My new Juki TL-2010Q Straight Stitch Sewing Machine
I’m so excited to show off something fun today… my new Juki T-2010Q! I first tried this machine over a year ago at Quilt Market 2012. I was impressed, but at the time I wasn’t quilting very much and my Bernina 1530 had everything I thought I could ever want in a sewing machine.
She is wonderful for sewing clothes and bags and all kinds of other things.
But not to be mean, her tension goes nuts when I put the feed dogs down to free motion quilt. I can barely tell if the walking foot is working sometimes, and there is very little harp room (the area between the needle and the body of the machine where you must stuff or roll your quilt).
These things were not a big deal until…
Fast forward and over the past six months I have caught the quilting bug… badly! I piece quilt blocks nearly every day and have a growing stack of tops that I don’t dare put under that Bernina. Suddenly I was thinking about that Juki from Quilt Market and reading blog reviews about it.
So… enough about the why. Here’s what I love:
It seems like the people who designed this machine thought, ‘lets put everything in here that will make us quilt faster, and nothing else!’
This machine goes so fast that it kind of scared me at first. Keep in mind, it is straight stitch only. But if you don’t care about zig-zag (or other fancy stitches), there are other conveniences that even my Bernina doesn’t have. Like that loud thread cutter. Wow. I had no idea how much time I was wasting cutting thread. The thread cutter is engaged by rocking backward on the foot pedal. I thought I might inadvertently cut my threads when I didn’t want to, but that hasn’t happened.
And it always stops needle down. Perfect. When you use the thread cutter it also puts the needle up so you can use the knee lift to take your fabric out at the same time.
This machine is mechanical and semi-industrial. It is heavy and metal. The tension dials are not computerized or automatic. Yay! Yes, that means that I have to adjust them sometimes when I switch projects, but it’s very easy to do. It is a bit more complicated to thread, but after learning to work a 5-thread serger, it’s not a big deal.
The dial goes click-click-click when you turn it to adjust stitch length. It’s very satisfying like it could never break. In this picture you can see ALL of the non-tension controls besides the knee lift.
Like I said, everything you need and nothing you don’t. Stitch length, needle up/down, thread cutter, speed control, backstitch, and feed dogs.
The telescoping thread guide is perfect for those large spools and finicky threads.
I received this machine last Saturday and after I got over my initial intimidation, I was up until nearly 2 am sewing this quilt top. I just couldn’t stop! But you know how much I love to un-pick. So really on Monday I unpicked some, and added some, and now this is the end. I promise. But I sewed it all in about 8 hours and that’s much faster than I could piece before.
Then today I straight line quilted this little quilt with the walking foot. The stitching was very consistent and lovely. Sigh. So happy. And plenty of room in the 9” harp space.
I haven’t free-motion quilted, except on scraps but so far so good. Couldn’t tell the front from the back. I’ll update you on that when I fmq an actual quilt.
So here are some things I miss about this machine:
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the feet are screw on and take more time to change. I know, I’m spoiled by the quick-change Bernina feet.
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the light is bright but it casts strange shadows in pictures. This is annoying to a blogger. I’m going to buy another ottlight and then see how things look.
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there’s no built-in or included storage container for your feet and accessories. I had to re-organize a bit and now I have a little plastic dresser thingy nearby for that. I think you can buy one new for around $10 so it’s really not a big deal.
I’m very lucky that I have room for multiple machines in my sewing room and of course I will keep using my Bernina 1530 for topstitching (I love the ‘0’ foot for topstitching), fancy stitches, and anything that needs a free-arm. If you only have room for one machine, this particular Juki might not be the one for you.
But my Juki TL2010Q makes me feel so confident starting quilts because piecing is so much faster and more accurate now. And I can quilt them myself without fear! I am so, so happy about that.
One thing to note if you decide to buy this machine: there are 6 (yes six) places to oil. The manual states you should do that right out of the box before you sew. Whew! But 5 of the places are little holes within easy reach and the last place is on the hook race so it really is easy. Since I do sew daily on it I have gotten into the habit of oiling and sewing on a scrap at least once a month. It’s no big deal and I really want to take care of this baby!
Update: Since I wrote this post, I bought a Grace frame for this sewing machine. Yes, quilting becomes a habit you can’t quit. Read more here.
I love it so much I put it on my list of the best sewing machines you can buy on Amazon.
Happy Sewing!
Disclosure: some of my posts contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of those links I may receive a small commission, so thank you for supporting SewCanShe when you shop! All of the opinions are my own and I only suggest products that I actually use. 🙂
I have the same Juki and I LOVE mine! I bought it sight unseen based on reviews I’d read. It’s been perfect since I took it out of the box. I have never had to mess with tension and it sews/quilts beautifully! I was taking a Craftsy class and the instructor had recommended an LED light strip for the machine (she also had a Juki). The one she recommeded was too pricey ($75 or so), but someone else taking the class recommended a company called Insprired LED. Online they only had the warm or cool options, but if you call, they can order an ultra bright crisp white flexible light strip. It’s great! It was about $23 and free shipping, fast shipping too. Let me know if you want more details and I can share the specific order info with you. They custom soldered the wiring to the 4.5" strip for me to make it more flexible. It fit perfect! I wanted to send a link, but my computer is giving me a hard time, the site is Inspiredled.com.
