Kenmore 158.541

I'm not sure there are rules re. collecting anything including machinery but I've learned over the last few years that down to a certain price point, I can always find the same item for less. All I have to do is wait.

Now, this machine isn't exactly the same as my 158.540 (there are some cosmetic differences) but it appears to be mechanically identical with all the great features a 1960s Kenmore includes: 

• 1.2 amps
• Double needle capable
• Built-in buttonhole drive 
• Reversible plate insert for zig-zag/straight switching
• 5mm width
• Cam assembly
• Automatic bobbin winding
• Interlock light/power 
• Incremented plunger-style pressure control
• All-metal: cast iron body, steel parts
• Aggressive dogs for heavy-duty sewing
• Feed dog drop
• Reverse feed (and timed to match Forward almost exactly)

It has a few small dings but is in great shape, especially the wiring.  Even the case (a vintage '60s Sears pressboard trapezoid) is very decent.  Pretty, isn't it?

The last picture shows an inserted cam -- an E-type cam, to be exact.  Kenmore made cam assemblies in different sizes, different width capabilities, and with different numbers and styles of following arms.  The 541 is a single-arm mechanism that follows the lowest layer of a 2-level flat disc (E) cam.  This means that the stitch design you see on the top of the cam is produced by the layer on the opposite or lower side of the disc.

The 541 and several other models of this era are essentially straight stitch machines until you add cams, including zig-zag stitch, i.e. there is no built-in zig-zag.  It may seem an odd design decision but it makes perfect sense in that so much workhorse sewing is straight.  By limiting zig-zag to a following arm instead of including an internal cam mechanism, manufacturing is somewhat simpler.

These Kenmores are some of my favorites, including the fantastic 158.1503; if you sew a lot of denim, they are an excellent choice.

Kenmore Elite Ergo 3 19010

Here is yet another departure.

I love Kenmore sewing machines.  Over the decades they were manufactured/badged, Sears did a phenomenal job of quality control via choosing its manufacturers, testing their products, and listening to their customers.  The vintage all-metal machines particularly from the 1960s to the early 1980s built in Japan are some of the finest sewing machines I've ever had the pleasure of using -- especially the 158 series Jaguar/Maruzen models with multiple functions including stretch stitches and cam assemblies.

I've recently become more familiar with Kenmore machines built a little later, specifically from the mid-'80s to recent years.  (Sadly, the Kenmore name will no longer be appearing on sewing machines made by any manufacturer.)  Most of these machines are made by the Japanese giant Janome and their quality overall is very high, especially the mid- to high-priced models, full-featured, and designed with the latest sewing gadgetry.  As a vintage enthusiast, some of the plastic-clad machines strike me as dubious but Janome's Kenmore machines (twins or stand-alone models made for Sears) are very fine.

I found a simple, straightforward model several days ago, one built in the 1980s and I'm pleasantly surprised with how good it is. Here is a much newer machine, a combination sewing/embroidery machine that until recently was at the top of Kenmore's lineup and almost the top of Janome's (MC 9700):

I just got it home about an hour ago and I haven't had much time to even look at it.  I found it on CL and the seller was getting rid of it, as he bought it as a gift for his now ex-wife.

This machine has literally never been used.  It was taken out of the box and plugged in to make sure it works but it has absolutely zero hours on it.  It is utterly pristine except some slight dust near the base.  It's virtually brand new.  It was never threaded, never run.  It came with all kinds of stock equipment and bonus accessories that were part of a package deal:

I won't list all of the items but the entire sale includes the machine, digitizing software (for manipulating and designing from scratch), CF card, card reader, presser feet and other tools, three boxes of embroidery thread, pedal, manuals, dust cover, needles, and a few other things.  It's quite a package -- certainly the most complete sewing machine purchase I've ever made.  Not being an embroiderer, I'm not quite sure where to begin except to open the manuals and dive in.

It's odd how these things happen.  A few days ago at Peter Lappin's Male Pattern Boldness blog, Peter blogged about sewing labels, i.e. how they're made, what they should look like, what they should say.  He asked for ideas for his own labels and I suggested he purchase an embroidery machine so that he can make his own.  The next day I saw this for sale on CL: $200 for the entire package.  I remember shopping for my first Janome machine.  I bought it used and really enjoyed it; in my search, however, I read reviews for many Janome computerized models including the 9700, this Kenmore Ergo 3's twin machine and I lusted, wishing I could afford the then-$3500 price tag.  The price eventually came down to $3000 but I don't think they're made any longer, so 'new' models are NOS, floor models, returns, or refurbished being sold as 'new' or 'like new.'

I didn't think I'd be owning this type of machine and I'm not sure if I'll ever have a need to embroider but I'm excited to give it a try.  I've applied for membership in the Yahoo! group dedicated to this model so I expect I'll be posting some questions there.

Kenmore, Janome, embroidery, and sewing were/are all part of my conscious and/or subconscious mind.  Did I immediately key into the CL listing because my subconscious triggered an immediate response to my eyes glancing past the ad?  Or is there perhaps a more mysterious, spiritual dimension at work?  That I would have been looking at this type of machine about 2.5 years ago and suggested such a machine a few days ago, then finding one in this kind of condition at this price is kind of staggering.  I'm not sure what it all means.

