In wiping it down, oiling it, and getting it to sew (it's not quite there yet -- the stitches are wonky), I'm experiencing a whole Lada love. The controls, the nameplate, the vented light and motor housing, the raised needle position casting -- it's an endearing mix of Eastern Bloc utilitarian chic mixed with a dark-chocolate-creamy-center-Mozart-in-Prague kind of charm that you just don't see much these days. I love it, even if it's not in tip-top running condition at the moment.
It's 7/8 size and quite lightweight thanks to the cast aluminum construction. The controls are reassuringly strong, producing satisfying clicks when operated and it takes a 15x1 needle. The hook is full rotary so this thing is theoretically fast and smooth. It's not smooth -- yet, although I don't think it will ever be a truly smooth, quiet machine. Free arms are usually a little noisier simply due to architecture and this one's design has smaller shafts with considerably more play than, say, a Pfaff or Anker.
The bobbin system is proprietary and works like a 1960s Phoenix clam shell-style. I will have to try a number of bobbins to see if I can find one that will work. To its credit, the bobbins are large (it came with one and thankfully the bobbin case was included) and the threading is straightforward. Bobbin winding, on the other hand, is accomplished on the tail of the machine: remove the cap, insert the bobbin on the post, and thread via a steel arm that attaches on the back of the machine. Kind of cool.
The upper thread tension assembly will need a complete disassembly and thorough cleaning. Other than that, this machine is clean and in good shape. It has all the necessary features and appears to work fairly well. In case you're wondering, this is the same Lada that produced cars and trucks during the bad old days of communism. They were so terrible that visiting Americans were known to refer to the them as 'bouncing Czechs'. The quality of this machine is much better than that, I can assure you.
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