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The Singer 301 went into production in 1951-52, and was Singer's first model for home use with a gear-driven, rather than belt-driven, motor. There were some other innovations, too, but the big deal is that Singer used a commercial sewing machine-type motor with a huge amount of power on this baby. It can sew through several layers of heavy denim with no problem, and can even sew leather! It's strong, fast, smooth, easy to thread, and never EVER has problems, assuming you don't drop it off a 10-story building. I learned to sew on my mom's original 1952 model- and when I left home I encountered the sad world of sewing machines that are NOT 301s! I had hoped when my mom passed away that I would inherit her machine, but my sister laid claim to it by virtue of having teenage daughters who needed to learn to sew. I finally decided to just buy another one for myself, and I found a great one on eBay. It had belonged to the seller's m-in-law, she was original owner & it came with all the attachments, including buttonholer, and original owner's manual. It worked flawlessly right out of the box-- the first thing I did was take in the waistbands on several pairs of jeans. I was able to sew through a doubled-up layer of waistband (10 layers of denim at certain points!) with no problem. Now you might want a more modern machine for zig-zag stitching, or fancy decorative stitches, or a serger for serging-- but if you just need a heavy-duty monster that will probably outlast you-- you need a 301. Oh yeah, and it doesn't weigh a lot, it's easily portable, and if you're really lucky, you might find one of the original Singer maple "card tables" that the 301 fits into, or a cabinet that the machine drops down into with a fold-up top.Read full review
I bought the Singer 301 to use for patchwork quilting, as it is designed to have a more visible needle space due to the slant needle. I was disappointed that it was tan in color, as the photos led me to believe it was light pink in color. It sews like a dream, so I can't complain, and I like it just the same. It does have a replacement foot pedal (Brother) that I didn't expect, but it hasn't effected it's operation. Overall after I got over the disappointment from the pink, I am well pleased with my purchase. It also has a long bed, which is another plus for this type of machine.
The Singer 301 interested me due to fact it was a lightweight metal gear driven machine unlike the new machines that are produced today. The 301 is over 50 years old and in excellent overall condition. Attachmnents can be purchased for this machine to make it multi functional, (eg. zigzag, buttonhole) at affordable prices on ebay. Did in fact purchase the zigzag attachment which included three other mini design cams that are interchangeable in the attachment to create other designs. Unlike most of the newer machines of today, the older machines are well constructed to handle more layers of various fabrics that newer machines can't handle. As a former professional seamstress/designer I was ready to get back into sewing even though I do own an older Singer 500A, which is also an awesome machine, and also a newer Husqvarna computerized machine. A true seamstess owns more than one machine and finds that they all are used for various constructions of projects. The 301's are very affordable and will give many years of dedicated service to a sewer. In fact, have purchased two 301's from ebay. The other for my daughter who's interest was peaked when mine arrived. Great machine for basic sewing, quilting and other types of sewing when attachments are added. Would recommend the machine or a Singer 400 or Singer 500A to anyone over the new plastic junk that is produced today and sold at over inflated prices.Read full review
I bought a 221 and a 301. The 301 is gear driven instead of belt driven, so it seems to have more power than the 221 (Featherweight), a longer throat space so you can work on larger projects, and it has an adjustment screw to disengage the feed dogs if you want to do free motion quilting. Even though the 301 paint job isn't as pretty as the Featherweight, it is still a very attractive machine. The 301 has the same DIY maintenance features that make the 221 popular: You grease it, oil it and sew. It uses the same bobbins as the 221 and is just as quiet to run. The 301 is a slant needle position, so you cannot interchange the presser feet. If I had to chose just one, I'd go with the 301. It is such a workhorse! My machine is a 1952 model, and it sews better than my newer model machines, with much less noise pollution. My children say I'm "stealth sewing" because you can't hear what I'm doing unless you are in the same room watching.Read full review
I bought the sewing machine because I wanted a second machine as back up for my Bernina. Had read about 301's and really wanted it's little sister, a Featherweight, but couldnt afford. I'd started quilting and read good things about both machines. Found this machine for sale, had been serviced by the owner who happened to be a sewing machine technician, and I could afford it. I have loved it. I have been using it almost daily, have found attachments on EBay that have also been affordable. It was easy to learn,I was able to download the manual from Singer for free, and so far there has not been any downside! I even machine quilted my first finished quilt this week. The only downside i can think is I've not bought a case for it, not because they are not available, but because I've spent so much on fabric! It is not quite as smooth as my Bernina, but the stitches have been even. It does need a little boost of the hand wheel when going over layers, but that doesn't bother me. For piecing fabric it does a good job and I know I will use it equally with my other machine. I m glad I read a lot about new verses older machines, for straight stitching this is wonderful. My other has a lot if fancy capabilities and I wanted a simpler quilt piecing machine. It's perfect!Read full review