Originally Posted by Shelbie
I have just acquired a Singer 201 which has the reputation of being the best machine ever produced by Singer. It just powers through four layers of denim, the lining and the zipper when repairing DH's coveralls. No more bunching of thread, balking at seam junctions, veering off course or breaking needles as my Janome 6500 does. My 201 just sews with no complaints about thread tension or anything else!
I also got a Singer 201 from my sewing machine maintenance man and I really love it. It runs so quietly and will sew thru several thicknesses of material with no effort at all. It is great for quilting because of the large harp area. I was able to find a walking foot for this machine and I am sure it will be the one I use most often. I purchased a Brother CS6000i which was advertised as a quilting machine but it can barely make it thru the quilting process and has a very hard time when putting on the binding. It makes an awful clunking sound but my sewing machine repair man says that is the nature of the beast. It does a fine job of piecing but then so does the Singer 201 and I just love that black shiny finish. I would like to own a featherweight but I doubt I would use it much as I am sure it would perform much like the 201.