WHY I LIKE ZEST and JOY
BY HEIDI ISAAC

News flash for sewing machine seekers and Christmas gift buyers of all kinds: Just because so many sewing machines look alike does not mean they are alike! And just because it's a brand name you recognize doesn't guarantee quality. Not anymore. 

Don't let the online write-up fool you ... reliability is far more important than the number of stitches the machine's ad copy boasts. So I'll get right down to the guts of the issue: The reason I love BABY LOCK isn't because I make a lot of money selling them. I don't actually sell them at all. It's because the insides of these machines have more metal working parts than most other home machines, making them more mechanically reliable. And when a sewing machine is more mechanically reliable, it’s so much more fun to use! If you’re constantly frustrated with your machine, you won't want to SEW.

Speaking of avoiding frustration, the ZEST and JOY are also simpler to use. I've put my hands on almost every modern sewing machine out there and I've watched countless sewing students struggle with inferior equipment. I want you to succeed in your sewing ventures, and to do that you must use a sewing machine that won't make you tear your hair out! These are the machines that I find to be the easiest to operate. My favorite of the two is the ZEST because it has a more reliable bobbin configuration. But the JOY has an automatic needle threader*, and that’s a pretty popular feature. 

*Note that all automatic needle threaders are prone to bending and failing over time. Handheld needle threaders also fail, but they cost less than $10!