Singer 101 - Anyone knows anything about this ?
 

hi all,

i am looking at 2 singer sewing machine 101 (??) at my area (sorry for asking so many questions about singers) and wanted to ask you guys if it's worth getting. the first one has a price tag of $60 but seems to be in good working condition. the second one is priced at $20 but missing foot pedal, presser foot, needle clamp and maybe some other stuff. let me know which one is a better deal of if it's really worth buying. thanks again.

Google or ebay for the missing parts to see what replacements cost.

You've gotten some really good advice in your prior thread asking about cost and 'value'. "What's it worth threads" really aren't going to teach you much. If you're interested in machines, there are tons of sites to educate and give you info so you can decide which machine is right for you and how much you're willing to pay. There are many threads on this site that you can read through about all the different models and the pluses and minuses of each.

awesome advise. thank you much.

I've never owned a 101 but got the impression that the motor, electrics, and wicks were a pain and not worth the trouble from a utilitarian stand point. The 201 seems to be a much better machine and easier to work on. From a collecting stand point I'd go with the more expensive complete machine for $60 which seems about right. Keep in mind these machines are easier to accumulate than decumulate. Good Luck.

Jon

jon,
tell me about it. never ending quest for a nice machines and before you know it we've got 10's, 20's of them. but it's just so much fun.....just asked the seller of the $60 machine and he said they plugged it but motor didn't run. no sound. thanks a lot.

Like eating popcorn.

These come in two styles, one you need an external foot pedal, and the other has the "foot pedal" built in.

I've got one of each, though the external pedal one I'm not going to keep.

DH has no desire to fix up another one LOL!!

I wanted one because I needed it for my collection, but it would never be my "go to" machine. More of an oddity than anything. There is a reason Singer didn't make them for very long- and came out with the much improved 201.

This is the underside of the one with the speed control (foot pedal) built in. It had a special knee bar to control it. Also notice the old style "plug in" connection.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...ps418fe718.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...ps764147f3.jpg

I love the little pull chain on the light!

Here is an older thread about this machine. It seems that it wasn't a popular machine because of its cost new - $250!

http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...s-t120091.html

My daughter has one. They're an interesting machine. They're Singer's first "electric only" model of sewing machine and they have a fully rotary hook. They use standard needles and class 66 bobbins so those parts are easily available. I don't remember the price of motors-most likely higher than the cost of a complete machine but the motors are unique to that model. I think they were fairly expensive to produce compared to other machines. I also think the one we have here is under-powered compared to our other machines. The $60 complete machine would be the better one if it ran. It could be an easy fix, it could be worse than that. No way to know from here. There should be a knee controller built into the cabinet. If you decide you want one get both so you can make one good runner.
Rodney

I just noticed the first one has a more modern controller on it. If it was rewired at one point that could be why it doesn't run. My machine has a ceramic controller mounted inside the cabinet that is operated by the knee controller and is shown in the manual for that machine. Singer has a free manual that you can download if you want to learn a bit more about them.
Rodney