I hope we hear back if she bought a FW, and which one! My dad gave me my first one when I was in college in 1968. It was the ONLY machine I had till about 1980. I sewed formals on it, pjs, dresses, t shirts, you name it! I would definitely buy the FW. Also, checking with the serial number, it's fun to find its manufactured date!!

Hope you bought one of them and report back!! It is everything everyone else listed!!

I think you would miss more than the automatic thread cutter!
However, they are fun to sew on, and it feels good to me to feel the link to the past when sewing.
Due to my height and bad vision, I cannot see the needle comfortably, because the tension knob is in my line of vision. Therefore, I have sold the FW's I have owned and now have 301's (slant needle). I use them a lot of the time.

Update: I did not buy any of the three I mentioned. But I'm convinced I want one. Just holding out for a real bargain like so many of you have found.

It sounds like you are going to have to buy one and just find out if you like using it or not. I would never pay $200, let alone $300 for one, tho. There are better deals around. Watch the auction houses, craigslist, and estate sales. I have bought 3. Paid $20 for the first one and $85 for the last one from an auction house... then realized it needed the bobbin winder replaced, so add $30 for that. Remember, MILLIONS and MILLIONS of them were made over about 3 decades and they never wear out. There are a ton of them 'out there'.

That being said, I just about never use mine. Once I found a 301 I liked it so much better. The 301 is just 5 lbs heavier, but is gear driven rather than belt driven. Belt drives are so wimpy compared to gear drives. But if all you plan to do with a FW is piece two layers of cotton together, it will be adequate. Forget sewing jeans or quilting, or anything heavier than cotton piecing.

As for the 'perfect tension/perfect stitches' myth, it varies from machine to machine. They all have to be cleaned and oiled well and the tension set properly to make that perfect stitch.

I have 2 FWs. A black one ($250 including shipping-EBay) and a white one $80, locally on CL. My black one arrived not overly packed, but in one piece-no issues). Even though I hardly ever used either one I can't think of any reason not to buy one. Both were in very nice condition, most of decals intact. Love them, if nothing else...they are so cute. I usually sew with with my HV Topaz, but hope to use my FW in the future for quilting...after I get my sewing room in order-just moved and still un-packing. They are much easier to take to sewing classes or quilting groups.

I am no expert, but I would not go with the one that has 'issues' with tension, maybe it is unfixable. It seems they are little gems, so I would go for it.