Thanks for the quick reply. That makes more sense since that one I can find on the net. What did we do before we had the net to look things up on??!! I'm learning a lot about older Singer sewing machines since I bought my FW in May and my 99 this month. Now what's next????.... It'll have to be a very good price, like at a garage sale where the price is too good to be true. I just love the look of the older black machines. And they run so quietly, or at least mine do. They are just so pretty too. And I think it's neat to have machines that are older than I am! Now is that telling my age?

Well, the 99 is just like the 15--just a little stubbier

:lol:

Singer 15-91 direct drive (no belt) is electric and the 15-88, 15-89, 15-90 have belts and are threadles or can be threadled. Some might have a potted motor. Most are not anything you would take along to sew at class with the exception of the Feather weight and Singer 301. Both of those only do straight stitch. the 401 has build in stitches and cams, little palsitc dishes that enable you to do more decorative stitches.

Those are beautiful! I badly want a 201 and a 9W to add to my collection. I have a 27-4 (treadle), 15-91, 15-96 (treadle), 66-1 (treadle), and a 66-16, none of them in cabinets as beautiful as yours. I heard that back then people loved the 15-91 so much but wanted it in a treadle so they made the 15-96!

You have some yummy machines. Do you have pictures? Keep looking for that 201 it is so smooth. I put one that had a belt but a broken potted motor in my threadle and it treadles wonderfully too.

I stuttered and even tho I *always* read my messages after posting this one slipped by me thanks for corrections re15-91 and 90 :oops:

OK, another quick question, what is a 9W?
And I agree not to get the newer Singers. I made a mistake a few years ago and got my daughter a cheap Singer, remembering how good the old ones were. It is NOISY!!!!!!! And temparmental! And I hate using it when I am up at her home. She doesn't use it, but piles up what needs mending for me to do. I wish I'd gotten her a better machine. The 'yard sale' Brother machine I got for $5-10.00 years ago is better than the one I got her. I'm thinking of taking up 'yard sale Brother' and getting rid of her Singer. I learned my lesson!!!

Wheeler and Wilson made a #9 then Singer took over and recreated the #9W. It's a treadle. I want one because it has a large harp space. Wanted to try to do FMQ on it!

I have to say that not all new Singer's are bad. I think some people may have gotten some lemons. I have 3 new Singers, 2 not so new Singers, 5 vintage Singers and 2 Brothers (one of which I gave to my sister). I have never had a problem with any one of them. I read on the Board how people bash Singers but everyone of them that have the fancy dancy Bernina's, Pfaff's, Vikings, Janome's, etc. have to periodically take them to the shop for tuneups. I have never had to take one of my Singer's in for a tuneup or to be fixed and I don't baby my machines either. I do everything everyone says not to like sewing over pins... :roll: My L500 does everything they do and has a 9" harp space :) I bet anything comparable would cost a lot more. So I say, let them keep bashing Singers and I can keep getting my machines for a decent price! :lol: :lol: :lol: I do like Brother machines except they are a little light for my taste and I don't particularly like the position of the lever that lifts the presser feet but that's a personal preference. They do sew great though.

The problem with the Singer I bought for my daughter is that it was a CHEAP one!!! Really, it was my mistake. I bought one of those ones that Walmart had on their 'day after Thanksgiving' sales, and it was too cheap to be that good. It is noisy and temperamental. I gave it to her for Christmas one year just so that when I go up there I have a machine to use if I need to fix anything for her. If I'd tried it before I took it up, I probably would have taken it back and gotten a different machine instead. It has come in handy to use, and probably if I used it more, I'd get more used to it.
On the other hand, my 1939 featherweight I got in May, and the 99 I got this month are quiet!! And they would have been a lot more expensive machines when they were new. It all goes to say you get what you pay for.
One of the women on this board got one of the new featherweight computerized machines, and I'm wondering how she likes it. I hope it is just what she wanted, as it is a cute machine too. I don't bash all new Singers, just the cheap one I bought.