irishrose

My go to machine for everything except piecing and quilting is a 1972 Elna. I don't think you can lump all '65-'00 machines together, but, in general, I know what you are saying.

Sewnoma

I have a mid-90's Kenmore I'll probably keep forever - first "appliance" I bought when I moved out of my parent's house! It needs a cleaning and tune-up but it still works perfectly despite a ton of use and abuse! I have no idea if it's metal inside but it almost has to be, since it's still working after all I've done to that machine. I really did abuse it, poor thing. She is in a graceful semi-retirement now, as my backup machine.

JenniePenny

I suppose it's like being middle aged in life..... You become somewhat invisible.....

peaceandjoy

I have a mid-80's Kenmore that has caused nothing but misery; moved it to FL a couple of years ago for an emergency repair machine @ our vacation home. Used it when there last year and remembered why I dislike it so much. Next time I am there, it's going to a donation center.

My Bernina from the mid-90's is a completely different story, I love it as much as I did the day I got it. So much so that when I gave up on Janome Jem's for class/travel machines, I bought a Bernina 240.. Love that machine, too.

I do think that, as new features have become available, folks who are intersted in what they offer want them. Embroidery, stitch regulator, etc. Luckily, for the most part, I have no interest in those things, so I can save my money!

citruscountyquilter

There's a lot of us out there that have machines from that era and are using them as their primary machines. Recently I got together with two friends for a sewing bee and they had those era machines and was surprised that I had one too.

coopah

If you think you're invisible in middle age, wait until you retire and folks yell when they talk to you and act like you don't know anything. :-(
Now to the machine discussion..I bought a no name sewing machine in the late 60s. It had multiple stitches. Sold it to my college roomie...she still has it and uses it. Probably has never even had it cleaned. Then I bought a FW for $15 at a flea market, paid $15 to get it running and still use it. Bought a Pfaff in the 90's for the IDT feature and use that frequently, too. Depends on what I want to do. I'm pretty basic and so are my machines, so we'll all grow old together.

bigsister63

IMHO many of the older machines were made of metel instead o plastic so the parts do not break or wear out. Lots of machines made in the 80's & 90's are stilling sewing strong! Many of the newer computerized machine are "fragile( per Sarint) and you have to be more careful about them then the older machine. I have a new Brother 1500s which is straight stitch only and does not have computer. Hope it is made like the "older" machine and will out last me.

mjhaess

I find that the older metal machines are much better made and easier to repair according to my sewing machine repair man. When a machine is unable to be repaired then it is time to retire it...I have an Elna SU 68 that has been giving me fits with repairs...I love the machine so I have had it repaired three times this last year...The last time I had it repaired, my repair man told me to take it home, enjoy it and give it a burial when it has another problem. I got the message....

wolph33

I have a collection of vintage machines that are awesome but mostly use my newer machines for the bulk of my sewing.I use the vintage every now and then because they are fun.

Aurora

Fortunately, there are still a few of us who prefer REPAIR over REPLACE. I belong to a couple of vintage machine groups and for them, the cut-off point, is 1980.