Originally Posted by
miriam
I need to get serious with my 411G and 401G - do some experimenting. BTW I found the right bobbin holder for it in my hoard of junk - I need to get it out and play soon.
Yes I have noticed that the 403 and 503 make nicer stitches than the 401 and 500 - they just look better to me more complete or something. I have a couple Elna's and a Phoenix but I haven't been using them as much as the 403 - I honestly don't know why - they are really good machines. I'm over Viking, Janome and Dernena - hurts my neck to use them - can't see past the nose. The slant-o-matics have me spoiled rotten. I do like a mean 15 clone - best one I had was a Montgomery Ward - nice piece - sorry I sold it...
That's great!! Now you can get that 411g, (and 401G?) chainstitching too.
I think that the icicle stitch especially shows the difference between the internal cam and the disks. I like the disk version the best.
I haven't spent any time bonding with the Elnas either. The one that can combine stitches is out the door twice over, so I won't get a chance either.
Originally Posted by
SteveH
The 403's around here seem to go for about$100 whereas the 503's are about $250. Worth asking to clarify the differences.
I sure wouldn't pay that much more for the 503. Not worth it. My 403 was $50 from a thrift store, in a cabinet with the bent wire screw driver, a zig zag cam, and 2 old Singer oil cans, one of the small ones everyone looks for, and one rectangular that no one seems to care about.
My 503 was somewhere between $50 and $100 - but I got a lot with it:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...a-t194988.html