Originally Posted by
bkay
It appears to be what's commonly referred to as a Japanese 15 clone. It's a copy of a Singer 15. They were manufactured after WWII in Japan.
Most are very reliable machines, although Miriam says that some of early ones sometimes need some timing work. They are all metal and will last forever. I've had a couple of the later Japanese machines and they worked well, although one was really noisy.
Usually, you can just oil them and start using them. Singer feet and accessories fit them, so they are inexpensive and plentiful. You can get a generic manual for free at ismacs.
bkay
I don't think they are that old. I started noticing these when the Needlepunch stitching was all the rage. Seems to me the advertisements showed clothing and bedding covered with stitches that looked like caterpillars. The Omni Stitch was for all decorative stitching. If the photo is of a 15 clone, where is the drop-feed knob? I think the original selling price for the Omni Stitch kit was about $400. I'd like to be proven wrong if it educates me.