Swapped to a $25 sewing machine from 1974 and I get the hype now

I used to only buy new machines from big box stores because I thought older ones would be too complicated to fix or maintain. Then I found a beat up Singer 348 at a garage sale in Tulsa for $25, spent an hour cleaning the bobbin case and oiling it, and it runs smoother than my 2021 model. Anyone else find that older gear is way easier to repair yourself once you get past the initial learning curve?

2 comments

2 Comments

schmidt.amy1mo ago

My 1975 Kenmore 158.1400 was sitting in a shed for 15 years before I got it. I paid $15 for it at a rummage sale in Wichita. A little 3-in-1 oil in all the right spots and a new belt later, that machine sews through denim like butter. The thing about those old Singers and Kenmores is they're all metal inside, no plastic gears to strip out. You can find the service manual for free online and it's just a matter of knowing which screw to turn. I've fixed mine twice now with a pocket screwdriver and a pair of pliers. New machines just make you buy a whole new board when something breaks instead of giving you a fighting chance.

christopher_west11mo ago

Give me a break, @schmidt.amy. You found a $15 machine that needed basic maintenance, not everyone's 15-year-shed-special is gonna bounce back with some oil and a prayer. You've fixed it with a screwdriver twice, but that's like bragging you patched a leaky pipe instead of just buying a new one. Is the plastic gear thing really that bad on modern machines, or is it just a boogeyman for people who hate change?