Info/opinions please on Singer 3-120 and Singer 221
 

Hi all,
I am looking to purchase a Featherweight machine to go along with my Singer 66 I inherited from my great-grandma. One of my quilty "sisters" in my quilt group has a 221. From what I gather the 221 was made after 1950 something, ones prior don't have 221 badge?? Also is the only difference in 221 and 3-120 or 3-10 the motor? Are the equally as great? I would love any other info/ comments. Thanks so much my fellow vintage enthusiasts!
Regards,
Kif

Kif,

The black Singer 221 and 221K Featherweights were made from 1933 to 1957ish. The white 221K was made from about 1964 to 1968. They don't all have the 221 designation on the front. BUT they all have a flip-up bed extension on the left and the light on the front of the horizontal arm. Those two feature are a great way to spot the Featherweight. The Featherweight is considered to be a half sized machine.
I assume you are asking about the 301, as the Singer 3 is a huge industrial machine from around 1900. The 301 is a full size machine and also has a flip-up bed extension. The motor on the 301 is internal and gear driven. On the 221 the motor is on the rear and drives the machine by a belt.
The 301 and the 221 both use the same bobbins and bobbin case.

Cathy

Thanks for the great info, actually I am asking about the 3-110 or 3-120, which I had never seen until getting serious looking for a featherweight. From what I find it is like a 221 featherweight only has 110 or 120 motor, looks exactly the same, only isn't called a 221 but is called 3-120 or maybe it is a 221 category 3-120....here are some links to what I found:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Singer-Feath...item257a5223b2

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-SING...item43bccabeac

I am just wanting to make sure before I invest.
Regards,
Kif

Kif,

Both of those eBay listings are a Featherweight 221. The other numbers are probably taken off the motors. In my opinion they really don't mean anything.

Cathy

Thanks,
Thats what I thought...they look just like a fw 221...just wanted to make sure as I know its easy to get burned out there...I don't NEED a featherweight at all...I have my Singer 66, a Minnesota Rotary that I picked up for a song, heres a link to it:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/vintage...d-t218085.html
as well as 4 newer machines...but I have been thinking of a fw for a while now...I just am such a novice to them that I don't know how much to pay, what's a good deal, etc....
Thanks so much!
K

"What is it worth?" and "what should I pay?" are common questions that no one can really answer. It depends on so many different considerations, that it really comes down to the question of what it's worth to you. Rather than looking at what others are asking on eBay or Craigslist, I like to look at the history of sales on the Shop Goodwill site to see what others actually have paid. Here's a link to all the sales of machines described as Featherweights for the last 30 days. http://www.shopgoodwill.com/search/S...&showthumbs=on

I totally agree...I know I am the only one who can decide if it is worth it to me...I just didn't know about variants of the 221, and I also knew the great folks here could help me out with questions to consider prior to making the purchase.
Thanks!
Kif

Sometimes ebay listers show the 221s and the 221Ks as a 3-110 or 3-120 Singer (cause they don't know any better)...this is the number on the motor of the machines. They are all featherweights.

How did you access the info on shopgoodwill.com site?

Hi csharp,
I finally figured that out, too...a duh moment for me...thanks for helping me out. I am waiting for my gem of a featherweight to come in now.. I am so excited!
Kif