Info about Singer 201?
 

At a recent quilt show I saw a Singer 201 that had been mounted on a frame to do FMQ. It was much less expensive than all those new machines. My husband tried it out and just took off sewing with it. I did not get a chance as the bobbin had to be refilled and we did not have time to stay. Now I cannot get it off my mind.
Anyone know much about that machine? I do know that it has a larger throat area than most antique machines.
Brenda

"The bobbin needed to be refilled" would be the biggest negative about using the machine on a frame. The bobbins are small and they're drop ins. Not only would you have to be dealing with small bobbins running out frequently, you'd also have to be shifting the machine to the side all the time because the quilt would cover up where you need to insert bobbins. This is why long arm machines have a horizontal bobbin assembly. I had a 301 on a frame for a while and found the room to quilt with when the quilt is rolled, is very, very small. The 301 is only slightly smaller than the throat of the 201.

I personally much prefer using a Singer 15 for FMQ than the Singer 201.

I wouldn't say it has a larger throat area then most antique/vintage machines - I've got a lot of non-singers that have much more room.

The 201 is my husband's favorite machine, so maybe it's also a guy thing! He liked it so much he had to get his own instead of using mine.

Loads of people would consider it the best domestic machine ever made. Stitches are perfection.
As someone who makes clothing, the 201 is magnificent. Quilters have already told you they aren't good for quilting but since sewing through five layers of 1970s jeans with a 201, I always have at least one in the house. They're very cheap, very plentiful and extremely reliable and will sew everything from silk to (at least) five layers of denim.
If you Google it, you'll only find others like me extolling its virtues.
I can understand Candace's comments, which are totally valid. If you want an old machine for quilting, a 15 is usually the preferred option. But if you also sew clothing, you should get a 201 as well.

I have 3 Singer 201 and in my opinion it is the best machine Singer ever made. I do not fmq on it because of the horizontal bobbin position. I put binding on my quilts with the 201 because they have no trouble sewing thru 7 layers of material. I also have 3 singer 15-91 which I dearly love also and these I use for FMQ work because of the vertical bobbin.

Oops I meant to write that's why longarms have vertical bobbin assemblies..