Chainstitching on Kenmore 158.1774

The feature I'm discussing in this post is chain stitching.  I covered this before on the Singer 600 machines HERE  But now I'm going to compare it with the Kenmore chain stitching system.

Kenmore 158.17741

(Shown here with my recently acquired kitty)

So, while the chain stitching is essentially done the same way on both machines - you remove the bobbin and cover the bobbin case, plus install a special throat plate/throat plate insert - there are a few differences.

First the 603.  As shown in the earlier post, you have three parts to install in order to chain stitch.

1.  Thread guide

2.  Chain stitching throat plate

3.  Bobbin cover

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The Kenmore 1774 (and presumably other 158 Kenmores that chain stitch) only has TWO parts to be installed.  You save maybe 30 seconds because they are also slightly easier to put in place.

1. Chain stitch throat plate insert

2. Bobbin case insert 

The Kenmore is quicker and easier to set up: +1

As for how they sew, there is one BIG difference.  Here is the Singer 603:

Play to the end, and you'll see that with this machine you "chain" right off the fabric just like you do with a serger. 

Compare to the Kenmore which doesn't do that (at least mine doesn't!)

 I think the Singer has better stitch quality (the one with the chain, of course)

                             

And if the chain doesn't seem like a big deal, it really is because chaining off makes it easier to remove the work from the machine without pulling out the stitches.   Chain out as far as you like, then you can easily cut it off.  With the other one, you have to hold on tight to that thread in order to get it out and cut it without pulling out the stitches (ask me how I know!)

Also, the chains themselves come in handy if you want to make chain loops for belt carriers or to tack shoulder pads into place or something like that.

The Singer does better stitching:  +1

I guess you could call it a draw, each one has an advantage so it just depends on what you are doing.  If you want a quick removable basting stitch, the Kenmore is quicker to set up (and otherwise I wouldn't even bother!)  If you are doing extensive chain stitching and need it to be more secure and/or you want the actual chains, then go for the Singer. 

Let's Talk Singer Touch & Sew 603e

Singer Touch & Sew 603

As I've pointed out before, in discussing the Singer 600e, all Touch & Sew machines are NOT created equal. They are roughly divided into early 600s, which have metal gears and are comparable to the Slant-O-Matics, and the 700s which have nylon gears and are of much lower quality.*

This machine looks similar to the one above, but pass on this one unless you are willing to put in the time and effort to replace the gears.  It may be worth it, but I'll leave that up to you! 

But here is where I want to differentiate the 600/603/604.**  Just like the 400 and 500 Slant-O-Matics, they are as follows:

600/401/500:  Fully Automatic.  These machines have built-in cam stacks to make a full range of stitch patterns without insertable cams.  But they also accept the black top hat cams to make additional stitches.  

603/403/503:  Semi Automatic.  These machines can only make a zigzag stitches with a cam - and the #0 cam MUST be in the machine when you're not using another cam stitch.  You can get all the same stitches as the fully automatic machines, you just have to use cams for them.

604/404:  Straight stitch machines.

Among those who love Slant-O-Matics are those who actually prefer the 403/503, and the same reasons would apply to the 603.

Singer 403 Slant-O-Matic - "semi-automatic" machine

Just as the 600 can be compared to a 401,  the 403 and 603 are similar, and here are the advantages of the semi-automatic machines:

1.  Because these machines don't have built-in cam stacks, they have less complicated stitch mechanisms.  Less complicated = Less that can go wrong/get seized up/cause aggravations.  Theoretically, you might also get smoother stitching.

2.  This is kind of complicated to explain, so you'll just have to take my word for it, but with the fully automatics you can't get the full range of stitch widths on all the built-in stitches.  Combination stitch patterns are limited to needle position 3 which is ALSO stitch width 3, so that is the widest you can get on these stitches.

On the other hand, with the semi-automatic machines, since you are using cams for all the stitches, you can use ANY WIDTH YOU WANT!  On a 401, for example, you sometimes find yourself inserting a cam for a stitch that is already built in because you want to make it with a wider stitch width.  This kind of defeats the purpose of having it built-in to begin with.

The disadvantages to the semi-automatic, of course, is that you must have all the cams to get all the stitches.

So, if you had to choose between a 600 or 603 Touch & Sew, just know they are both very fine machines, and you can't go wrong either way.  My personal preference is for the 603, since I do have all the cams, and I am happy not to have the extra convoluted stitch pattern levers to deal with.  I think the machine looks nicer without it.  

Pattern selection levers on 600e.  I'd rather just use the cams.

* Somewhere in the 620s is where this change took place, and with these machines the best thing is to look and see for yourself whether it has metal gears.  

** The 600 "e" versions are identical except for the placement of the bobbin winder button.