Originally Posted by
themadpatter
It isn't as noisy as rumored, and when freshly oiled isn't any worse than say, the Necchi. I think the case its in is the problem there, though.
I know some have found the oid 99 very noisy, but I have had a couple of them, and this model runs very nicely when cleaned and oiled. It's only when you push it beyond it's limits it starts to vibrate and jump on the table (stitching through hard leather, layers of heavy materials at top speed). The case on 99s and 185s often needs a bit of attention, the rubber or felt feet might be missing, and Singer even had a rubber mat to place the bases on to further absorb vibrations. My 99 has lots of furniture sticker felt bits under and on a sturdy table it runs very nicely.
I'm guessing the 285 can respond similarly when tended too. The rack and pinioin design is unusual, I have seen it in cobbler machines, and industrial models with very long thin freearms.