I lean towards new belts, and preferably the black v-belts. Some swear the lugged neoprene belts are even nicer, but I haven't been as lucky, at least not yet. That said, the orangey neoprene belt went on a 201, not a 221. Here on the quilting board I have read some have received wider blac v-belts than the original Singer version, but mine have been a perfect fit width wise. I bought mine from Sew Classic and a guy on ebay, they have Singer part numbers and are much smoother and less noise than the old worn belts. The old wasn't in good condition on my machines, I would have kept them if they were.