Generic feet for H-V Sapphire 835?

[HandsomeRyan]

So I'll go bankrupt trying to buy the HV branded feet for my Sapphire 835. I'm interested in picking up a couple of different feet and the generic ones seem to cost about 1/6 the money of the name brand. After a year of using a 1/4" piecing foot without a guide I'd like to try one with the guide to see if I like it any better.

I found these two but I'm not even sure if either will fit my machine or what the difference (besides minor cosmetic differences) are between them.
Foot #1- https://goldstartool.com/1-4-_-Quart...dge_Guide.html
Foot #2- https://goldstartool.com/1-4_In._Seam_Foot.html

I checked and the feet off my "Brother" machine seem to snap onto the HV and look as if they'd work okay but before I ordered anything I thought I'd ask here.

Has anyone had success with generic feet on an HV machine? I just can't see spending $30 or more per foot for a little hunk of polished metal or plastic.

[bubba]

The feet for my Pfaff, Singer, and Babylock are all interchangeable. The Babylock feet are about half the price, so when I think I need a new one, that is the brand I select. I'm sure if you checked w/a sewing machine store, they would be able to tell you...it just depends on the shank of the machine.

[wackyaunt3]

When I bought my HV Opal 670 my dealer signed me up for the HV buyers program, I get an email when HV is sponsoring a sale at their dealers. I was able to purchase my extension table and extra specialty feet at a discounted sale price. When I purchased the machine, the independent dealer (located inside the largest Joann's in the region) asked me what I would be sewing a lot of and I got my q in foot and running foot at 50% off when purchased with machine. The biggest discount I have seen since on accessories since then is usually 40%. Go thru you paperwork you got with machine, and register for the program. It keeps track of your purchases and offers discounts with points too, kind of like M* quilters cash. Initial purchase of machine was included in program, loved that! I have a great independent dealer in joanns, I realize not everyone is so fortunate, she even offered 'get to know your machine' classes. I really appreciated that since every machine has little shortcuts, features, and benefits.

[wackyaunt3]

PS...although other feet may work on machine, my dealer told me to absolutely not use other brands of bobbins. So if you need more of those only purchase HV brand. She said their #1 repair was due to damage from other brands of bobbins. Oh and needle purchases also count in their buyer's program...I am always buying more of those. 75's for piecing and 90's for quilting.

[HdWench]

Oh I've the same exact machine! After spending a ton on the machine it was a bit of a shock to see the Walking foot over $100!! But it could void any warranty if you don't use their brand and it causes issues :-( I sucked it up and got the guided 1/4" foot, walking foot and they also developed a special STID foot to use with the walking foot, that is pretty cool. I don't know about generic, I bought them for my Pfaff's because they are long out of warranty, but I was pretty worried about the computerized Viking?

Good luck wish I had an extra foot to send!

:-Debbie

[Marebear]

I have the Sapphire too. I use a generic low shank walking foot, but have found other generic feet don't work. Ask Santa for it

[HandsomeRyan]

When I bought my HV Opal 670 my dealer signed me up for the HV buyers program, I get an email when HV is sponsoring a sale at their dealers. I was able to purchase my extension table and extra specialty feet at a discounted sale price. When I purchased the machine, the independent dealer (located inside the largest Joann's in the region) asked me what I would be sewing a lot of and I got my q in foot and running foot at 50% off when purchased with machine. The biggest discount I have seen since on accessories since then is usually 40%. Go thru you paperwork you got with machine, and register for the program. It keeps track of your purchases and offers discounts with points too, kind of like M* quilters cash. Initial purchase of machine was included in program, loved that! I have a great independent dealer in joanns, I realize not everyone is so fortunate, she even offered 'get to know your machine' classes. I really appreciated that since every machine has little shortcuts, features, and benefits.

I'm glad to hear that someone has found this program to be helpful because I think it is rubbish. I bought my machine as a floor model from the dealer inside Joannes. I felt like I got a pretty good discount because it was a floor model and while there was a broken part (the accessories tray lid hinge) they had already ordered a new one and were just waiting for it to arrive and the machine was perfectly usable as-is. I signed up for their loyalty program and thought that with the several hundred dollars we just spent we'd be close to getting some other stuff for cheap or free.

Fast forward a few months later I went back to buy something. First the lady was pretty rude when she was looking me up in the system insisting that the account was "probably under my wife's name" (my wife doesn't even know how to sew but thanks for being openly sexist) then when there were not any points on the account she said they "probably expired". I asked how long points last as I haven't even had the machine a year and she was vague and said she "wasn't sure" but it was obvious that she had no interest in finding out. Whatever. We got what we needed and left. Last month my wife bought me the snap on extension table for my machine for X-mas. (I haven't opened it yet but I know that is what she got me) We went to get some bobbins because I had heard the same thing about off-brand bobbins not working correctly and when looking up my account again I got the "Are you sure the account is under _your_ name?" there were no points and when my wife said she just spent $100 and gave them my account info the week before we were told that, "The points may take a while to show up in your account". So far the only thing I get is weekly emails that I have tired a dozen times to unsubscribe from (unsuccessfully), a rather sexist employee who apparently feels that only women can/should sew, and no points to spend despite spending well over $1000 on machine and accessories through this same dealer this year. I like my machine pretty well but honestly I would not recommend that dealer (The H/V dealer inside the Joannes in Frederick, MD for anyone who cares) and I probably wouldn't recommend H/V products because they gouge so heavily on accessories. What makes the foot for my machine worth $37 when the identical foot for my Brother machine is $8?!

[HandsomeRyan]

I have the Sapphire too. I use a generic low shank walking foot, but have found other generic feet don't work. Ask Santa for it

When you say "Don't work" you mean don't fit on the machine or just don't perform as well as the factory feet?

I wasn't very good this year so if he checks that list I'll probably get coal from Santa.

[Alpha O]

If you are worried about warranty, stay with H-V feet. I bought an Elna ankle and used Elna feet with my Pfaff - 1471, 1475. Put the same ankle on a Viking 1+ and it worked just fine. Think I also used it on a Babylock Ellure. Found the ankle and tried it out on the 2170 and it still worked, so I'll hang onto it. While expensive, Pfaff, Viking and Bernina do have feet for almost every job now. Some of the other machines don't. Elna had the cording foot I wanted for heirloom. Creative feet sell ankles that fit low, high, and slant shank machines. Just check your position on the foot compared to the needle hole.
The Pfaff will also take 6mm feet, so I kept and use the Viking Hemstitch fork.

If the foot hops - like the quilting foot, ruffler and most walking feet, you might be wise to stick with the branded with an electronic machine. Leah Day had one mod where she cut that hopping extension off and used an elastic to keep the foot above the quilt in the right position - in that case, a generic shouldn't matter since you aren't timing the stitch with the foot. If you have an older mechanical zigzag, the aftermarket specialty feet are the only ones you can get.

[HandsomeRyan]

If the foot hops - like the quilting foot, ruffler and most walking feet, you might be wise to stick with the branded.

I did break down and bought the HV walking foot with the 2 interchangeable feet. Just the walking foot cost more than my other sewing machine did but I will say it works pretty well.

As for warranty- I'm not sure what kind of warranty the machine came with but the service I've received from my dealer so far has been garbage so I probably wouldn't go to them if something breaks anyway.