A Review of the Silver 30 Anniversary Sewing Machines

The Silver 30 range of sewing machines is manufactured and distributed by Silver Viscount, a British company. As far as  we can tell Silver is the only British sewing machine company in business today.. To celebrate their 30th year in business they have released the Anniversary range of sewing machines; the 301, the 302 and the 303. 

We do want to add at this point that More Sewing is an agent for Silver Sewing Machines. We do like these machines, Mr. More Sewing, our resident sewing machine servicing guru, loves the fact that these are well made machines that offer great value for money across the range.

The Silver 301 is the entry level sewing machine with 8 stitches 

The Silver 302 has 19 stitches including stitches for sewing with stretchy fabrics

The Silver 303 is the highest spec sewing machine in the range with 32 stitches including stitches for sewing with stretchy fabrics and the ability to individually adjust stitch widths.

All three sewing machines in the Silver 30 Anniversary range have the same great build quality with a 4-step buttonhole, an auto threader and adjustable foot pressure. These are all great features on a budget sewing machine. Although these are budget sewing machines, that does not mean they have compromised on quality. They all have metal bodies which gives them a good stable weight when sewing heavier fabrics. Each machine in the range also has a needle threader, a very welcome addition and good to see at this price. When you go to wind a bobbin, just push the bobbin winder to the right and the needle bar automatically disengages. Again a nice touch. Adjustable foot pressure is another great feature, allowing you to ensure that fabric feeds properly under the presser foot, 

Just about the only real concession to the budget price is a soft cover for the machine. This is great for keeping your machine clean but not so great at protecting your sewing machine from knocks and bumps.

These machines are easy to thread with guides to follow and the needle threader.

The 301 and 302 have a zig zag stitch, the width of which can be adjusted incrementally on the stitch selector dial. This, in itself does not present a problem but it does mean you cannot offset the needle on straight stitching if you want to. The 303 adds a separate width selection dial which solves this problem.

You cannot drop the feed dogs on any of the machines, you get a plate to cover the dogs if you want to do any free-motion sewing or darning.

What is good is that these machines are standard front-loading machines (they have a metal bobbin case that you snap in place on the front of the sewing machine). This means that they take generic accessories, presser feet, bobbin cases and bobbins. These parts are cheaper are more readily available. If you want to buy extras to use, for example a walking foot or a free motion foot, you don’t have to buy a special type, just the standard foot.

Using The Silver 30 Sewing Machine

Quite simply these sewing machines are ideal for beginning or improving sewers. Dressmaking, patchwork and even lightweight upholstery projects are no problem. Stitch and tension are great straight out of the box – no adjustment needed.

To be honest you can buy cheaper machines but in our experience most of these compromise of quality to keep the price down. Too many plastic parts, cheap tension units and flimsy foot pedals. The Silver 30 series of sewing machines are great quality

Enjoy More Sewing!