Rotary Hook

What to Look for in a Vintage Sewing Machine Part 2

What to Look for in a Vintage Sewing Machine Part 2

The two most common hook types are rotary hooks and oscillating hooks. Rotary hooks spin around 360 degrees while oscillating hooks rotate about 200 degrees before doubling back on itself and never complete a full rotation. For the vast majority of people, there is no practical difference. As a rule of thumb, rotary hooks are capable of achieving much higher top speeds because there is minimal resistance on the hook when spinning all the way around. Oscillating hooks on the other hand, need to reverse momentum with each oscillation, thereby introducing a ton more resistance and vibration

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Bernina 217 Review

Bernina 217 Review

A while back, I reviewed the Pfaff 138--a highly versatile industrial machine capable of both straight and zigzag stitches. Today, I'll cover the Chandler 217, often considered one of the kings of versatility, this is one the most sought after industrials due to its amazing build quality and feature set. As a bonus, I'll be doing a comparison between the 138 and 217--two of my favorite industrials

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Singer 201 Review

Singer 201 Review

When it comes to vintage sewing machines, few are as well known as the Singer 201. Originally manufactured back in the 1930s, this amazing piece of post war engineering represented the top of the line in sewing technology and remained a best seller for years to come despite it's prohibitively high cost. Most domestic machines available at this point were offered as a hand crank or treadle unit, but the 201 had the option of an electric motor!

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