The best first vintage machine is the one that sews what you sew, takes parts you can still buy, and arrives complete. That sounds obvious, but it rules out a lot of tempting listings. Here's how we'd narrow it down, with the machines we'd look at first for each kind of sewing.
Decide what you'll sew
Start with the stitch. If you mostly piece quilts, sew seams or make bags, a straight stitch is all you need, and the best straight-stitch machines are simpler and sturdier than any zigzag. If you sew knits, finish edges, make buttonholes or want decorative stitches, you need a zigzag. If you sew a lot and fast, a semi-pro straight stitcher may suit you better than anything vintage. Settle this one choice and the rest gets easier.
Straight stitch, the safe first buy
A straight-stitch Singer is the classic first vintage machine, because there's so little to go wrong and so much help available. Our picks, depending on what you need:
- The Singer 201-2. ISMACS says most collectors consider the 201 the best machine Singer ever made. It's strong and very quiet, with a drop-in bobbin and reverse. It's cast iron and weighs about 30 pounds, so buy one you can collect.
- The 15-91. Built on Singer's long-running Class 15, with a potted motor and a removable bobbin case of the pattern most makers later copied.
- The Featherweight. About 11 pounds, the quilter's class machine, and the one with the biggest fan club. Check it's complete, case and all.
- The 301. Aluminium, gear driven, Singer's first slant needle, and a little heavier than a Featherweight. It takes the same thin bobbin, and repairers say most need only a clean and oil.
- The 99K. A three-quarter-size Singer from 1911 on, often a hand crank, compact and simple. Check the voltage if it's an electric from Britain.
The potted-motor 15-91 and 201-2 want their motor grease cups refilled with proper motor lubricant, which Singer said to do at least once a year. That's an easy job, but it's one to do before you start sewing.
Zigzag machines, more to check and more to gain
A zigzag machine does more, and has more parts that can be missing or worn. These are the ones we'd consider first:
- The Singer 401A. Gear driven with built-in stitches and five extra Special Discs, and an aluminium body. Check for slant-shank feet, since ordinary feet won't fit.
- The Bernina 830 Record or 730 Record. Swiss, free arm, cams built in, and Bernina still sells feet that fit. Ask for a video of the cams working, because the nylon cam gear can crack.
- The Pfaff 1222. The built-in dual feed walks the top layer of fabric along, which is a big help with quilts and plaids.
- The Elna Supermatic. A free-arm Swiss machine that sews its patterns from Elna discs, with a case that opens into a table. Make sure the discs and knee lever come with it.
Machines that need cams or discs for their patterns are only as good as the set that comes with them. The Singer 403A can't even sew zigzag without its disc. So count the cams in the photos, every time.
If you sew fast and a lot
If speed matters more than vintage charm, look at JUKI's TL-2010Q or Brother's PQ1500SL. Both sew a straight stitch at up to 1,500 stitches a minute on household power and trim the thread automatically. They take household needles, but they need regular oiling and their own bobbin cases, so ask how they've been kept.
Pick machines that take parts you can buy
Most home machines take the flat-shank 130/705H needle, also listed as 15x1, and SCHMETZ says that system is used by nearly all home machines. Bobbins are where machines differ. Class 15 and Class 66 bobbins are easy to find. The Featherweight and 301 take their own thinner bobbin, Berninas and Pfaffs take their own cases, and vibrating-shuttle machines like the Singer 27 need a long bullet bobbin and a shuttle that's specific to the brand. A first machine that uses common needles and bobbins is easier to keep running.
Feet matter too. Low-shank feet are the most common. Singer's slant-needle machines take slant-shank feet only, and Berninas, Elnas and Vikings use their own. Buying a machine with a good set of its own feet saves a lot of searching.
What we'd skip for a first machine
- Anything missing its bobbin case or shuttle, unless it's cheap enough to be a project.
- A machine with cracked or taped wiring, unless you're happy to rewire it.
- A 220 volt import, unless you know what converting it involves.
- A 1990s computerized machine like the Designer I, unless the seller can show the screen and disk drive working.
- A treadle, unless a treadle is what you want. They're lovely, but heavy and awkward to move.
Buy close to home if you can
Old machines are heavy and easily damaged in the post. Spool pins, handwheels and bobbin winders snap, and cast-iron stands and wooden cases crack. If you can, buy one you can collect, see it sew, and carry it home in your own car. If it has to ship, ask exactly how it will be packed, with the head off any base or cabinet, the needle and accessories removed, and plenty of firm padding all round.
Then make it yours
When it arrives, fit a new needle of the right system, clean out the lint, oil it where the manual says and grease what it says to grease. Most skipped stitches on old machines come down to the needle, so start there before you suspect anything else. If no manual comes with it, look for a scan. ISMACS and archive.org hold many original instruction books, and they show exactly where to oil and grease. Read how to check a used sewing machine for the full set of checks, and browse every machine to compare them.
