Janome MOD-50 Review

This was not the first time we tested Janome sewing machines, and we were suitably impressed all over again. Easy to set up, this Janome MOD-50 delivered some solid above-average scores in many of our testing comparisons.

Performance Comparison

Sewing

Scoring above average in nearly every single testing metric, the Janome MOD-50 came out on the sunny side of our sewing tests. Sewing is, of course, the reason you buy a sewing machine, so we paid particular attention to each machine's ability to sew a select few stitches: straight, zig-zag, and blind hem being the top three because those are used the most in the widest array of sewing. We used the manufacturer's recommended settings for each of our tests.

While this Janome machine gave us a perfect score for sewing in a zipper, it really fell behind in the zig-zag stitch and its cousin, the scallop stitch. Both scored below average due to the bottom tension being too tight and bunching up the material, particularly with cotton jersey. In fact, this machine had difficulty sewing the cotton jersey with any of the stitches we tested. And then, amazingly, it did just fine with our multi-layer denim test, going through all the layers of the denim without a problem. Go figure.

But where the Janome MOD-50 really shone was the zipper. Where other sewing machines had a problem getting over the zipper stop, this machine went through everything as smoothly and as easily as can be.

Ease of Use

No matter how well a sewing machine sews, it's useless if it's a pain in the neck to set up and use. Good thing that the Janome MOD-50 has a very easy set-up. With the lit computerized screen telling you what to do next and giving you which presser foot to use with which stitch, the stitch set-up is far above average. The threading, too, is super-easy, with clear directions telling you how to thread the machine and insert the bobbin.

Too bad getting the bobbin wound wasn't as easy, although, to be fair, the directions were clear enough; it's just that the quality of the winding wasn't as good. Inconsistent over three separate test windings, we determined that the bobbin was consistently bottom-heavy.

Buttonholes

The MOD-50 scored solidly here, although the set-up was a little tricky. Unfortunately, you have to line up the buttonhole foot to the button as best you can eyeball because there are no colored lines, just indentations in the plastic. Sewing the buttonhole itself is a very smooth process, with good, even tension on the different fabrics we used. Cotton jersey was a bit funky, but every machine had some kind of difficulty with that fabric. As with any machine, you will get used to the quirks of this one too, and it should serve you well for many years.

Should You Buy the Janome MOD-50?

If you are looking for a quality sewing machine at a reasonable price, then you'll need to continue looking. While the Janome MOD-50 is a quality sewing machine with very good capabilities, we feel that the price is not consistent with how it performs. While it is a pretty good machine, it's very expensive. However, if you know you're going to be installing a lot of zippers, perhaps this model may be what you're after.

What Other Sewing Machines Should You Consider?

For some, a sewing machine is as much an emotional purchase as it is an intellectual purchase. Knowing that the MOD-50 is super easy to set up and then inserts a perfect zipper may be enough for some people to buy it. At this price point, though, there are better options. The Singer 9960 Quantum Stylist also installs a perfect zipper, outperforms the MOD-50 in all three metrics, has 600 stitch options, and costs about the same. If you're interested in a premium sewing machine and don't mind paying premium prices, the Juki HZL-F300 is our favorite model to make any project with.