Sewing Machines

[funbun]

What sewing machines are you guys using? I used a Cheap-mart sewing machine. It cost me like $80 bucks.

I'd like to get a Bernina, Pfaff, Viking, or an Elna.

[papa john]

I use an old Singer 301 that was my grandmothers. It is a workhorse and is in excellent shape.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

I own a fairly new Elna and an old Singer. For the sort of sewing necessary for making gear, the older machines are better - they handle heavier fabric / multiple layers better.

[funbun]

I own a fairly new Elna and an old Singer. For the sort of sewing necessary for making gear, the older machines are better - they handle heavier fabric / multiple layers better.

Why is that? I've heard that in several places from several people. It's like in the music world: the old horns play better thing.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

I'm not a sewing machine engineer, but my guess is that old machines are made of heavier / more durable metals instead of aluminum and plastic - and they were designed to handle sewing multiple layers of heavy fabric. Today's machines do all kinds of fancy stitches and seem to be designed to sew two layers of light or medium weight fabric together.

[Rollergirl]

Ooooh! Sewing!! My *fav* non-outdoors hobby!!!

Let's first discuss what you intend to sew:

If you are making lightweight gear, then any machine can do the job...I recommend using a featherstitch to ensure lightweight nylon does not fray.

If you are making store-bought strength gear (i.e. 1000 denier Cordura or 1680 ballastic packcloth) and sewing through multiple layers of nylon webbing (i.e. making harnesses or straps), I highly recommend the "commerical grade" Sewing series...such as CG-500.

Older machines are more heavy duty, for certain, and you want to ensure that if you buy one, you get it oiled regularly so that it continues to have its agressiveness. The motors are more hard core on the old machines as well as the parts are all metal. Plastic machines are great economically but are much more fragile.

Out of the brands you listed, I myself would consider Bernina the highest quality of overall sewing machines...however, I think Singer is by far the most reliable and heavy duty.

Hope that helped!! Good luck!!

Muchas Smoochas,
Rollergirl

[camper10469]

I have been using my grandmothers Singer 99K and her older 99 featherlite portable with knee blade to regulate the speed. They are wonderful machines although sort of finikie about thread tension. I took the machines completely apart and cleaned out 75 years of lint built up inside and gave em a good oiling.

It works great for all types of material. I sew silnylon but have to make sure to feed it through or it tends to slide around and get terrable bottom stitch bunching.

[brian]

About a year ago, I bought a new Janome machine, as I had been using one (not mine) for over a year, and I was very pleased at the low pricetag. It works great with every fabric I have thrown at it, .85oz Spinnaker to lots of silnylon to triple layered nylon webbing with 1000D Cordura, and after ~80 silnylon tarps through the past year, it has been going very strong! I have the DC3018 model, and it cost me somewhere around $350 new. Worth every penny!

Brian
OES

[funbun]

I plan on from 1.1 oz sewing riptop nylon to 8 oz (400 denier) packcloth.

[general]

I plan on from 1.1 oz sewing riptop nylon to 8 oz (400 denier) packcloth.

a nice old singer heavy duty multistitch machine. i like the singer 290C for nylon and lighter pack cloth.


any machine with reverse will work.