My wife and I are working on a project. We needed to find one of our machines that does zig-zag and decorative stitches to do some creative stitching.
We have in no particular order:
Bernina 930 = 1986
Singer 4622 A = late 80s to eary 90s?
Alden SUZ-2 = 60s?
MW 7 Jewel = 60s?
Singer 319K = 1957
Ideal Automatik = 60s?
Singer 401A =
Singer 338K =
All of these machines are capable of making many varieties of decorative stitches. We went around checking the patterns each made and narrowed it down to three. The Bernina that makes a stitch that looks like waves, The MW 7 Jewell that makes bubbles. And the Singer 4622A that does a couple other odd looking stitches.
The Bernina never falters, it just goes and goes and goes and .... well we might nick name the Eveready Bunny.
The MW 7 Jewel is quiet and smooth and makes great stitches seeming without effort.
Now the Singer 4622 sounds horrible to me. It runs, it works, but it sounds like it's struggling and fighting to run. I don't like it.
I tried to tell my wife why, but the words would not come. So I showed her. I sewed with the MW 7 Jewell and then the Singer.
She said: "It's simple; the 7 Jewel sounds like metal, and the Singer sounds like plastic."
I hate plastic machines. It's not all plastic like the new ones, but that machine just sounds cheep.
I've looked at new machines. I've watched them work. But I don't want one. No plastic wannabee sewing machines with computers will ever be owned by me.
Older and antique machines are better.
Joe