Model guides
Singer Sewing Machine Models by Year
Singer rarely printed the model number on the machine. Identify yours from the bobbin, the size and the needle, then date it with the serial number.
Model identifier
Which Singer model do I have?
Answer any of the three questions. Results update as you go.
1What does the bobbin look like?
2How big is the machine?
3Is the needle straight or slanted?
Matching models
Four families
Every model here belongs to a bobbin family
Singer built its domestic machines around a handful of bobbin systems. Know the family and you’ve narrowed the field to a few models.
Vibrating shuttle
A long bullet bobbin rides in a shuttle that swings back and forth. The oldest design here.
Class 15, side-loading
A round bobbin in a removable case, clipped in from the side, with an oscillating hook.
Class 66, drop-in
A round bobbin that drops in flat from the top under a slide plate. Also used by the slant-needles.
Class 221, compact
A small round bobbin in its own case, behind a rotary hook. The Featherweights and the 301.
Timeline
Production years side by side
Solid bars show the best-supported range; dashed extensions show dates another source gives.
All guides
Vintage Singer model guides
Each guide covers the model’s story, how to recognise it, its versions, the parts it takes, care and what to check before you buy.
Singer 221 Featherweight
The 11-pound portable that is still popular with quilters. Made in the USA, Scotland (221K) and Canada (221J).
- Size
- Portable, 3/4 size
- Bobbin
- Class 221
- Weight
- Just over 11 lb
- Body
- Cast aluminium
Singer 222K Featherweight
The rarer Scottish free-arm Featherweight. Remove the bed and it becomes a free-arm machine.
- Size
- Portable, free-arm
- Bobbin
- Class 221
- Made
- July 1953–1961
- Factory
- Kilbowie only
Singer 15-91
A full-size Class 15 with a gear-driven ‘potted’ motor on the back — no belt.
- Size
- Full size
- Bobbin
- Class 15
- Motor type
- PG potted, gear
- Bobbin case
- Simanco 125291
Singer 201
Often called the best domestic machine Singer made. Full rotary hook, straight stitch.
- Size
- Full size
- Bobbin
- Class 66 drop-in
- Stitch length
- 6–30 per inch
- Needle sizes
- 15x1, 9 to 21
Singer 66 (Red Eye)
The full-size drop-in bobbin machine behind the famous ‘Red Eye’ decals.
- Size
- Full size
- Bobbin
- Class 66 drop-in
- US launch
- October 1902
- Back-clamp feet
- 66-1 only
Singer 99 / 99K
The 3/4-size sister of the 66: same drop-in bobbin, smaller and lighter.
- Size
- 3/4 size
- Bobbin
- Class 66 drop-in
- Introduced
- 1911
- Weight
- About 22 lb
Singer 27 & 127 (Sphinx)
Full-size vibrating-shuttle machines with the long ‘bullet’ bobbin — home of the Sphinx decals.
- Size
- Full size
- Bobbin
- Long shuttle
- Weight
- About 27 lb
- Bed size
- 14-5/8 x 7 in
Singer 128
The 3/4-size vibrating-shuttle machine, mostly sold as a portable hand crank.
- Size
- 3/4 size
- Bobbin
- Long shuttle
- Harp space
- 6-1/2 in
Singer 301 / 301A
Singer’s first slant-shank machine: aluminium, 16 lb, and shares the Featherweight bobbin.
- Size
- Full-size head, lightweight
- Bobbin
- Class 221
- Needle-bar slant
- 9 degrees
- Top speed
- Up to 1,600 spm
Singer 401A Slant-O-Matic
Slant-needle zigzag with built-in stitches and interchangeable top-hat cams.
- Size
- Full size
- Bobbin
- Class 66 drop-in
- Needle
- 15x1, sizes 9–18
Singer 403A & 404
The 403A needs cams for zigzag; the 404 is a straight-stitch-only slant-needle.
- Size
- Full size
- Bobbin
- Class 66 drop-in
- Needle
- Slant shank
Singer 500A Rocketeer
The space-age ‘Rocketeer’: slant-needle zigzag with built-in stitches and cams.
- Size
- Full size
- Bobbin
- Class 66 drop-in
- Built-in patterns
- 7 primary
- Top speed
- About 1,000 spm
Compare
Vintage Singer models compared
| Model | Years | Size | Bobbin | Shank | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singer 221 Featherweight | 1933–c.1969 | Portable, 3/4 size | Class 221 | Low | Just over 11 lb |
| Singer 222K Featherweight | 1953–c.1961 | Portable, free-arm | Class 221 | Low | — |
| Singer 15-91 | c.1930–1956 | Full size | Class 15 (in a bobbin case) | Low | — |
| Singer 201 | 1935–1962 | Full size | Class 66 drop-in | Low | — |
| Singer 66 (Red Eye) | 1902–1956 | Full size | Class 66 drop-in | Low | — |
| Singer 99 / 99K | 1911–c.1960 | 3/4 size | Class 66 drop-in | Low | About 22 lb |
| Singer 27 & 127 (Sphinx) | 1891–1941 | Full size | Long shuttle (bullet) | Low | About 27 lb |
| Singer 128 | 1912–1962 | 3/4 size | Long shuttle (bullet) | Low | — |
| Singer 301 / 301A | 1951–1957 | Full-size head, lightweight | Class 221 | Slant | — |
| Singer 401A Slant-O-Matic | 1957/58–1960 | Full size | Class 66 drop-in | Slant | — |
| Singer 403A & 404 | 1958–c.1960 | Full size | Class 66 drop-in | Slant | — |
| Singer 500A Rocketeer | 1961–1963 | Full size | Class 66 drop-in | Slant | — |
Model-number letters
What the letter in a model number means
A letter after the class number shows the factory. ISMACS notes the same model from different factories is usually, but not always, identical.
| Letter | Factory | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| — | Elizabethport, NJ | No letter or a hyphen, e.g. 15-91 |
| K | Kilbowie, Scotland | e.g. 66K, 201K, 222K |
| A | Anderson, SC | e.g. 301A, 401A |
| J | St Johns, Canada | e.g. 221J, 15J91 |
| W | Bridgeport, CT | Bridgeport-made models |
| G | Germany | e.g. 404G |
| M | Italy | Italian-made models |
| C | Brazil | Brazilian-made models |
| U | Japan | Japanese-made models |
Source: ISMACS model list.
Know the model? Now find the year.
Your serial number gives the year Singer allotted it and the factory that built it.