Singer Magic Press 4

Singer Magic Press 4, w/out board cover (in the laundry)

Singer Magic Press 4 controls

I occasionally break my own commitment to save money.  Here's the deal:

Reading a number of blogs, websites, reader comments, and product reviews, I've found that a number of tailors use clothes presses similar to the kind you see above, the Singer Magic Press 4.  Some of these comments wax veritably poetic about just how much time can be saved, the professional results, the ease, and the less harmful to cloth a press can be compare to a typical hand-held iron.  Not quite convinced (Why doesn't everyone have one, then?), I began searching for the brand that kept being mentioned: Elna.  Elna was purchased some years ago by the Japanese sewing giant Janome.  A new clothes press from Janome currently costs about $399.  We at Tight Acres have decided that vintage is the only way I'm going to get one of these modern wonders. 

I searched craigslist and eventually found an Elnapress 2000 for $60.  It looked good in the picture but it was about 2 hours from my house.  I never heard back from the seller and it eventually disappeared from the site.  I assume it sold.  I then searched eBay and there were a few but the prices were much higher and shipping costs made several of them prohibitively expensive.  I'd have to iron a whole lot of tablecloths (something I almost never use) and jockstraps (ditto) in order to make back the money I'd saved in time and effort. 

I did find several other brands and this Singer suddenly appeared on my screen.  Magic, indeed.  It was priced somewhat lower than the others and the seller was only 2.5 hours away from my house by car.  Thus, shipping was low and it was an auction so I continued to bide my time and bid accordingly at the very last minute, around 10 pm.  $20 later (plus $12 in shipping) and the Singer Magic Press 4 was mine.  But due to the sheer number of positives I'd read about the Elna, the Singer wasn't the one I wanted.  Thinking I should have waited or ponied up the cash (Am I being cheap instead of frugal?), I waited for the Singer to arrive, none too excited, thinking about how I'd word a listing in order to sell it.  ("Works like magic!"  "Iron your hair!")

The very next morning at about 5:30 am, I fired up the laptop and went to craigslist.  In searching for the same or similar Singer press to see whether I'd gotten a good deal, I found this for $30.  Now how often does that happen, i.e. the very next day you find exactly what you've been looking for in pristine condition for almost the exact same price only about 30 minutes away?  WTF?

I've forgiven myself already.  Lesson: it's sometimes better to wait.  I've lived my entire life without a clothes press and a few more weeks until I find one I really want won't kill me. 

I'll give full reviews of both as soon as I've used them enough to write something meaningful, perhaps even 'impressive'.  Stay tuned.