aden

Thanks for the reply again, @brmax! I tried good old Google but came up empty handed. I did find the manual for the 166A, but nothing for the "none A" model. I think they must be the same? The manual seems the alternate between the wording 166A and 166 whenever the wind changes. Good thought on the "servicing", I will make sure to ask if they have any documentation on the service that was done or any info about it. I think this might be the one! I will be going to look at it shortly and checking it works correctly

I did see that post you made and the work looks brilliant! Thanks for the thoughts on this

After the great help of the fantastic people on this forum, I was about to pull the trigger on a Seiko STW-8B for £400 as a gift. (http://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/81930-seiko-stw-8b/) However, I have just come across a Singer 211U166 for £350, "serviced last Thursday". When looking around on the internet it seems that there is a 211U166 and a 211U166A... however, I cannot find information about how they differ, if at all? I was wondering if there is anyone on here with that knowledge? Furthermore, any thoughts on this particular machine will be well received along with potential comparisons between the two machines I am currently looking at.

Thank you all for your thoughts on this. I don't think I will go for the one with issues, I would have fixed it before gifting but it sounds like it is not as simple as it seems. However, I do like to understand machines and do maintenance on things like this. I found out that the problem with the faulty one is that "the thread loops underneath and tangles then the thread breaks or jams." What does this sound like could be the problem? EDIT: I now know that this is called "birdnesting" or similar and that it can be a number of different things.

It is the same type of machine, a Seiko STW-8B, just from a different seller. So I feel like it is still within the topic? I appreciate the reply though, thanks.

Quick update; I found another machine that according to the description has some tension issues. Is this relatively easy to fix? I would imagine it’s just a case of replacing the tension assembly?

This is all incredibly useful information. Thanks a lot to all who have responded so far!

Thanks for the great informative reply, Wiz! That is exactly what I was hoping to hear In your opinion, is £400 (~$510) a decent price for this or should I be looking at a cheaper price?

Thank you very much for your response! After my reading I am aware that a servo or speed reducer will probably be needed. But the person I am buying it for has wanted one for ages and I am sure they will be very happy to have something they can build on with their own modifications I will attach some photos of the unit as you suggested. Based on my research I believe this is a walking foot compound feed and very similar to the Singer 211, Consew 226 and Juki 563? It will predominantly used for upholstery but will probably get used for a number of other things as well.

Hello everyone! I have read through a lot of the fantastic informational posts here on the forum and now understand the differences and uses for different sewing machines. So first, thanks for that. I am looking to purchase a sewing machine as a gift. I have found the Seiko STW-8B for £400 and was wondering whether that was a good price? It is in perfect working condition with no rust or fading. The current problem is that I’m not clued up on decent current prices for these things and I hope someone out there can shed some light on the situation Thanks!