Kenmore 158.1787180

The universe has once again placed a Kenmore in my possession.

For the last week, I've been eyeing CL and the listing for a Kenmore 158.1787 in particular.  It's a model I didn't have and I was interested in filling in the hole in my collection of Kenmores that stretched from the late 1970s to the late 1980s.  The CL price was a little high ($50) and I thought I'd wait until it came down to about $30, then pounce.  Apparently my watching and waiting -- licking my chops and flicking my tail, watching the spool pins moving in the tall grass -- was all for naught.

Picking up a Necchi, we just happened to drive by a Value Village (how often does that happen -- actually, I choose my routes fairly strategically so that no thrift store remains un-visited) and guess what I found?  Yep, a Kenmore 158.1787.  The exact same machine and in better condition and at a much lower price ($7.99 - 20% [Thanks, Mom, for being a senior citizen -- she was with me today], so about $6.40 plus tax).  Moreover, both the CL and Value Village machines were located in the exact same town.  Perhaps the local Sears had a sale on this machine back in the day.

So, what do I think of it?  Well, I think I've finally found a Kenmore I don't really like.  However, I'm not willing to make a strict determination until I've managed to run it a little longer.  I'm used to Jaguar/Maruzen machines from the 1960s and '70s and they are some of the best domestic zig-zag machines I've ever used including Elnas, Berninas, Singers, Pfaffs, etc.  Despite its mostly metal exterior and simple, Kenmore-esque design, it feels cheaper.  The interior metal parts are noticeably thinner and it rattles and whines while running.  It's lighter.  The switches move too easily, meaning with very little resistance, meaning that the shafts they control inside the machine are just plastic knobs connected to plastic or thin metal switches.  Only the hand wheel and pressure dial have a quality feel in the Kenmore tradition.

However, it has a nice selection of stitches and I like the central knob rather than the little pointer that moves up and down a long vertical list such as in this machine.  The fold in/out second spool pin is handy and a neat design for double needle sewing or for easier, faster access.  I especially like the speed override switch for a slower speed that allows the user to concentrate fully on sewing rather than having to feather the pedal.

It's noisy.  It's actually very noisy.  I took the machine apart and oiled every moving pin and hinge.  Part of the reason is the low speed setting, meaning it only consists of a mechanical limiter -- not a good design.  At high speed, it sounds better.  The prior owner probably never oiled the machine including the bobbin winder, so the winder didn't work and spewed rubber flakes throughout the machine until I oiled it.  It works fine but the spot in the tire that is worn now causes quite the racket.  The hook drew blood but I did get it oiled and the machine actually sews a decent stitch.

It's not a bad machine by any stretch but it's clearly not up to the earlier standards and I wonder if it is these kinds of models that prompted Sears Kenmore to switch to Janome.  The Janome machines from the years following this model have more plastic, not less, but have a higher-quality feel and better stitch quality than this machine.