Is this tractor thing everybody is talking about for real or just a joke? There is no commercial interest in these old machines, the vast majority of them is far from a collectors gem, though they can easil become someones gem of a sturdy stitcher. It must be about reaching out to others who see the qualities and values in these machines. Those who made them the developers as well as the workers at the factory were very proud of what they made. Almost nothing made to day is comparable when it comes to being durable, capable and dependable. Can we persuade todays seamsters and seamstresses to take on a simple straight stitcher? I personally fell for the 201, and still like it. The zigzaggers like the Elna Supermatic, Necchi BU and Supernova, Singer 401, and Bernina in the 500 to 700 numbers, compare favorably to any brand new machine under $500, it should be very easy to like them. Maybe we have to cherish the fact that these are the best machines made by previous generations and a good reason to give them a chance? They are and very much look like something from another era, before plastic and computerised features, but they are very much up to the needs of 2015. In my mind the ideal set up is a Singer 201 with an additional serger for finishing edges on difficult fabrics.
Last edited by Mickey2; 10-27-2015 at 06:05 AM.