Knitting & Weaving5 min
addi vs Sentro Knitting Machine: Which to Buy for Making Hats to Sell
addi's Express machines against the many Sentro-style machines on Amazon: what is the same, what differs and which to buy.
Craft machine buying guides
Machines for makerswho sell what they make
Which DTF printer suits a small shirt business, how big a heat press platen you need, whether a serger or a coverstitch finishes a hem, and how much room a longarm frame takes. Every guide shows the makers' figures, the sources and what you have to buy alongside the machine.
The specs behind every pick
- Plateninches, width by lengthThe heated plate on a press decides the largest design you can transfer in one press.
- Widthprintable inchesA DTF or sublimation printer's print width sets your biggest transfer and what the film or paper costs.
- Throatinches of harp spaceThe space to the right of a quilting machine's needle decides how much quilt you can roll through it.
- Threads2, 3, 4 or 5How many threads a serger or coverstitch uses sets which seams and hems it can sew.
Start here
The guides most readers need first.
Buying guideBest Heat Presses for T-Shirts and Small Shops (2026)
Six presses for shirt makers, from a handheld 12 x 10 to a shop-grade auto-open clam, compared on platen size, press style, pressure and power.
Read the guide
Buying guideBest DTF Printers for a Small Shirt Business (2026)
Four DTF setups from a 13 inch desktop kit to an automated print-to-bake line, compared on print width, printheads, curing and warranty.
Read the guide
Buying guideBest Sergers for Sewing Knits and Garments to Sell (2026)
Five sergers from a $319.99 list-price Brother to Juki's air-threading MO-1000, with what differential feed and air threading actually do.
Read the guide
Buying guideBest Longarm Quilting Machines for a Quilting Business (2026)
Five frame longarms from a 13-inch hybrid to a 19-inch Elite, with the throat size, stitch speed and frame each needs, from the makers' own specs.
Read the guideWhat are you making?
Start from the product, not the machine. Each row names the usual method and the guides that compare the machines for it.
Cotton T-shirts and hoodies
DTF transfers or heat transfer vinyl, pressed on
Polyester shirts and light-colored blanks
Sublimation printing and a flat press
Tumblers and mugs
Sublimation, then a tumbler or mug press
Hats and caps
A curved hat press with the right platen
Badges and pin-back buttons
A button maker and its matching die size
Many shirts, one design
Screen printing on a press
Quilts
A longarm on a frame, or a sit-down longarm
Knitwear, rugs and woven cloth
A knitting machine, a tufting gun or a loom
Browse by topic
Printers6DTF, UV DTF and sublimation printers, with the start-up list and running costs.Heat Presses7Flat, tumbler, mug and hat presses, by platen size and press style, with the transfer makers' settings.Print Shop Tools4Button makers, screen printing presses and cutting machines for small runs.Sergers & Sewing7Sergers, coverstitch machines, and machines rated for leather, canvas and upholstery.Quilting Machines4Frame longarms, sit-down longarms and large-harp sewing machines for quilting.Knitting & Weaving4Knitting machines, rug tufting guns and rigid heddle looms.
Makers' figures first
Platen sizes, print widths, throat space, thread counts and warranties from the makers' own pages and manuals.
A clear pick
Each guide names what we would buy, for which kind of maker, and what else you need to buy with it.
Sources on every page
Every guide links the maker documents and transfer instructions it was built from.
Latest guides
New and updated buying guides, comparisons and explainers.
Sergers & Sewing7 min
Best Air Threading Sergers: Brother, Juki and Baby Lock Compared (2026)
Four sergers that thread their loopers with air, how each maker's system works, and when air threading is worth paying for.
Print Shop Tools7 min
Best Button Makers for Pins, Badges and Craft Fair Sales (2026)
Six button makers from a lifetime-warranty steel press to a budget three-size kit, plus the cut-size chart every button maker needs.
Sergers & Sewing8 min
Best Coverstitch Machines for Hemming Knits (2026)
Four coverstitch machines for the stretchy, ready-to-wear hem on T-shirts and leggings, with what chain, cover and triple cover stitches each sew.
Heat Presses8 min
Best Hat Presses for Caps and Trucker Hats (2026)
Six ways to press a cap, from an auto press with 176 lb of pressure to a pro press with a heated lower platen, compared on platens, heat and pressure.
Sergers & Sewing8 min
Best Heavy-Duty Sewing Machines for Bags, Denim and Canvas (2026)
Five heavy-duty sewing machines for totes, aprons, denim and canvas, and what actually makes a home machine heavy duty.