Who uses 2 (or more) sewing machines??

[Slackdaddy]

Everyone loves the 50's - 60's all metal basic sewing machines for their no nonsense robustness.
They can sew through multiple layers of "thick stuff" when we are making our gear.

My question is, when just sewing 2 pieces of thin material, is there a better choice??
I know most modern consumer machines are frowned on do to all the "plastic" in them.
But has technology advanced in the realm of consumer sewing machines that helps with sewing thinner material?

Guess what I am asking is, are there modern consumer machines that are better for sewing 2 pieces of nylon together, than the older all metal 1950's machines?

Thanks,
Slack

[Snowball]

Modern is not better. If a machine can make a straight stitch and has reverse its all you need.
Almost any machine can be used for a tarp or a hammock. I would however stay away from the very cheap new plastic machines. I have two machines a Pfaff approx 8 years old and an Husqvarna from the 60ies.
The reason I got the Husqvarna was it has a reduction gear so its better for things like webbing or if I for some reason needs to sew very slow. It has torque at very slow speed and its something most machines don’t have. Most machines can sew webbing but they are not made for it and its very hard for them. When newer machines with plastic gears get damaged it’s often not because of wear but because they have been overloaded and used for something they were not designed for. If you only want one machine the better choice is one of the older all metal machines but there are a few new machines that can do it all (to some degree) but there will always be a compromise. Even industrial sewing machines are made for a given task.

[Slackdaddy]

I already have a 1960's Dressmaker and Necchi, they are good powerful all metal machines that are great on medium - heavy stuff.
I typically have problems with thin material, and end up employing some of the tips, techniques, and tricks discussed on this forum.
I did not know if there were any modern machines that specifically handle the thin stuff better,, durability is not an issue as I would only be sewing thin stuff.
Something with longer feed dogs and longer presser foot so I can sew to the edge without all the extra shenanigans involved

Slack

[ChillCo]

I do. My Singer 201 has the best straight stitch I've found. I use the Pfaff 1222E for any other stitching and it has a walking foot.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

[xrayit]

I have a singer from the 70’s a Janome 3000 and a cheap Brother. The singer is my go to machine and the Janome for webbing and heavy materials. I use the Brother for hemming my pants and general cloths repair. The Brother was a give away from a friend that got a divorce and had no use for it.

[BareThrills]

I make gear commercially and have to say my old singers cover all my needs. I sew from 11g cuben up to dyneema x grid and have no problem putting out stitch perfect work. I predominantly use a singer 201K and a 319k on the odd occassion i need a zig zag. I own a modern toyota free arm machine but its gathering dust. If an old machine is properly set up it will sew as well as anything on the market today

[BareThrills]

here's an example of a 1.1oz sil zip installation

IMG_1981.jpg

[TPole]

I use three different machines depending on what I am doing. I have found that the tension control on the Necchi Supernova is able to handle the needs of the fine fabrics than my other machines so it gets used for most tasks. When working with webbing or other heavier materials a Kenmore 158.16900 is the go-to because it seems to have more power and smoother speed control than the Necchi. I also use a newer Brother when I need to do small hems because a) my roll hem foot fits it and b) I can disconnect the foot pedal and adjust the speed with the slider and just hit the go button. This lets me focus on managing the feed into the foot and get in a rhythm, much like welding. Makes it much easier for those long tarp hems.

[nothermark]

FWIW most of the "improvements in the last 20 or so years has been in fancy pattern stitching not sewing quality.

Between us we have 7 machines if you include two old treadles I intend to clean up in my "spare time". ;-)

[Caminante]

I've used my old Singer for 99% of my MYOG needs, but my 9-yo recently learned how to sew and complained that I "hogged" the sewing machine. I got her a Brother CS6000i on the recommendation of her sewing instructor which does automatic buttonholes and I found that to be very useful on a TQ I just made. It also came with a walking foot which I haven't tried, but I will. I did do some straight stitching with the normal foot and found my Singer to do better at that, perhaps due to familiarity.