Originally Posted by
vmaniqui
why is it that of all the parts in that machine, they decided to put a fiber gear instead of a metal one. why oh why. now i can't brag about my 201-2 of being an all metal machine. is this true for all singer sewing machines or just the 15-91 and 201? hmm i wonder how durable that is? thanks for posting.
The 301, the 401/403/411/431/500/503 machines I've had here have all had the fiber gear as well.
As far as durability, I've read here that an OSMG on another list has said he's never seen a fiber gear break... but.... as Steve mentions it's a mechanical "fuse". I've always been concerned about those 60 odd year old gears, which is why I've always told people that the 15-90 is pretty much as beefy without the potential self-destruct button. If it runs into a problem, the belt will slip. If the 15-91 runs into trouble, the potential is there for the gear to break, and they're not easily available. I think I found one source at some point...
In practice, I've pierced as much or more with the 15-90 as the 15-91. I had a guy bring me some old hard naughahyde to try sewing and the 15-90 actually did it better than the 15-91.
Realistically, for most of our uses, the main benefit of the potted motor is the lack of intrusion into the harp area.
Originally Posted by
SteveH
the other being to reduce operating noise level of the machine.
They sure could have put some more energy into quieting down that hook mechanism instead
