ckcowl

I picked up a wonderful Singer 99K (1956) at a barn sale for $20. It sews the greatest, smooth, even straight stitch I've ever seen. It was well cared for, clean, cord was not frayed- a great find and a machine I love. People have gone a little crazy where featherweight s are concerned. If you really want one of those I would have to see it before purchase- clean? Attachments in their box with it? Case in good condition? Cord not frayed? Everything that should move/ turn does so smoothly? In other words, is it in good enough condition with everything that goes with them included and how much are you willing to spend? I spent 3 years looking around for a second machine, couldn't be happier with my $20 find.
Not a featherweight but a great straight stitch vintage machine

CGS

Thank you for all the good advice. I am not necessarily set on a Featherweight. They are just what I've heard most about. I am really just interested in a vintage straight stitch machine that works well for piecing. I will include the 99s and 301s to my list of options. Any others I should consider?

sewbizgirl

My best piece of advice would be: Don't be in a hurry. You'll pay too much if you are! I also have two featherweights that I bought because of the hype, and am not that impressed with them. After I found a 301 I never use the featherweights. I found two 301s at estate sales... paid $50 for one of them and $25 for another--in cabinets! I love those machines. They really are NOT upgrades from the featherweight (big sisters), but their own great designs. The 301 was the very first Slant-O-Matic model to come out, and it's a beltless, gear driven machine with the motor and gears all encased in the tower. This is totally different from the featherweight which is belt driven and has an external motor. The 301 is a much stronger sewer because of the gear drive, and it's only 5 lbs heavier than a featherweight even tho it is a full sized machine. They become portables easily when you pull up the handle on the top of the arm, and lift them out of their cabinets. They go in and out of their cabinets in a snap. There is no comparison between a 301 and a featherweight! The slanted needlebar allows better visibility of your sewing, and the bobbin case is very easily accessible.

miriam

If you look around on this board you will see all kinds of cool vintage machines. Where do you start? There are many nice vintage machines. Check out the beautiful and colorful Japanese 15 clones - I've had very few that couldn't be made to work. Or just get a Singer 15 with a silver badge. Kenmore made a few amazing machines. The 66s and 99s (Singer) are nice machines but a little more complicated than the 15s or the clones. Uncommon, there are clones of the 66s by the Japanese, too. There are some old Japanese machines that do SS, ZZ, take cams or have camstacks. Those are a lot of fun with the cool colors and some dash boards. We have a lot of info here on those, too. An old Long bobbin makes a very nice stitch - a bit more learning curve but not all that bad once you get the hang of it. I have a light weight Singer 206 that just does SS and ZZ - it is a honey of a machine. The Singer 306 is a nice versatile machine with cams, too. If you want adventure try a Singer 319 - it is like a mechanical computer for stitch selection. Very likely you can search each of these in the search above or google and find lots of pro and con. The froggy eye Singer is cool, too. Some just do SS and ZZ and some have cams. I prefer machines that have cams rather than cam stacks. Emdeko by Toyota is a very decent machine. The singer 201 is a Cadilac of straight stitchers. My own favorite is a souped up Singer 15-75 and it is the ugliest machine - some farm wife beat it nearly to death. I put a fast motor on it and a pop up pressure nut. It is in my Singer 3 in 1 table. Sweet. It was pretty gross so it was thoroughly cleaned and oiled. I'm thinking the only thing I have faster is industrial. A lot of times times the old ugly worked to death machines sew better than the pretty shiny nice ones. I don't mean neglected never used rusted... I have a Singer 115 I put a hand crank on and love it, too. It is better than the FW or the 301. It has the same bobbin mechanism but the bobbin holds a lot more thread. BTW I likely haven't scratched the surface of the old machines I love. If you want antique go check out Victorian sweatshop forum.

cashs_mom

I agree. I have my mother's 301A and a Rocketeer as well as a Featherweight. I haven't had much chance to use the featherweight yet, but the 301A is now my go-to machine for piecing. I love that little machine. I've seen them go for really reasonable prices and it isn't really that heavy if you want to take it to classes or retreats.

lovelyl

I have a 301 and FW. I like them both, but love the FW! It is so quiet and portable and has the best straight stitch. For me, it goes to the top of my list for a travel machine because of its portability. It is also easy to set up in the tv room for those times I want to watch tv with the family and still sew. I actually had 4, but sold one. One I found on eBay several years ago and paid way too much for it, but sold it locally for what I paid for it. The other 3 were reasonably priced at antique malls.
If you know anyone with vintage machines, perhaps you could test sew on them before you decide. Good luck!

purplefiend

MFord,
The tan featherweights are more expensive, because they were only made for about 2-3 years; so there are fewer out there. I have a tan FW, its good little machine. I also have a black short bed 301, I like it too.
Sharon in Texas

MFord

You know, that Bernina your mom gave you is probably a heck of a machine, too! I have an 830 Record made in '76 that just purrs, plus it has lots of nice deco stitches. They have one or two nylon gears that sometimes need to be replaced, but it's well worth doing. A heavier machine, though.

MFord

Sharon, isn't it funny that the tan machines are more expensive than the black - to me they look less interesting than the black ones with the decals and pretty faceplates. I do love mine, though!

Cari-in-Oly

Given a choice between a FW and a 301, for me it's no contest. I'll choose my 301s every time. I keep my FW because it looks so cute in its cabinet and my 5yr old GD has claimed it and my hand crank machine.

Cari