The Nintendo - Singer Union

Author's Rating:

Pros: Solid sewing machine with electronic capabilities, Gameboy included for price.

Cons: Price may deter some.

The Bottom Line: 
A good place to become introduced to the combination of electronics and sewing. Possibilities for expansion in the form of additional cartridges.

Author's Review
I usually don’t write opinions in this category, opting to stick closer to the uhh-humm more stereotypically masculine areas of electronic gadgets and other such toys, but this product embodies an interesting and surprising coupling of two very divergent and seeming unrelated products to address a singular goal – to create a better sewing machine. The sewing machine itself really isn’t a machine which should be overlooked by those infatuated by gadgetry, machinery and advances in electronic technology. I can recall at the age of 12, my parents having completed a real estate deal for the purchase of a large turn of the century colonial which included all the former occupants possessions which hadn’t been willed away or sold at auction. Among these mostly antique items was a fairly late model electric singer sewing machine which could be flipped into the table it was part of when not in use and sit in the hall looking like an expensive piece of furniture. I remember being fairly fascinated by the endless collection of attachments etc. which I found for it and gained a lot of respect for the sewing machine as a fairly complex piece of household machinery which could easily hold the interest of the home-maker and tinkerer alike. Although my sewing career began and ended with a roughly sewn experimental pair of gloves, my respect for the machine was born.

Despite these early awakenings my interest in the sewing machine had since remained dormant until an interesting new product caught my eye, the Singer Izek Sewing Machine. What makes this machine interesting is not it’s combining electronics to achieve automation in guiding the stitching arm which isn’t anything new, but it’s use of a game boy cartridge to hold the stitch patterns and use of a game boy to control the sewing machine. The Izek actually comes with a Nintendo Gameboy included. A Gameboy cartridge which holds Singers library of 150 stitching functions, includes patterns for letters, numbers, and symbols in block, script or outline format. Five buttonhole styles are available as well as multi-language support (English, French and Spanish). In addition to the provided patterns, a limited number of custom designs can be created and saved in memory for repeated use. The Gameboy connects up to the sewing machine using an included ‘Game Link’ cable.

The menu system which is accessed through the Gameboy and appears on its color screen seems easy to navigate and allows you to visualize patterns to choose while allowing length and width to be chosen and the choice of using a single pattern or a combination of patterns.

Some other sewing related features as listed by Singer:

-Quick threading
-Front drop-in bobbin
-Built-in needle threader
-Built in accessory storage
-Stitch width/length control
-Needle up/needle down function
-Speed Control
-One-step buttonhole
-Built-in thread cutter
-Handy free-arm
-Fully enclosed motor
-Universal pressure system
-Built-in sewing light
-Snap-on pressure feet
-Power and light switch
-Auto-bobbin winder release
-Self-threading take-up lever
-Horizontal thread delivery

The bottom line seems to be that this is a sewing machine with many of the standard features one would expect in a modern sewing machine, and added to that functionality are the processing capabilities and electronic user interface strengths of the Nintendo Gameboy. The combination makes for a more cost effective point of entry into the electronic sewing machine market than a full blown electronic sewing machine would be.

In addition to the already mentioned color Gameboy (with cartridge), and the ‘Game Link’ cable, an instructional video is also included for the $700.00 purchase price (I’ve seen it for $688.00). So maybe not everyone’s choice as a first sewing machine, but for those who’d like to explore the added benefits of electronic automation and just can’t justify the expenditure of 1200 to 1500 dollars on an item of this nature, this may be a viable alternative for the present.