Originally Posted by
Vridar
Jon, the part you may be referencing is the rubber pulley drive wheel atached to the motor which drives the main shaft. Terms are mine, not technical. The pulley is rubber and develops a flat side if not "exercised" ever so often. People describe the result as a noises hellicopter when this happens. My recollection the pulley's price is not prohibitive but replacing it can be more challenging than most want. Otherwise, I feel the Supermatic is as sturdy as most Singers or Neechis. Others may want to expound.
$30 for the part is pretty expensive in my book. Especially if you paid near that for the machine. I've had 4 or 5 of
those Elna Supermatics that I've rehabbed and released and I still have one in near mint condition. I've never bonded to them. The drop in bobbin is just not my favorite and they just don't do what I need a machine to do...but they're darn cute.