My "New" Singer 99K

The technician I have work on my vintage babies is quick, cheap, and honest. Can you ask for anything more? We dropped off the Singer 99K on Friday, and he called me yesterday (Monday) to tell me it was finished and ready to go. I had DH pick it up yesterday, but I didn't have time to get it screwed back into the cabinet until this afternoon, and even then, I did not have enough time to sew. DH and I had errands to run and went out to dinner.

Here is the 99K back in the cabinet, ready to go. When DH first saw it, he thought it was a featherweight because it was small like one. They are both 3/4 sized machines, but they are different. I decided to take a couple side by side pics so you can see them together.

^Here is the front view. Featherweight 221 is on the left, 99K on the right. You can ignore the height difference because that is just the 99K is dropped into a cabinet, and the 221 is sitting on top of it. The decals are a bit different, but there were different decals used on the machines anyway. My featherweight 221 is a 1955 machine, made in the USA. My 99K is a 1957 machine, was cast in Scotland, but the motor is from Canada.  The featherweight has a flip up extension table, the 99K does not. The light on the featherweight is in the front of the machine, and it is small. The light on the 99K is on the back of the machine, and it is larger. If you really pay attention, you can see the 99K is stockier than the the featherweight. The 99 had a larger handwheel, the arm is thicker, everything is just a bit beefier, and the major thing that effects is weight. The 99K is a LOT heavier than the 221. I didn't weigh them, but it is really noticeable. My technician said the 99K was in great shape, that I had gotten a very good deal, and that it would make a good boat anchor too. It is surprisingly heavy!

^Here is the rear view, so now the 99K is on the left, and the 221 on the right. You can see the motor case on the 99 is larger, and it's very noticeable the light is on the back side of the 99. The 99 light is also like a spotlight, angled down on your work. The 221 light is more like a Christmas light in shape, and it has a cover so it doesn't shine in your face. I find the 221 lamp gets hot to work under, so I am anxious to see how the light on the 99 does, since it is a different bulb and located in the back.

I am hoping to get some sewing time in this week, but it is more likely to be at the end of the week. I won't be able to tell which machine I prefer until I get some hours logged in on both of them.

Oh, DH and I went thrift storing again today, and I found a table top ironing board for $1.98, so I have a smaller option when I don't have large pieces to press. I think that will help out considerably in my new sewing arrangement.