I have a 1950's swing machine. The kind that the machine itself flips down into te table itself. Its barely a step up from the peddle operated machines. Its a great decoration, but I can't even figure out how to flip it out, much less sew with it.
@Corzhens, How much is the going rate of zipper replacement these days in small shops? I haven't tried going to Mr. Quickie at all, so I have no idea how much they charge. For sure Mr. Quickie would charge more than the small shops since it's a large store. @LilAnn, A 1950's sewing machine? Was that handed down from your grandparents or parents? You might want to ask them how to use it.
@sidney, there is also a Mr. Quickie here but the smaller shops are cheaper. One time I was in Mr. Quickie because the zipper of my bag was acting up. I had it checked and the guy in Mr. Quickie got a tool and adjusted the thing that you pull. It was okay in an instant.. no charge. But anyway, a zipper replacement here is cheap, around $1 only. And you have to wait for a short time only.
@Corzhens, So it's quite cheap to have it replaced then. Maybe Mr. Quickie would charge P10 to P20 higher. I thought replacing zippers cost around P80 minimum.
I didn't know you could get zippers repaired - I would have thought it would be too much of an undertaking to remove all the stitching and re-stitching a new zipper back on - that I could just re-buy the item for what I would pay to have it repaired. Plus I would be worried a bit about their re-stitching coming undone, especially if it was done by hand or with cheaper home sewing equipment. I have a jacket, which normally sells for around $250, that I got on an end of season sale for $60, but my zipper broke off at the bottom. In particular the part at the bottom where the zipper stops broke off. I can still zip up the jacket, but sometimes it starts to come undone at the bottom, which causes the zipper mechanism to get "stuck". I would be willing to get it repaired if someone could do it for me cheaply and reliably. but I don't see the purpose in paying someone $50 or whatever to replace it when I only paid $60 for the jacket itself.
Definitely replace the zipper. Its a lot cheaper than going out and buying a new pair of jeans or jacket. It just makes a lot more sense. Of course if the zipper tears up and damages the clothes in the process then thats obviously a different situation.
@ohiotom76, Zippers are actually cheap, around $1 to $2 only if you want them replaced. $50 is way too much. Try to look for a shoe repair shop, they usually fix broken zippers.
I had a really nice, thin coat. The first thing to go on it was the zipper. That started an entire chain reaction that ended with me wearing a coat that was 80% duct tape.You know what, though? It worked, and the tape was cheaper than a new coat.
Depending on what brand your coat is some companies will replace the zipper for free. I know Columbia has done this with a winter jacket we bought for one of our kids. I've also had good luck with Macy's. They replaced the whole jacket. Just keep all your receipts to prove that you bought the jacket and it wasn't bought second hand.
I have never put much faith into warranties, so its a very pleasant surprise that you told us that. I'll start keeping my receipts. In the past, a lot of companies have found excuses to not honor their warranties. I just gave up, honestly. But I will give it a shot next time the need arises. My husband seems to think craftsman tools will honor their lifetime warranty, but I haven't seen it myself.
I just replace broken zipper. My dad can kind of fix broken zippers, but I can't. I don't have that talent. Besides, I get scared that my skin or other body part will get caught in the zipper because it's broken.
I think replacing the zipper would be the best choice given that it only costs a little and you get to extend the life of your item because of it. It's best to get things repaired when possible especially if they won't cost you nearly as much as buying a new item altogether and I think it's especially more practical if the only thing wrong with it is just a minor problem like a zipper. I'd only consider throwing out the item and replacing it if it were broken in a way that would cost me more to get it repaired.
I know what you mean! I'm terrified of it happening to me. Ever since I saw "Something About Mary", they idea of something getting caught, if the zipper is broken or not, is on my mind everytime I zip my pants or my hoodie. I don't have the same equipment that Ben Stiller got caught in the zipper, but I do have a tummy.
If its something that can be fixed and its not expensive, then that is the route that I would go. If it could not be fixed and would cost more to fix than to replace, then I would replace them. I don't see the point in spending extra money when I don't have to.
As long as you have duct tape and working zippers, you could go for years without buying new clothes. I'm being serious, too. I had a really great pleather jacket from Maurice's. By the 2nd winter it had a few rips and tears in the pleather. By the 3rd winter, there weren't any rips and tears, but it had plenty of duct tape. Enough that even Macgyver would be envious.
I also think it depends on the item. If it's a good quality item that you will get future use out of, I'd say repair it. I usually will replace zippers on jackets, shoes and bags. However if it's a poor quality clothing item I would just throw it out. If replace the zipper is more expensive them they item it worth them I say get rid of it.
