A Little Run Around the Race Track with My Classic Singers

Just for fun, thought I'd do a little comparison among my machines just to see who is the fastest.  Does it matter?  I dunno...but it was fun to do the test, and there were some surprising results.

And here are the Contestants!

 Singer 201-2

Classic Singer favorite and usually regarded as one of their finest machines.  The stitches are sheer perfection and this machine runs smoothly and quietly.  It has the horizontal rotary hook configuration with a drop-in bobbin (Class 66).   An occasional searing of the flesh is SOP for the lamp located on the front of the machine. I rarely bring her out to play anymore because truthfully I enjoy sewing on my other machines more than this one.

Singer 15-91

The Runner-Up in the full size, mid-century, straight stitch Singer category.  I'm not sure why this machine gets second billing because to be honest, she is faster and more powerful than the 201. With a vertical, oscillating hook this machine isn't quite as smooth and quiet but it stitches much faster and with more assurance (it will plow through anything without complaint - up over thick seams and down the other side with no hesitation). The upper tension is located on the faceplate making threading somewhat awkward. Inserting the vertical bobbin (Class 15) is no big deal once you've done it several hundred times.  :)

Singer 221 Featherweight

There just isn't anything to say about a Singer Featherweight that millions of people don't already know.  The Perfect Portable and all that.  Cute factor off the charts.  This 1956 model is a beautiful, shiny specimen.  There is some slight wear to the front edge decals which makes it "okay" to actually use this machine.  Her case, manual and accessory box are all in excellent condition and she has all the toys and goodies.  A little black box full of fun!  She stays.

Singer 221 Centennial Edition

This one is all that and a bag of chips!  Which is to say that not only is she a beautiful machine - nearly pristine in every way - she has the blue 1951 Centennial badge for Singer's 100th Year.   She is too beautiful to actually use and strangely enough she doesn't sew nearly as fast as my other Featherweight and I have never been able to figure out why.  (That is the subject of a previous entry.)  This one is for Show, not for Sew.

Singer 503 "Rocketeer"

This machine will never win any prizes for straight stitching among its peers (although I suspect it can sew circles around many machines made today.)  It's not my fastest, most powerful, or best straight stitching machine,  but it is one of the coolest sewing machines I've ever seen.  

Singer 301

This one just joined the family last week and is now my favorite, bestest, most wonderful fantastic machine EVER!!  Why didn't anyone ever let me in on this secret?  I have never particularly coveted a 301, I figured it was just another variation on the theme and I didn't perceive that it had any outstanding feature other than being a bigger edition of the Featherweight.  WRONG!  Don't let the folding bed and carrying case fool you into thinking that this is just an overgrown cousin of the darling, dainty Featherweight (like I did.)   Let your Featherweight do her thing - charming machine that she is - and show her off at your quilting classes.  But for real sewing oomph, snatch up one of these if you are ever lucky enough to find one.  

Let me try to explain it this way:

Take the smooth sewing action of the 201 with it's rotary hook, the speed and power of the 15-91 with it's vertical bobbin, the portability of the 221, and the slant shank of the 503. Wrap them all up into one and you now have this ultimate machine.  It really does have the best of ALL features from my other machines.  And it is the hands down winner for speed.  None of the others even come close...

PUTTING THEM TO THE TEST

A while back I did a speed test of all my machines then I compared the 301 and the results were stunning. In 15 seconds (at 12 sts/inch), the machines stitched the following number of inches:

Singer 201 - 11 inches

Singer 221 (1951 model)  - 13 inches

Singer 503 - 14 inches

Singer 221 (1956 model) - 18 inches

Singer 15-91 - 19 inches

Singer 404 - 24 inches

Singer 301 - 31 inches !!!!   That is nearly THREE TIMES faster than the 201!

Now I will concede that there is undoubtedly some variation among individual machines - obviously between my two 221's there is quite a difference.  But for the 301 to reach speeds DOUBLE the average of all the other machines, that leaves it the indisputable champion.  

A New Addition to the Family - Just in Time for Christmas! Singer 301

Well this was a nice surprise!  I already posted this story on PR but I'll tell it here too.

Of course I've barely had time to sew, look at sewing machines, or even think about sewing machines for almost a year now.   Being a full time college student has kept me busier than I ever imagined!  But finals were over last week and I've been doing the frantic holiday preparation thing.  Yesterday - gray, drizzly and completely dreary - I had dragged myself through a day of volunteer work and errands and was heading home when I saw a sign for an Estate Sale.  I was hungry, tired and irritable and the sale was out of my way.  Besides, I had too much Christmas shopping to do anyway so why bother with an Estate Sale?  But still... I love Estate Sales... (Not yard sales, but bona fide Estate Sales - big difference.)

There was a ton of stuff there - the usual furniture, china, pots and pans, clothing, household items.  I didn't see anything I really wanted and was just about to leave when the owner spoke to me on the way out the door.  I kind of asked him offhand if they happened to have any sewing items, just in case I missed something - fabric, patterns, notions, that kind of thing.

He said, "Did you see the sewing machine?"

Yes, even the slant shank buttonholer was included in the $10 purchase!

"No".

And he pointed to this beautiful, pristine 301, sitting on the floor in the corner.

Just as I headed towards it, another shopper, overhearing this exchange, headed it for it too.  I quickly asked how much it was and when he said $10 I said, "I'll take it!" and grabbed it a moment before the other guy could get his hands on it.  I could hardly get the $10 out of my pocket fast enough.

I saw it first!!!  ;)

What a deal.  It is a beautiful, clean, well cared for machine.  The decals and finish are nearly perfect. It came with the original green box and all the feet (that alone is worth at least $25) and even included a buttonholer.  It has the cradle which you use to insert into a regular Singer cabinet and then release the machine when you want to use it as a portable.  Cool!  (It has the power cord - but alas was missing the controller.)

I've never used a 301 so this is a new adventure for sure.  It really rounds out my collection of vintage Singers.  From what I've read, this was the last of the beautiful black & gold Singers.  With this model, they were updating their look and you can see in the styling that they were going for a more sleek and modern look - although curiously it is rather Art Deco in style.  The spool of thread stays out of sight behind the machine so as not to detract from the lines, I guess (also to make it easier to put in a case for portability maybe?)

Although it is often compared with the 221, I see little resemblance since this is a full sized machine.  It does have the aluminum body which makes it "light" (for an all metal machine, anyway.)  The only other thing it really has in common with the 221 is the vertical rotary hook and bobbin.  But it is Singer's first slant shank model, which was a big innovation for them at the time.  Fortunately, it not only came with a collection of feet AND a slant shank buttonholer, but I have plenty of slant shank accessories for Bud, my 503.  Since it has the same bobbin case as my 221, then I have plenty of bobbins for it as well.

Stitch length regulator - very Art Deco looking!

UPDATE:  It took a little tinkering to get the perfect stitch.  I don't think this machine had been used in quite a while.  It was very clean inside (no lint, crud, rust or grease build up) although quite dusty on the outside.  I had several minor - though frustrating - issues.  But RESOLVED - and the results are worth it. Beautiful stitch.  Notice how it twists perfectly off the end.  Lovely!  (Blue is top side/white is bobbin side.)

And this machine is super fast, I clocked it at nearly 1500 stitches/minute!