finchelover, If you meant the Brother XL-2600i, it looks very similar to the one I bought at Walmart to keep up north to use on my visits. For the price, I'm very happy with it and even found a way to move the needle, but don't remember how I did it. :/

SharonG/FL

Here is a link that might be useful: Brother XL-2600i

Here's the ratings from Consumer Reports. For the price, the Brother XL2600i looks like a bargain. In the detail report it says it's not good for quilting but I suspect that means you can't drop the feed dogs or do fancy stitches. Sewing performance is rated as 'good' and ease of use is 'very good'.

Hope this helps,
Kate

{{!gwi}}

finchlover .......... I share an appreciation for just a good, heavy-duty and simple machine. I use a machine daily and need one to handle everything from silk to multiple layers of denim or canvas. I don't need fancy stitches on my workhorse machine and in a dozen years have used nothing more exotic than a zig-zag or blind hem seam. I don't want anything with complicated guts, like a computer in it. I am quite satisfied using a fifties or sixties singer or necchi. A lot of my sewing has been done the last ten years on a super-cheap brother I don't think I paid more than $110 for. However, it just failed last week when the assembly holding the needle just fell off the ram when sewing a denim seam. I would have to stop at seams in denim and use the wheel to slowly hand-crank the stitches, because the motor did not have the power to bite through them. And............one had to put a special plate over the bed for FM because the feed dogs could not be lowered.

When this machine died........I went directly to the computer to check out replacements. I found what I thought would be a decent one and went directly to JoAnn's and bought a Singer Heavy-Duty 4411 for $200. It had better reviews than the next model up.

Well, I've only been using it for a couple days now on a denim quilt I'm making. My only concern at this point is if it will hold up to the performance it's giving me now. It is sewing through four layers of heavy jeans denim without missing a lick. The controls for stitch and tension are simple dials. The resulting stitches are beautiful! The front part of the machine pulls out for armholes. You can drop the feed dogs. I'm impressed and I've been sewing for over fifty years. It's got a clunky, ugly style and the instruction manual is a joke. The wheel is tight and hard to turn by hand, but considering the motor it is intended to propel, I suspect that is the nature of the beast. But it runs like a deer. You may want to check it out to see what you think.

dont get a singer. had it less than 4 years, and it jumped time. called singer and had the RUDEST person ever. i will not ever ever have another singer. i bought a brother (project runway) model and i love it!