# Which Singer Touch & Sew machine ..............



## Katskitten (Aug 5, 2010)

Katskitten and I have collected machines that do decorative and other non straight stitches. She does crafts and I decorate things with the patterns so we've amassed quite a few machines. Some we have and are going to rehome since even though they are good machines they don't add anything different or unique to the stable.

We've been looking at Singer Touch and Sews because they can be set up for chain stitches as well as doing decorative pattern stitches. But I loathe plastic gears and have heard that some of the earliest ones have steel or metal gears. What I'd like to ask is which T & S models would have, or be most likely to have metal gears. 

Knowing that would reduce the trial and error part considerably.

Joe


----------



## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

from my reading, it seems the 400 series and earlier are metal, 500 have some plastic, and according to ISMACS - "Then it all went horribly wrong..." 

models 600 and higher have more and more plastic in them. And I think it's the 800 and up that they were made other places and quality may not be there . I know I read on one collector sight that many 800 series are the same as the 600 series, only made cheaper. That sight said to be very careful as they look identical on the outside except the model number.- though I only own one 534 and have no experiences with higher models. That machine does have some plastic gears, but they are still available to purchase. 

My MIL has a 600 series T&S and she used it a lot in the earlier years, it's mostly buried under other stuff now (she's a hoarder - seriously).


----------



## FarmChix (Mar 3, 2013)

Also, the Futura was a better model. I bought my aunt's about 20 years ago and was getting ready to put it on CL. She told me to check with her first--she may want to buy it back! LOL She has had several machines since and nothing sews like that Futura (which is also a TNS).


----------



## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

> and according to ISMACS - "Then it all went horribly wrong..."


My very first sewing machine of my own was a later series (700?) Touch and Swear. I picked it up for $25 at a garage sale in 1993. 
It worked, sort of, for about five years and by 1999, when I'd upgraded to my first plastic wonder from WalMart, I didn't understand why people talked about "old" machines with such reverence. 
I'd HAD an old machine and it was crap! lol

It wasn't until I started getting in to the old cast irons that I actually got it about old machines


----------



## Katskitten (Aug 5, 2010)

ErinP,

Then you understand why I want to stay away from the later machines with plastic gears.

We do have several machines with plastic gears and although two of them work good, the third one is a problem child. I'd junk it but it was my wife's first machine that did fancy work. Her first husband bought it for her and she's attached to it. She's used it to death, so it's aches and pains were from use, not defects. 
We plan on replacing all the original style plastic gears with the newer spiral cut gears. Then a complete retime and it should be ready to go. 

I consider the new plastic bodied machines as disposable. Such a shame that modern machines are trash.

Joe


----------



## RebelDigger (Aug 5, 2010)

I agree, the old ones are best. Although I too have a Stylist 534 and it is all plastic gears, reason I know? Just paid $90.00 to get them all replaced. Why? It is the only machine I own that does fancy stitches and buttonholes without having to use a buttonholer. Really, though, at least is was made by Singer and not a cheap Chinese machine with the bought rights to put the name Singer on it. Plus, since I only paid $10 for it and it's original wooden cabinet, the $90 doesn't sting that much.


----------

