I've also been thinking of adding a hand crank machine to my collection. I have a Singer 201 hand crank, but like you say, they weigh a ton. I'm looking for a lighter weight machine and wouldn't it be nice if it had a zig zag! The only Singer I can think of is the Genie, but can that take a hand crank? Another choice might be an aluminum Singer 201. Has anyone seen a Singer 301 with a hand crank? Maybe a Singer 99 (but no zig zag)?
It would be helpful if people could tell us what hand crank machines they have and how they like them.