ramon 0 #1 June 8, 2004 I'm sure this is an old topic. Anyone like a general sewing machine better than a Singer 20U? Ramon"Revolution is an abrupt change in the form of misgovernment.", Ambrose Bierce. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
usskydiver 0 #2 June 8, 2004 QuoteI'm sure this is an old topic. Anyone like a general sewing machine better than a Singer 20U? Ramon Nope. I love my 20 U. Tim T. Team Paraclete Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
f1shlips 2 #3 June 8, 2004 I have a Bernina 217. I think its great. The only downside is parts are expensive.... very expensive.-- drop zone (drop'zone) n. An incestuous sesspool of broken people. -- Attributed to a whuffo girlfriend. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
councilman24 36 #4 July 5, 2018 Either Pfaff 238 or Berninan 217. If you find a Bernina 217n-8 parts are available from Global who's making new versions. If you find either a Bernina 217 or 217n with a cam drive on the back you can also do a 308 double throw zigzag with it. A 217 is easy. The 308 cam for a 217n can be made but not found for sale. Another choice is a Consew 199r-1. I have all three. (5 machines total) Have never bothered with a 20U. If you decide to buy a 20u I do not recommend a new one. Everyone sells new ones with their name on it, including Consew, or even with no name. I friend bought a no name one, it came with a Chinese only manual, and he never could get it to sew a zig zag. I think the new ones all come from the same Chinese factory but may have different quality of finish and parts. Consew sales manager claimed theirs were good. But most of us would recommend a blue one or a tan one. I think anything more than $400 is too much for a used 20U.I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerolim 7 #5 July 5, 2018 councilman24Either Pfaff 238 or Berninan 217. If you find a Bernina 217n-8 parts are available from Global who's making new versions. If you find either a Bernina 217 or 217n with a cam drive on the back you can also do a 308 double throw zigzag with it. A 217 is easy. The 308 cam for a 217n can be made but not found for sale. Another choice is a Consew 199r-1. I have all three. (5 machines total). How big is plate to presser foot clearance on these machines ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gb1 2 #6 July 6, 2018 The problem with the throat to presser foot dimension on a 217 is that the upper thread tension seems to release early, at least on my 217n-08. By removing the internal activation lever and carefully heating and bending it just a few thousands, the tension will release at a higher foot height. If you raise the foot, there are more problems to deal with like needle bar hitting foot. That can be cured with a lot of time invested. I do not recommend that. The 217 is not a heavy duty zig zagger. It is more of a light medium grade machine. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Unstable 8 #7 July 6, 2018 QuoteEither Pfaff 238 or Berninan 217. If you find a Bernina 217n-8 parts are available from Global who's making new versions. If you find either a Bernina 217 or 217n with a cam drive on the back you can also do a 308 double throw zigzag with it. A 217 is easy. The 308 cam for a 217n can be made but not found for sale. Another choice is a Consew 199r-1. I have all three. (5 machines total) Have never bothered with a 20U. I agree with this guy. I have owned 2 20u's, both the green and blue model. All machines have ranges for their various features: stitch length, foot pressure, stitch width, material thickness....When a 20u is working with any 2 characteristics close to max adjustment, you get very odd behaviors and you'll need to time/tune the machine specially for the job. Every 20u I have owned or worked with has that behavior. My personal choice is the Consew 199RB-1a. It will handle a much wider range of materials and sewing characteristics. Good used 199s can be purchased for around $800 if you look around.=========Shaun ========== Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BrianM 1 #8 July 6, 2018 Wow... that's a 14 year old thread you just resurrected! But it's ok, because who doesn't like talking about sewing machines? councilman24 Either Pfaff 238 or Berninan 217. If you find a Bernina 217n-8 parts are available from Global who's making new versions. If you find either a Bernina 217 or 217n What's the difference between the 217 and the 217n? I have a Chandler 217, I don't know which it is. It doesn't have a cam box on it. The stitch width is labelled 0-6, but it seems to be an 8mm version (by measuring the distance between the needle's left and right positions at max width). Another 217 question: does it use standard high-shank feet? That's what they look like but I don't have any around to try."It's amazing what you can learn while you're not talking." - Skydivesg Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
councilman24 36 #9 July 6, 2018 Lol, I didn't look at date but it came up top of the forum when I replied. 🤔I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfriverjoe 1,340 #10 July 7, 2018 councilman24Lol, I didn't look at date but it came up top of the forum when I replied. 🤔 It popped up a few days ago, with the last post missing. I'm guessing some sort of spam, where the post was deleted but the thread stayed at the top of the page. The same thing happened with the 'board game' thread in Bonfire. And a couple people replied to it, not seeming to realize that it was really old."There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
