Elements Refined

I currently own four sewing machines. Each one offers some desirable features, but none of them have all of the features I would like. If you already own or can borrow a sewing machine, I would suggest trying it. Most outdoor gear projects can be sewn on any home sewing machine without too much trouble.

If you need to purchase a machine, I recommend looking at an older, used, all mechanical machine. These older machines are usually made of metal and with a little care will last for many years. Most machines will sew a straight stitch forward and reverse. A good addition is a zig zag stitch. The zig zag stitch is good for strengthening high stress areas like shoulder straps.

Kenmore 1802

• It’s about 30 years old and I use it for most of my outdoor projects.

• The frame is made of aluminum, so it is relatively light compared to some of the cast iron framed machines.

• It has a variety of stitches but I find the straight stitch, zig zag, four step zig zag (stretch stitch) to be very useful. I use the stretch stitch more than the zig zag for bar tacking shoulder straps.

• The oscillating shuttle is not as reliable as rotary. An oscillating shuttle rotates back and forth, a rotary shuttle rotates in one continuous motion. Almost all industrial machines use a rotary shuttle.

Pfaff 130

• This is my oldest machine- at least 40 years old and is often referred to as a semi-industrial machine because it has heavy duty parts.

• It has a rotary shuttle and is very smooth.

• One problem with machines this old is the insulation on the power cord and motor is often brittle or completely gone. This can be a safety hazard so be aware.

• The biggest problem with this machine is its lack of ergonomics. You have to tilt the head back to change bobbins and the reverse lever is slow to use.

• It doesn’t sew in reverse very well.

Pfaff 1471

• I don’t know the age of this machine, but it is totally computerized and has an unlimited number of stitches. It appears to be made mostly of metal and has a rotary shuttle.
• It sews very smoothly and I have had very few problems with skipped stitches and poor tension.
• I don’t use any of the fancy stitches, because I bought it primarily for the pseudo walking foot (Pfaff calls this feature IDT). I really like the IDT for sewing slippery light weight nylon. Fabric creep is a real problem with silnylon and other high tech fabrics.
  

  Pfaff IDT

• I have doubts about the longevity of this machine because of the electronics.

Alpha Sew

• This machine has a zig zag stitch and a true walking foot.
• It’s very heavy duty and is made with a cast iron frame.
• It uses an oscillating shuttle and is more prone to skipping stitches.
• This is one of many clones of this type of machine on the internet, the best are made in Taiwan.
• This machine is very inexpensive and works well enough for very heavy fabrics and thread.
• It’s important to note that I do not recommend this type of machine for light weight outdoor gear.