Originally Posted by
Mickey2
The all metal gear factor is why I so want an early zigzagger. There is a nice Husqvarna zigzag and there is the Pfaff 130, but I have my eye on Bernina ;- ) Is it as smooth as Singer 201?
That's a tall order and I think you're bound to be disappointed. Can a zigzagger ever be as smooth as a 201? You might want to consider a 206 (if you don't already have one). They're charming machines and do only zigzag - no bells, whistles, cams or internal camstacks. Not as smooth as a 201 of course, but they have that solid performance of the black-and-gold Singers that instills confidence. I have a Pfaff 130 and think they're a wee bit over-rated. Good machines, but the bight control is a little wonky, on mine at least.
Since my last posting, I did a little snooping around for the earlier (500 and 600 series) Berninas. Not many to choose from, but the ones I saw were priced, shall we say, optimistically. Maybe the Favorit usually commands a high price, the same as the Record. (I'm probably botching my naming of the models terribly; I have much to learn about the Berninas) Good for them. I admire quality that endures for half a century and still has an avid following.