I have 2 401s and 2 503s. All were purchased used. They vary greatly in their speed and quietness. I bought my first 503 from a gentleman who had donated it to his church for a sewing class. When the class folded, it was returned to him. I bought it out of his backyard shed. I finally got tired of messing with it as my primary sewer and replaced it with a 401. I bought my second 503 at an estate sale on the final day. It hums perfectly.
The performance of these machines depend a lot on how they've been treated. My second 401 runs better than the first one. The first one was really stuck together from what appeared to be a once well oiled machine that was left in storage for years. Even thought I cleaned on it for a couple of weeks, it's never been as good as the second one.
That's just my experience with these machines.
bkay
Last edited by bkay; 11-10-2019 at 08:31 AM.
Reason: grammar, once again