Hi Kathy… will you send me a picture of how you attach the light strip to your machine? I’m so intrigued! Thanks! caroline@sewcanshe.com
I also have the Juki 2010. I love it, too. Do you adjust the presser foot pressure when you use the walking foot, or do you keep it in the middle range?
Hi Kathleen… Yes I have been moving the foot pressure dial lmost to the top (less pressure) when using the walking foot and only because the manual says so. I was so intimidated by this machine I read the manual front to back before starting, lol! Good luck!
Kathleen – I adjust the presser foot to the lowest (top) when using the walking foot for quilting regular cotton fabric and batting. I haven’t tried any heavier fabrics, so I’m not sure if you need to tinker with it or not.
Thank you so much. That is what I needed to know!
Oh lordy. I have been looking to buy a machine with a larger harp and on your review i just clicked the buy button. Cant wait for it to show up. I am also a Bernina gal.
I’m sure you will love it. I think this machine is the perfect compliment to a smooth purring Bernina, lol! Happy Quilting!
I love your machine review! I grew up on industrial machines and home machines were really scary at first. I just upgraded my inexpensive machine for a slightly more expensive one. I want to use several models before I buy a fancy one…so that I’ll know exactly what I like before I buy a beast!!
Love your new machine! One of those are on my wishlist too.
WOW! I think I have been hit by the quilting bug too – but I’m not as productive as you! Your machine sounds amazing… got me thinking!
Caroline – I just sent you some pics.
Thank you! I just made an inquiry at inspiredled.com. The difference in your pictures is amazing!
I was amazed at the difference too! I think it’s a small price to pay for such a great improvement in the visibility while sewing & quilting. I don’t spend a whole lot on quilting gadgets and such, but this is so worth it! I think you will be very pleased. After I got mine, I wrote back to them and said they should market to quilters…they’d make a bundle! They are very helpful and were a pleasure to do business with. 🙂
I have a four month old Juki Exceed F400 Pro and it is a sweetheart. Fully computerised, has all the decorative stitchesand some special stuff for quilting like a two stage presser foot lifter, and a dial for reducing presser foot tension for thick materials and storage box and so on. Stitches like a dream – beautiful even stitches and very decently priced when compared to Bernina and Husqvarna. Am i glad I bought it.
I tried this machine out at Quilt Market too. Very nice. And a good deal too. You are a lucky girl. 🙂
I loved the detail you provided on your purchase. I’ve posted a shout out for this post on I’mSewJuki (https://imsewjuki.wordpress.com/2014/02/18/purchase-of-a-juki-2010q/)
If for any reason, this offends you or you would like me to remove that post, please let me know. If after using this machine, you would like to offer any advice or tips to users, I would love to share it on that blog.
Ramona
Thank you Ramona! You have a great blog. 🙂
HI have you had the need to use the warranty? I am shopping around for a juki 2010 as well and find that some of the stores sell them for 872 – 899 but they only provide 1 or 2 year warranty. The price on Allbrands is considerably higher as it includes the 10 year warranty. Wanted to check in with you to see if you had a need to use the warranty and if yes what was your experience with that
Hi Priya,
I noticed those price differences too and I purchased the machine at AllBrands specifically because of the warranty. I’ve only owned it for 6 months though, so no problems and no reason to use the warranty. On another note, I love my Juki so much! I use this machine for sewing quilts (piecing & quilting), tote bags, crafty things, and clothing. It’s so very fast and reliable.
Good luck!
Caroline
What do you use for a sewing guide on your walking foot for the Juki 2010q? My Brother machine had a guide you could insert, the Juki didn’t come with a guide or a place to insert one.
Hi Mlegge,
The walking foot that came with my Juki didn’t have a guide either. Sometimes I use a guide that came from another walking foot. I tape it to the top of the Juki walking foot with masking tape or duct tape (lol). Finally I decided that ‘wonky’ quilting lines are pretty too. If you find a walking foot with a guide that fits the Juki TL2010Q, let me know!
xo
Caroline
What a great find! I’m sure you will love your straight stitch Juki. xoxo
what thread do you use to fmq and what size needle do you use on the Juki…having a time trying to find the right thread and needle to fmq. thank you.
kjserg@gmail.com
I find that needles are really important and I only use Superior Titanium Coated Topstiych needles when doing FMQ on my Juki. Usually a 90/16. Thread is slightly less important if I am using the right needle. I really like Superior brand thread, especially So-Fine. I also use Wonderfil when I want cotton thread. Good luck!
Thank you so much for this review. I purchased a Juki TL 2010Q today and I have read the manual regarding oiling the machine. I see the 5 holes, but I’m confused about where I am supposed to oil the hook? Is this something in the bobbin area? I can’t tell from the small diagram in the manual. I know this is an old post, so I hope that you’ll see my comment and can reply. Thanks!
I just bought a Juki 2200 Mini (that’s the new name for the 2018 version of the 2010 — basically the same machine). It’s not even a week old and the walking foot is making some noise. Do you oil your walking foot?
My walking foot for that machine is reasonably noisy – clickety clack like a train! 🙂
But if it sounds like something is wrong, I would definitely take your walking foot into a dealer to be looked at while it is still under warranty. I have never oiled mine.
Good luck!