NZquilter

Cheshirepat, I think it's great that you are looking at one from a collector! She probably has done any big maintenance, or repairs already. Yay!

Thats_It_I_Quilt

I am happy with the 301a I purchased here...
https://www.machinelady.com/

leonf

Make sure it has the bobbin case.. FW owns sometimes buy them just for the cases.

sewbizgirl

I have two, in cabinets, that I bought at estate sales. They are fabulous. I really didn't want a second one, but it was only $25 and they hadn't had anyone interested in it at that estate sale. Can you imagine? Of course I couldn't leave it behind.

These are the first slant-o-matics that Singer made. Very easy to see the needle, and also the bobbin, for changing. They are gear driven and have "potted" (enclosed) motors, so they are very strong sewers. They make lovely, balanced stitches. And they are only 5 lbs. heavier than a featherweight, so just as portable. Plus they are cute! They look like a little train car to me.

Enjoy!

Cari-in-Oly

Sewbizgirl the 301 doesn't have a potted motor it has an internal motor. A potted motor is on the outside of the machine.

Cari

cashs_mom

Actually, I kind of like the way it runs. It does have a gradual speed, but seems to like to go fast (or is that just me?) lol

heart_of_bernina

No it's not just you. I have a Bernina 801 (1976) and the first foot control as I recall had a switch on the side for fast and faster. Anyway the whole thing blew whilst making a bikini for a Barbie doll,(don't ask) motor et al. Something about carbon rods in the foot pedal as I recall.

Anyway we were moving to Ireland and there was a long waiting list for Bernina Swiss parts so repair man fitted a universal motor and supplied a Riccar foot control which was really fast. I recently replaced the Riccar with a Bernina foot pedal and it still goes at a gallop......my daughter who has a Pfaff won't go near it. Says it terrifies her.

RotaryQueen

My Bernina 830e is named Secretariat (Big Red) because he only went very fast when I got him. Much research and close scrutiny of the foot controller guts led me to conclude that I needed to replace capacitors and resistors in the electronic foot pedal. Instead I wired in a new electronic pedal. Now he has a more gradual ramp, but I still find myself going all out on long stretches! It's kind of scary, but isn't that part of riding a race hore? ;->

Daylesewblessed

I have 2 301's that I use frequently. In fact, my straight line quilting is done mostly on one of them as it sits on the end of the dining room table almost all of the time. I have also had one or two 301's that I gave to families who had children learning to sew.

I use the Singer slant walking foot that was probably designed for a later slant model and find that it works for me. As others have said, the 301 is a speedy machine. The only disadvantage that I can see is that the bobbin has a smaller capacity than I would like (same bobbin as the 221 FW). The light doesn't burn as hot as the FW light, and it is steadier on the table, so those are advantages. I wish that it would zigzag, but my Pfaff 130 does that, so I don't need that feature on the 301.

Nostalgia is a wonderful reason to get a vintage machine. It draws you closer to your roots.

A website with some interesting information on the 301 is Singer301.com.

Cheshirepat

So, she's home and she's perfect... Electrical cords are soft, bobbin case is original (!) And she just purrs. I'm just so thrilled and amazed at my luck, I guess it was meant to be. Not sure if she wants to be named, but if so she's Erzsébet, after my Hungarian grandmother who was an amazing seamstress, and imparted her love of this machine to me.