I have two Vikings and love them The older I love better than any of my machines I use it everyday They are sure work horses At that price I would grab it up quick

I have a Designer 1 with a floppy drive. Very good price. I would make sure that the dongle works & that it has a disk manager program. My dongle quit and I had to upgrade to a new program (included dongle) so I could transfer embroidery from computer to machine. Cost $299. The company no longer has the older model dongles, you have to buy the new program. Hope this helps some.

I bought a Viking #1 in 1995. Then they came out with the #1+. She must have a #1+, there is no hoop for the #1.

If it uses cassettes, (as the #1 does),Viking no longer makes them. You may find them on ebay. The last time I needed a part for my Viking, it took forever. And when I checked with another sewing machine shop, they also said it's hard to get parts for the older Vikings.

I've heard they make the Vikings somewhere in the Far East now, so I guess they make the parts there also.

Basically my machine is a good one, but it is over 15 years old so I can't vouch for the one you found for sale.

would suggest u check it out make real sure it works well.. maybe she would let u try it out at her home..

like a car kick the tires and light the fires. (old car saying)

I have a #1+. I love it. I have had it for quite awhile probably 10 years. I do not really use it for embroidery even though I had to have that when I bought it. If the machine she is selling is a just a #1 (without the +) you won't be able to do any embroidery on it. You will be able to do alot of decorative stitches. That will depend on what cassettes are included with it. You can find extra cassettes on Ebay sometimes. They are usually around $40-$50.

If it is a #1+ you will need to get programable cards to do the embroidery. In order to sew out designs that you could get online or at the store you will need to get a reader/writer. I am almost sure they don't even make those anymore. It is a real pain to figure that out the program out that goesw with it. Hence the reason I don't use it for embroidery.

It really is a great machine for fancy stitching as well as regular stitching but if you want to use it for embroidery I would maybe look at something else.

Someone mention the sensor on it. What that is is you select the fabric type you are working on and it automatically sets the tensions and such for that fabric type.

All though it does have a needle up/down feature you can not
pivot with it. I bought a Viking Quilt Designer so that I could have the pivot feature that the #1+ doesn't have.

I love both of my Vikings. My Mom has a Viking Designer Diamond - top of the line. She goes to Florida it the winter and leaves it at home since she has a Designer SE there. I keep an eye on their house so I get to go over and use it anytime I want. I can get my embroidery fix that way without having to buy a fancy machine.

Hi Debbie,

I used to own this machine. I upgraded to the SE because I wanted larger hoops. The 1+ is a great machine, stitches beautifully and embroiders beautifully too. At $350 it is a steal.

I wish I had kept my 1+ (but needed the trade-in allowance), and if I knew your friend...I'd be buying hers right now. I wouldn't hesitate on this one. If you do buy it, PM me. I know of a site that has some very good tips for useing this machine. :-D :-D :-D

One word of caution, to have it serviced, make sure you get an estimate! I took my Husqvarna 1, no embroidery, last week for service and it cost $200!

I love my machine though and that is an awesome deal!