Candace

There are a couple I don't care for, for piecing. I'm not found of 99's or 185's for piecing as they're louder and vibrate more than the others. My Elna Lotus is a nice little piecer , as are most of the hoard.

miriam

I have a 99 that is so quiet it isn't funny. I put a HC on it.

Candace

I've worked on several 99's and they've all vibrated. It's not so much the noise but the vibration that I don't care for, to accurately piece things.

miriam

I guess I don't know what vibration you are meaning. Are the feed dogs too high or something?

Candace

No, the machine itself (if portable) vibrates a bit more than other machines. This is something most owners know about with 99's and 185's and live with. I do know a few people who've sold theirs because they can't live with it.

miriam

really??? I guess it never bothered me. What bothers me is a FW - just about bounce off the table.

J Miller

Ummmm, well, uh, I don't know. I've put together a bunch of quilted things in the last couple years and have done a lot of piecing. You see my squares are mostly 3.5". It takes a lot of those little squares to make a queen sized quilt.

All I can say is my favorite is one that:
A: backtacks
B: Sews forward and backward in a straight line.
C: has a good smooth foot controller

Joe

J Miller

Candace,

Would you say the vibration occurs mostly at high speeds?

I only ask because I have several 3/4 size machines, both Singer and imports and I haven't noticed a lot of vibration. But then I tend to sew slow more than fast.

Joe

Candace

For sure, higher speeds. Since I'm a speed sewer, it's noticeable to me. These aren't the only machines that do this. I've had other models by many different manufacturers that have vibration issues at high speeds. Some even at low speeds. I have several machines that are so cute I can't part with them, but do the same thing Miriam said. They like to bounce around on the table. I put quilted items or towels under them and it helps, but is still not my favorite to piece on. There's a bearing under the 99 feed dogs that can get a flat spot from being "stuck" over time that can really turn them into mover and shakers. But, they're so cute that they're still hard for me to let go of.

miriam

Ikea makes a rubber shelf liner that I put on the table - not much vibrates off that. I haven't seen one that the bearing got that bad - I better cross my fingers.