Here is an interesting evolutionary path of one branch of Singer sewing machines. It might be fun to follow along and see the common threads that connected them (no pun intended!)
Everyone knows the 221/222 Featherweights which debuted in the 1930s, reaching peak popularity in the 1950s.
Besides the portable size, these machines had a few features that elevated them from the earlier Singer models - they had an aluminum body, a flip up extension bed, and a vertical Class 221 bobbin with a full rotary hook. This made them lightweight, compact, and smooth sewing…in that order. Then ran on an external motor and belt.
Then a revolutionary new model hit the scene in the 1950s, which incorporated some of these features but then added an important new one. This was the 301 - a full size portable machine, with an aluminum body, Class 221 bobbin/rotary hook, and a flip up extension bed like the 221. But what made it stand apart was the revolutionary new “slant needle” design. And it had a direct drive, no belt. Yes, this is the first of a long line of slant shank machines, it all started with this one.
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| Singer 301 |
The slant shank is proprietary to Singer and was intended to give better visibility to what you’re sewing. It proved to be so popular that Singer then launched a line of “Slant-O-Matics” with the flagship machine being the 401. (There are some other variations in 400 SOM series, but I’ll focus on this one.) This machine was the pinnacle of domestic Singer sewing machines and I’ll argue it was the finest “All Purpose” domestic machine they ever made.
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| Singer 401 |
The 401 featured an aluminum body although it was not specifically portable like the 301. It had the direct direct drive and rotary hook but with a horizontal drop-in Class 66 bobbin. It had a built-in cam stack for zigzag and stitch patterns, and in addition took cams for additional stitches. Like the 301, it featured a recessed bobbin winder that was flush with the machine when not in use (unlike the 221 where it just "hung out" in plain sight.)
But Singer couldn't leave well enough alone, and thus began the gradual slide towards what we know today as the Touch & Sew. It all began with the bobbin winder system. First they launched a second generation of Slant-O-Matics which were the 500 machines (known as the Rocketeers, 500/503.). They added some features which reflected the mid-century "space age" aesthetic, and then attempted to improve the bobbin winder system by locating it on top of the machine and hidden under a hinged lid which also served as the cam cover. Without going into detail, suffice it to say that this was not an improvement for a number of reasons. The machines looked cool but suffered from a case of "Function Follows Form" when it should be the other way around.
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| Singer 503 |
Which brings us to the 600 series in this line. Like the 301, which bridged the low shank straight stitchers and the slant shank zigzag machines, the 600 was a pivotal model. It is both the LAST Slant-O-Matic and the FIRST Touch & Sew which makes it rather unique.
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| Singer 600/e |
Again, the main change was with the bobbin winder. Singer was DETERMINED to hide that bobbin winder! And now they had an entirely new concept: the “wind in place” bobbin. (This machine also highlighted a new feature which was chain stitching - already available on some of the German made 400 models.)
While the 600 was called a Slant-O-Matic, the 600e (which had one slight change in where the button was located to wind the bobbin) was rebranded as a Touch & Sew - and thus launched a new line for Singer in the early-mid 1960s.
And this is where this particular branch of the Singer family tree began to devolve. While the 600/e was mechanically identical to a 401 - a well built machine with all metal gears and direct drive - it wasn’t long after this that those steel gears were replaced with nylon. Cheaper, lighter in weight - and “smoother,” perhaps - but not as durable. Once the 700 generation of these machines was introduced, the Touch & Sew that people love to hate was born. These are the machines with the bad reputation and the ones which give a bad name to ALL that have this name.
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| Singer 750 |
