this one has stitch witdth and length so you can change the size of your stitches, many cheap models don't have this, making the sewing machine and partly useful. All the best! Kate
www.sewcraftcook.com.au

I'm really happy with my Elina that I bought myself from Spotlight for mothers day. Its really easy to use and I have had no issues with it, the self threading needle is fantastic. I even let my 5 year old daughter use it. Can highly recommend it to anyone looking for a sewing machine.

Got the Elina 40 as a Mother's Day gift. Best gift ever. Have made 4 dresses, 3 skirts, curtains and a shirt so far. I have a Bernina which is very big and heavy and has zillions of stitches that I never used and this little chap just hums along quietly.I sewed different weight stretch and cotton fabrics without any problem. The needle threader is great especially as I now don't have to peer over my glasses to thread the machine. It is a no nonsense little machine that does everything an enthusiastic home sewer can throw at it.

Needed to replace my almost 30 year old machine which I had loved. I was a bit wary of new computerised machines after using a manual for so many years but with a 5 year warranty was happy to take the chance and now I am in love. I have only had the machine for 2 weeks now but have completed a few projects now and they have involved faux fur, felt, and velveteen lycra and it has sewn all these fabrics and combinations of these fabrics perfectly.
Love the extra lift on the feed foot. Very easy to thread the machine and love the needle threader and have not found this difficult to manage or get the hang of at all. Love that you don't have to use the presser foot, found this really useful on the very long edge when making a blanket with fabrics of faux fur, quilting, felt and lining fabric being sewn together which also fed perfectly.

my bernina died. i had 5 old 20 kg machine that will outlive them all.
this machine passed the following tests perfectly
2 layers of poplin without me holding it
2 layers of poplin with me stretching it
8 layers of poplin
in every case at full speed at stitch lengths from 1mm to 3mm the material was not puckered and every stitch was perfect.
Button holes, i like the round ones, never had that before.
selected, pressed go and It beeped when done
Top loading bobbin
self threading needle.
I really don't care if this only lasts 5 years. It is so much better than anything I have had so far
5 year warranty
$300 at spotlight

Love this machine. Perfect stitches, easy to change from one style to another, easy to thread. Uncomplicated to use. Highly recommend

I've always used a Singer however thought I'd try something else so went for the Elina 40- used to be Elna - bad choice - bad stitching, doesn't like even slightly uneven fabric difficult to alter tension, the reverse stitch function never works unless I take the fabric back manually and then leaves a messy stitch, instruction manual does not explain the purpose of the stitch length function and I can' t figure it out. I'm very disappointed and will be getting rid of this machine as soon as I can afford it