nanna-up-north

I'm on the lookout for a 201 myself...... don't have one. ..... don't you think I need one of those??

miriam

for sure - I already have one... I'm catch and release... This last one is going to need some clean up after the bobbin area is fixed.

manicmike

I've had one since Feb and didn't use it because it's tan coloured. Tried it for the first time about a month ago and I'm a convert. Best sewing machine I've used so far. Effortlessly glides through anything I threw at it. Only tried it because everything else failed to sew nicely through multiple layers of denim. The 201 went through it like a hot knife through butter, so yes, you need one. They go for $10.50 and up in Australia (the $10.50 one came with a cabinet! Love eBay sometimes). I wouldn't pay more than about $30, but only because they're so common, but brilliant machine and a perfect stitch. Get one that has accessories (blind stitcher, zigzagger and buttonholer are all good), which will be worth paying more for.

nanna-up-north

I'll keep looking....... how can I pass up a 201 when it's so highly recommended? Besides, my DGD has one now and I need to have one so I'll know what to tell her when she asks me about it.... haha. She always asks nanna for sewing help.

miriam

We sure don't find them all that common or all that cheap around here. If you remotely do they need a ton of work.

Mom3

A tan 201? I've never seen a tan one. Can you post a picture?

manicmike

The $10.50 (cast iron, 1936) was cheap because the photo had corrupted on upload. The one that showed the machine (as it lay in "put away" mode) was very unclear but looked full-size, so I took a chance (V few people would bid on it sight-unseen ) and it was pick up only far from the city. It is almost in mint condition, perfect decals.
The last one was an aluminium knee controlled, $29 and the seller lied (I suspect) and said he didn't know how to use it but it worked. It didn't work - ran at full speed. Took the capacitors out and instantly fixed. Machine itself was barely used so after minimal muvving it looks and runs like new.
I like finding ads that say not working or obvious technology failures with pictures. Most won't bother or take a chance, but if you want a bargain, this is where they are. On eBay in Australia I've seen a perfect working 201 go for $26!
Some people are stupid enough to advertise two machines as a single sale. *We* are the only ones who would buy two sewing machines so bids are few and low. Look for auctions that finish during the working day, when 95% of interested parties are too busy at work to bid.
All the machines I've bought, except my first 201 (which had been restored then left in a shed for decades with the cover on) had a mass of fluff and tangled thread under the feed dogs.

manicmike

Yep. Here she is
[ATTACH=CONFIG]435481[/ATTACH]

Mom3

Wow - that's a whole different body style than I'm used to seeing here in the US.

This is what I'm used to seeing for a model 201:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]435482[/ATTACH]

manicmike

That's a cast iron one, which are the older ones.
After the war Singer in Scotland made them from cast aluminium and they look like my tan one (I thought it looked very "Russian"). AFAIK, by the 1950s they all look like my tan one. I bought a cast iron one last week: It was made in 1936.
There's more information on sewalot. There's also a(n overpriced, falsely advertised) tan one for sale in Canada http://www.ebay.com/itm/SINGER-201K-...-/151119242498