Self Help

Are you looking for advice on buying a used machine?

I have been asked many, many questions on used sewing machines. I can say that machines should be thoroughly inspected for common issues, and if there is a capacitor, don't just remove it, replace it. The exception is for the Singers which can just be removed. Here are a few FAQs.

What is the best sewing machine ever made?

Every sewing machine mechanic I know and myself will say that the Bernina 830 Record is the best. Why? From a repairer's perspective, they can almost always be fixed. I was living in Queensland in January 2022, and sold an 830 to an older lady. At the time I worked at a local sewing machine shop. We had a huge rain event at the end of February to the beginning of March 2022 and a lot of people were flooded. The lady with the 830 came into the shop and immediately recognised me. The machine she had bought in January had been in her basement during the rain event. It had been sitting under water for five days and was encased in mud. My employer looked at it and said “yes that shouldn't be a problem”. I shot a surprised look at him, and after she left I asked why he was so confident. He said “because it's an 830”. To prove his point, he asked me to do the job. Within two and a half hours that machine was purring like a new one again, with no evidence of the flood. So, they are incredibly resilient. What about their ability as a sewing machine?
An 830 record is an immensely capable machine. It has an oscillating hook, like many cheap machines, but because the manufacturing tolerances are very tight, they are extremely quiet and smooth. You will not hear a rattly 830, and if you can't sew something on one, it's likely that you can't on any other domestic sewing machine. This adds up to an excellent sewing experience. 830s don't come up for sale very often, and when they do they're usually around $800.
So as a summary mechanics love them, owners love them and they have kept their value since released in 1972. They were made from 1972 until 1981, which is an astonishing run for a single model. The so-called lesser models have exactly the same stitching mechanism, but will be lacking some 830 features. They are as lovely to sew with and they are your bargain: Inspect carefully though, as 800 Berninas were a standard high school machine. Problems with 1970s Berninas include the capacitor (which should be replaced), the pattern gears crack (not a big problem, replacements are available), and some plastic parts break. The 1960s 730 Record is almost identical, as is the 1950s 530 (made until 1963). The '50s 530's pattern gear was not nylon and I have never seen a broken one.

I want a machine to sew bags. What should I look at?

Definitely an oscillating hook, central bobbin (CB) machine. The first machine designed with a CB was the Singer 15 in 1879. The cheaper machines sold today are still CB. It's very cheap to make but the cheaper versions being sold new have a few things to consider.

• They're mostly plastic, and very light, so when the machine goes fast, the machine tends to walk around the table.
• The tolerances are very sloppy, so they're very noisy and thread gets trapped behind the hook and take-up lever
• The motors are very weak, so it won't go through the work

These machines are usually labelled ‘beginner machines” but they should be labelled ‘landfill machines’.
You have many options here. The Singer 15 was a fantastic machine but early ones (pre-1930s) were straight stitch only, you can't drop the feed dog and they didn't reverse. Later ones have reverse and a droppable feed dog (via a screw underneath the bed) but are still straight stitch only. The design for these machines was shared with Japanese manufacturers after world war 2 ended, so that they could get their industries back up and running. The resulting machines are called “Singer 15 clones” but that isn't really accurate. They differ quite a bit from the Singer. Two obvious differences are that the Japanese models are usually not black and the feed dog drop are a pair of buttons at the bottom of the pillar. These are still straight stitch only. The later machines, in the 1960s, were of a different design. They have zig-zag capability and often came with ‘cams’ for decorative stitching. The machines badged Pinnock were always excellent. They were made by Toyota and assembled in Elizabeth, north of Adelaide.
A number of other European manufacturers (as well as Bernina) used the CB design too. The best, and the bargain of the used sewing machine market, in my opinion, is the Necchi Supernova. These are almost all grey, flatbed machines. They use high shank feet and are incredibly capable. They're as strong and smooth as a Bernina Record but most have a full embroidery unit. Here are the negatives about Supernovas: They used a more complex power supply than the others and so are harder to fix. Normally, though, it's only the capacitors, which should be replaced, not just removed.

I'm a beginner and just want a good machine to sew clothes. What should I buy?

Beginner or not, buy the best machine you can afford and always try before you buy. I have a customer who has a Bernina 830 and she bought it because of its reputation, but she doesn't like using it. She likes her Husqvarnas and Pfaffs much more.
The second best machine ever made is the 1970s Elna SU. This is also Swiss made, and like the Bernina it has lower optioned models that have exactly the same sewing mechanism. It has a drop-in bobbin and drop-in bobbin machines are perfect for sewing clothing. They can't handle thick upholstery thread because of a physical limitation in getting the bobbin thread to go vertically up but they're manufactured with very fine tolerances and are extremely quiet and smooth, like a Bernina. The SU is the top of the range and has a blue top cover. They don't come up for sale often but they're almost identical to the 1960s supermatic. Very few SU and supermatic (models 62C) owners every sell their machine. They normally come up for sale when the owner dies or goes into a nursing home. The Elna models in the early '80s are the air electronics. These use an air puffer button as a speed controller and have some electronics for motor control. They are also great machines but the SU is more reliable because of its lack of electronics.
There are an immense number of other options. The European machines have the edge for quiet and smooth machines. Singer, Husqvarna, Pfaff, Necchi are just a few that made extremely good machines. Singer's quality went downhill after the 411G (1965-ish) and I wouldn't recommend anything after that, except maybe the 237, which was made in Japan.

Someone told me that a Singer 201 can do anything. Can it?

No. It has a drop-in bobbin so it can't handle thicker thread. A lot of people try this, struggle through it and say it was perfect. I topstitched a pair of jeans on mine and it struggled a lot. I'd never heard it struggle before, but the thick thread was a real challenge and it made a lot of thumping noises I hadn't heard before. I switched to a central bobbin machine and it had no trouble at all. People keep recommending the 201 for jobs that are not siutable. it is not suitable for making bags or topstitching jeans. A 15K88 (the later one with reverse) is much closer to being able to do anything. The 201 is a superb machine for clothing and will not struggle with anything you can fit uner the presser foot unless you put thick thread in the bobbin. If you have a 201 and want to topstitch, the thread is only for decoration, so normal weight in the bobbin and topstitching thread on top will get you there. If you have a 201 and want to sew upholstery on it, you're giving yourself trouble.

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