Kenmore 385.1764180

Here's a bit of a departure.

Walking around a thrift store today, I swore to myself I wouldn't buy anything I don't need.  I'm house-shopping and trying to off-load a bunch of stuff, not add to it.  However, I did spy a Kenmore electronic sewing machine from the 1980s in a tall Kenmore case that fits some of the convertible machines I own for which I don't have cases.

I'm always on the lookout for sewing machine carry cases.  They're often expensive, meaning I can easily pay $25 for an old plastic hard shell case (sometimes less, sometimes more).  I usually wait to find machines + cases for about $10 and get rid of the machine, as I planned to do with this Kenmore I found today.  The case is one of the tall ones that are a little more rare than the standard flat bed cases you see everywhere (except when you need one on the shelf of a thrift store).  My 158.1913 needs this very case so I was very happy to find this one.

I considered donating the machine right back to the store.  I'm glad I didn't.  This is a Janome-made Kenmore and is incredibly smooth and quiet.  The front of the machine is plastic; the back and arm (free arm, once you remove the plastic storage compartment in front of the feed dogs) is enameled aluminum, so it's a rather strong frame.  When plugging it in at the testing station in the store, it ran like a top.  It's fast and there is very, very little vibration.  When I say this thing is quiet, it's not much more than a purr -- a very pleasant sound.  I've only sewed cotton with it thus far (light and heavier) and it's got some power, too.  Speed, power, smoothness, quietness, and excellent stitch quality -- not much more you could ask from a thrift store machine.  It's in great shape, too:

This particular series of machines was available in various stitch configurations: I've seen 8, 10, 12, 20, 22, 24, 28, 30, 36, and I believe a 100 that was an early computerized model.  The design is simple and handsome, very straightforward, and easy to operate.  A four-step buttonhole function is built-in in addition to the simple, stretch, and decorative stitches.  I had another Janome that I really liked but it sat around without much use, so I sold it and bought two industrial machines.  This one is several steps down but sews like a champ; the hook/race design of the two machines are actually nearly identical.

I'm a fan of powerful vintage machines, preferably all-metal, preferably industrial.  However, there is so much to like about this basic machine that I'm really glad I have it and I plan to make use of it.  If you see one, consider this an enthusiastic recommendation, especially if the price is similar to what I paid: $9.99.

Correction: It appears these machines (with the orange stitch number on the face plate) were built in the early to mid-'90s, not the '80s.
     

Kenmore 158.1813

Here is yet another Kenmore I found at a thrift store.  This is one of the wonderful 1970s machines with a built-in cam stack, cam assembly, and many other features -- a deluxe machine.  It's in very good shape, as is the cabinet.

There's only one problem: it's missing the stitch selector knob that spins within the width dial.  These knobs are common to several Kenmore models.  Logging into eBay, I quickly found one, placed my order, and I will be fixing this machine within the next week or so.

This machine runs beautifully.  Strong, quiet, smooth, makes excellent stitches that are uniform, and the tension is balanced.  Everything you'd want in a domestic machine and all for $10.  Once the $5 knob is added, this will have been another great score that I'll enjoy using.

Kenmore 158.18150

 

Walking through a thrift store near my home, I spied two Kenmore sewing machine cases sitting snugly next to one another on the lowest shelf gathering dust.  It was 50% Off Day at the local St. Vincent de Paul and I began to open the hard plastic cases (one in golden yellow, the other a mint green) with the odd mixture of hope, intrigue, amusement, trepidation, and excitement common to my other thrift store jaunts.  

At this point in my collecting, I wasn't a fan of Kenmores.  I grew up in a Singer household and we looked down on those who bought Kenmore machines.  These two machines I purchased that fateful day convinced me that while Singer began to cut corners and produce inferior machines in the late '60s and 1970s, Sears' contracts with Jaguar/Maruzen and Soryu in Japan ensured they would be selling wonderful, all-metal, powerful machines into the early '80s.

I tested both machines at the store's testing station.  The 1815 hummed as if it were brand new and despite a series of small scratches on the front rim of the bed, is in great shape.  The other machine, a near-mint 158.19461, stalled and moaned.  I tried moving the stitch selector, moving the needle bar by hand, checked under the top -- nothing changed.  I took both to the register, explained the problem, and the employee very generously lowered the price of the 1946 from $20 to $2.  And since this was 50% Off Day, I paid $10 for the 1815 pictured here and a whopping $0.99 for the 1946.

After figuring out the 1946, I soon found that I had purchased two very, very nice sewing machines.  Smooth, powerful, quiet, beautiful stitches, consistent tensions -- these are keepers.  The 1815 is a higher end model, as it has a substantial cam stack with utility stitches as well as a cam assembly for decorative options.  That it's in a portable carrying case makes the machine even more valuable to me as I'm 6'2" and the tables in which one often finds these machines are too small for my long legs, often of questionable quality after decades of Big Wheel dents and science projects, and take up space in my increasingly small sewing space.  

Have you ever engaged in Kenmore discrimination?