Bushman_Craig wrote:The old machines have solid metal gears and mechanism, so unlike the newer types, they won't be ruined from thread-injecting multiple layers of canvas or cordura.
It's been suggested to me that it's better to try and fix a vintage metal machine instead of buying a new plastic one.
I've been using my girlfriend's basic Kenmore (model 1525) that is something like 40 years old. It's the same technology as that Singer in paddlpop's photo: no microprocessor; just metal and gears. The motor in the Kenmore isn't strong enough to go through some of the things I've sewn but I can help it through the harder spots by grabbing the big wheel. Sometimes I manually drive stitches when the number of fabric layers bogs it down; it's still faster than doing it by hand.
Recently I did run into a limitation with it though. I made some shoulder straps for a backpack I made and needed to sew webbing to the straps. But at 15-17mm thick they simply would not fit under the needle. I had to do that by hand; it required a pair of pliers to push/pull the needle through everything. I suppose an industrial machine would have been nice for that, but I've made tents, sleeping bags, and now a pack with this little thing. I don't think I need a fancy machine.