Feedback On...Sewing Machines

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It's also handy to know that-in many cases-components of the newer machines are interchangeable with those of the older ones. Be wary of any dealer who tries to sell you a new model on the grounds that parts for Old Faithful aren't available . . . and remember that you can frequently save money by buying replacements from independent operations rather than name brand firms.

[41 Trade names are oftentimes a lot of baloney. When I was in the repair business 1 knew of one supplier who sold several basic models. . . to which different brand labels could be attached for the various department and chain stores. Probably the largest manufacturer of sewing machines today is Brothers of Japan.

[51 If you shop for a new machine, watch out for the "switchpitch" sales tactics practiced by some large department and chain stores. The bait to the trap is a "special" advertised at a very low price. This is, in fact, an excellent unit with a shuttle-type bobbin, similar in design to the early Singers . . . but when the machine is demonstrated (usually in the customer's home), the salesman will operate it at full speed so that it vibrates and "walks" across the table. Then the switchpitch takes place: Zigzag or round-bobbin models are shown, and the trusting buyer ends up taking a machine that costs five times or more as much as the special.

I suggest, however, that the original model can safely be purchased. Since very few people sew at full speed, and since the cloth is held down while being worked on, the possibility that the machine will "walk" in normal use is nil. Although the salesman will try to discourage you, he's required by law to sell you the special if you so demand. Otherwise, you can press charges and have him arrested for false advertising.

[61 Straight-stitch sewing machines far exceed zigzags in value and service life. The former are made of cast-iron parts with heavy bronze bushings, and are practically unbreakable. The newer zigzags, on the other hand, have many more components crammed into a housing of the same size, and a number of their parts are made of thin stamped metal. These can be bent out of alignment by accident, and tend to wear rapidly because of their smaller bearing surfaces. Such problems are difficult to diagnose and correct, and repairs are more frequent and more costly.

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