I have heard some amazing things about this model, too... I almost considered one of these that was nearly free on Marketplace... but the funds did not say I could. Though I did inherit, meaning did not pay for but had it given to me, a highly rusted and in rather wretched shape in my opinion, what appears to be a Singer 27, if I believe? That is a project indeed...
Your praise of these machines makes me feel very special. I inherited my mother's 201 and my grandmothers 15-91 (1952 and 1953 models). I know for a fact my mother fixed tents with hers and sewed hundreds of garments etc! Thanks for the videos on how to clean them up and get them working again. Hopefully, I'll get a quilt top done on one of them soon.
Thanks for creating another amazingly informative video. Watching your videos has inspired me to purchase a 15-91 and a 201-2. After watching your videos, I feel confident I can maintain them and perform minor servicing if necessary.
My Singer 15 is a treadle. My grandmother purchased it, my mom said, used during the Depression Era. It has been well maintained and I, just for the heck of it, sew on it every once in a while to this day. I have multiple attachments for this machine and the treadle has enough power to even sew through three layers of craft leather.
I have a 99k Singer, which is a 3/4 machine but is a workhorse. I stitched my upholstery slip covers on it when the Bernina 930 couldn’t take the upholstery thread or a 110 needle, it kept tangling. The stitches on the 99 is so well balanced, the machine is quiet but fast, faster than other machines I’ve had. So vintage Singer machines such as the 66, 15 series, even the featherweight series, of which I have & love, etc. are the best machines!
It is amazing what will trigger memories. When you 'spool' the machine at 18:34, I had a flashback to my mother doing that so many times with her old, black & gold singer (I have no idea what model). It was a long time ago. Could that have been a habit from her years of using a treadle machine? She never lived in a house with electricity until she left home. I remember being entranced by the beauty of the deep black and the contrasting gold.
As always, very informative 👍. Given the fact that the 201-2 uses the same motor, and other than the bobbin system, are they not that similar? I should think the 201-2 should be just as capable. I own 4 of them, along with some 66s, Rocketeers, and 3 Kenmores and nothing can match the stitch quality of the 201-2. 500/503 come close, with the 66s close behind. I find the class 15 system just doesn't make as neat a stitch as the 201-2. Your thoughts/ comments?
Ronald Devine I’ve not tried the 201 nor have I come across one but I wish I could. I just find it amazing how some of these old Singers have such well balanced stitches.
Well other than the Potted Motor design that they share, the are quite different machines in how they are designed to form a stitch. I think that each model has a role to play depending on what you need from a stitch. The 15 is stronger than the 201 for the heaviest fabrics/garment leathers. On the other hand, the 15, while making a nice stitch, does not have the same level of perfection as the 201 (or 301 & Featherweight for that matter). This is largely a matter of aesthetics. So, if I were quilting or sewing couture formal gowns or wedding gowns for example, I would want my stitches to be nothing short of artisinal where aesthetics of a stitch matter at a level that the stitching on other projects might not as long as the stitches are sound and secure. I like to think of the 201 as a luxury car and the 15 as a tractor; each with its strong suites!
I have a 201 blackside with a potted motor and after service i found that it wouldn’t even go through 3 layers of denim at times i want to get the motor rebuilt and see if that helps
