Sewnoma

I've never sewn on a 301 or 401, but I can tell you my 500A sews like a dream! I bought it for the looks, assuming it'd be kind of clunky to sew on and I was very wrong about that! It's smooth, quiet, creates very nice stitches, and I don't know if it's just dumb luck or what but with my 1/4-inch foot on that machine sews a dead-on quarter-inch seam without any adjusting. Every other machine I own needs at least a small tweak to get it right but the Rocketeer is just right there naturally.

It's my favorite machine to take on vacation. It's light and portable, fun to sew on, and of course it has that awesome atomic-era styling. Win-win-win. LOVE that machine!

Mrs. SewNSew

The only machine of interest to me in the 300 series would be the 301 and worth it's weight in gold. It's a fabulous machine. The 400 series? ALL GOOD lol! The 500's? Hmmm I have them but I am not as taken with them as I am the others. The tension seems a bit fiddly.

Rodney

Your 500A sounds very much like my 401A. They're very nice machines.
Rodney

KLO

Tate, I have seen some 401 machines on my local CL but not a Rocketeer which again is what I am lusting after. I am located west of you, north of Greensboro but hate to drive very far for anything for some reason. But yes, I will keep checking CL. If I found a 301 or one of the 400 series at a great price, I would probably by it in the meantime but will still keep my eyes open mostly for that ever elusive Rocketeer.. Nice of you to make that offer by the way. I think you sent me a manual for an Atlas machine that I bought a couple of years ago on CL. Great to have people on this board who are sharing, caring, and knowledgeable. Guess I had better go check CL or maybe ebay with local to me sales. Thanks again for the nice response to my question .... actually to all of you who have responded. I thank you!

Mornigstar

Tate, do you ever see a 201 when you are looking through Craigslist. Only one I wanted for a while But, today got a Kenmore which I really didn't need . It's in a lovely cabinet but I haven't figured how to use the dials.
Have a 301 and a 401 which I keep in fl.

tate_elliott

KLO, I knew we had contacted each other before, but I couldn't remember what it was about. Actually, my third Rocketeer came from Greensboro. A young woman, just out of college, was selling her mom's machine because, as is so often the case, "It doesn't run right and I want something new." Well, it just needed to have a big lint ball taken out of the gears and some lubricant. I wouldn't have driven so far, but she wanted only $15 for it.

Maybe I've been lucky, but almost every one of my Rocketeers have the same story. The only thing wrong with them was that they needed cleaning, oiling, and maybe a little adjusting. One of them was sold because, "The thread keeps breaking on me." When I got it home, I checked, and, yep, the needle was in backwards. It also had absolutely no grease on the gears.

Mornigstar, I may have seen a 201, but I can't remember for sure. That's not one I look for.

I guess everyone knows this, but just in case, on the front page of Craigslist, if you click on the heading "For Sale," it pulls up all the sale ads. At the top of the page, there's a search box. You can type in "sewing," and press enter or click on the magnifying glass, and it will list every ad with the word sewing in it.

Tate

quilt938

hey I know someone in Cary! just on facebook and from a blog I follow though. looks beautiful there

KLO

[QUOTE=tate_elliott;7222968]KLO, I knew we had contacted each other before, but I couldn't remember what it was about. Actually, my third Rocketeer came from Greensboro. A young woman, just out of college, was selling her mom's machine because, as is so often the case, "It doesn't run right and I want something new." Well, it just needed to have a big lint ball taken out of the gears and some lubricant. I wouldn't have driven so far, but she wanted only $15 for it. [End Quote]




Hey, Tate, that machine should have been mine. Just kidding!!! And for $15 I can see why you made the trip. I do check CL every day now but nothing yet. Well, there is a 301A and a Rocketeer but they are in Charlotte and too pricey for my pocket.

It is funny how people sell machines for little money because "it is not working correctly" when all it needs is a cleaning, oiling, or needle turn around. Guess they really don't know enough to check those things or perhaps just want a new fancy computerized machine so don't care. Hope to find one like that some day .... if I can just keep "the rocket man" away from them! hehehe Oh and yes, that is the way I search on CL for sewing machines also. Wish you hadn't told everyone else (Ha!) and sometimes I wish I had never found out about CL or ebay but too late now.

tate_elliott

Well, you made your wish; and now, here it is! Just today there's an ad for a 1951 singer model 201-2. The price? A mere three hundred dollars! But it does come in a cabinet.

KLO, you don't have to worry about me getting to a Rocketeer ahead of you, my buying days are over. At least for the 500, four is enough.

Tate

Irishrose2

I love my 301s (2) for piecing and FMQ. They are straight stitch machines. I have a 404, also straight stitch, but it doesn't do anything for me. It was only $5 and for that price I can leave at the church where my quilt group meets so I don't need to transport a precious 301. The vertical bobbin of the 301 is good for FMQ and a straight stitch machine sews a tiny bit straighter than a ZZ, which is important on some close seams. The 404 has a horizontal bobbin, though it is still a slant needle. I'd love to have a Rocketeer to look at, but for sewing with that kind of machine, I'd choose my trusty Elna.