Juki HZL-F600 Review: Is This $1,499 Sewing and Quilting Machine Worth It?

Juki HZL-F600 specs

Specs above come from Juki America's HZL-F600 product page, the manufacturer bullets on the Amazon listing and Juki America's warranty FAQ.

What does the Juki HZL-F600 do best?

The Juki HZL-F600 is known for feeding and buttonholes. Its box feed, adapted from Juki's industrial machines, holds fabric against the feed dog longer through each stitch, which helps layers of quilt, knits and slippery fabric move evenly. PatternReview owners frequently single out its buttonholes, with some calling them the best of any machine they have owned, and others praise its piercing power.

The accessory kit is complete. Juki includes 12 presser feet (among them a walking foot, quilt foot, patchwork foot, open toe foot and edge sewing foot), a wide extension table, a knee lift lever and a hard case. For a quilter, the patchwork foot and wide table cover piecing from day one.

It has also proven durable. Owners on PatternReview describe using it as a daily workhorse, including some who bought it more than a decade ago and still recommend it.

What is the honest weakness of the Juki HZL-F600?

Noise, and an older design at a new-machine price. A recurring owner report describes a thumping sound over bulky seams, and a PatternReview thread asks other owners about a soft high-pitched whistle when the machine is switched on. In one owner thread, a service technician is quoted describing Jukis as noisy machines.

The feature set also shows its age. The presser foot lift is manual (with a knee lever), the maximum zigzag width is 7 mm against 9 mm on the Janome Skyline S5, and the top speed is 900 stitches per minute. PatternReview owners have long listed purchase prices well below the current $1,499 listing, so get a quote from a local Juki dealer before buying.

What do Juki HZL-F600 owners consistently report?

• Praise: outstanding buttonholes.
• Praise: strong piercing power and even feeding on layers.
• Praise: long service life, with owners using it daily for years.
• Praise: a lot of machine and accessories for the money.
• Complaint: noisier than rivals, including a thumping sound over bulky seams.
• Complaint: occasional squealing noises that owners and technicians link to lubrication and servicing.

What warranty and support come with the Juki HZL-F600?

Juki America's home sewing machine warranty gives 2 years on motors, light assembly, wiring, switches, circuit boards and speed control, and 5 years on all other parts for factory defects. Juki notes that routine service, tension and skipped stitches are not warranty issues, and that warranty service is provided by the dealer from whom you bought the machine.

That dealer link is the practical point. Juki distributes through an authorized dealer network, so a machine bought from an online seller may leave you without a local service route. The shorter terms compared with Janome's 25-year headline also make a dealer relationship more valuable. The instruction manual is widely available online, and we found no recall for the F600 in a search of CPSC's sewing machine recall listings.

How does the Juki HZL-F600 compare with the Janome Skyline S5 and Juki HZL-DX5?

Most F600 shoppers also look at the Janome Skyline S5 and Juki's newer Juki HZL-DX5. See the Juki HZL-DX5 vs Janome Skyline S5 comparison and the brand-level Juki vs Janome page.

Sibling reviews: Juki HZL-DX5 review, Janome Skyline S5 review and, for quilters focused on straight stitching, the Juki TL-2010Q review. If you are deciding between machine types, read quilting machine vs sewing machine.

What space, accessories and budget does the Juki HZL-F600 need?

The F600 is a full-size machine, and with the wide table fitted it needs a table at least 40 inches wide and 24 inches deep. A cabinet that sets the bed flush with the surface, such as the Kangaroo Bandicoot, makes the most of the box feed when quilting, because the quilt no longer drops off the edge of the table.

Most feet are included, so budget $100 to $300 for comfort and consumables: a supportive chair like the Arrow Hydraulic Sewing Chair, a daylight lamp such as the Daylight Slimline 4, class 15 bobbins, and quilting and microtex needles. Annual cleaning and oiling by a dealer helps with the noise complaints above; see our sewing machine maintenance guide.