First leather sewing machine: Pfaff 545-H3-6/01 or Singer 111G156?

[johnny91]

Hey, everyone.

So, recently I have been offered these 2 vintage walking foot sewing machines. And because I do some upholstery projects as a hobby and not professionally, I don't want to invest a lot of money on expensive one.

So, the machines are Pfaff 145 and the other is Singer 111G156. What would you choose between these 2? Which one has more spare parts available? I'm more biased toward the Pfaff. But I would appreciate your opinions so much because I'm not so much experienced with the sewing machines.

EDIT:  Hi, I’ve been told wrong, It’s Pfaff 545-H3-6/01 and not 145

Best regards

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 9, 2020 by Northmount
Corrected Machine Model Pfaff 545-H3-6/01

[Wizcrafts]

Parts are definitely more available and cheaper for the Singer. I have a 211G156 and it is a capable upholstery machine.

[CowboyBob]

Yes,as Wiz said get the Singer parts & feet are alot cheaper since they are used in many different brands.

[shoepatcher]

Yeah, but the Pfaff will sew smoother and better.

glenn

[toxo]

Does the singer have reverse? Looks like the Pfaff does.

[johnny91]

@toxo  Yes, it does. Both have reverse

 

By the way, does anyone knows when these sewing machines were manufactured? Like an approximation? I guess the Singer is much older than the Pfaff?

Edited September 9, 2020 by johnny91

[JJN]

I agree that parts for the Singer are easier to get. But, based on condition, I would get the Pfaff. The singer is a repaint and makes me question the history and wear on that machine. The Pfaff has original paint and decals. The bed wear is minimal. It looks like it has a lot of life left. You need to inspect closely the mechanism of both machines to make a final decision.

[johnny91]

There's a little update, I've been told wrong, It is not 145 but 545-H3-6/01. That's the correct model of Pfaff.

[JJN]

Bonus, that is a large bobbin model. How much is it? Does it have a table and motor?

[Pintodeluxe]

With all things being equal I would get the Pfaff.  

The only better (older) upholstery class machine in my opinion would be the 545 H4 and the Juki LU-563.

Big bobbin top-loaders are hard to beat in my book.    

You may need to add a servo and/or speed reducer to get it to do what you want, but that's true with any machine.    

[Uwe]

Just my 2 cents: The Pfaff gets my vote by a pretty good margin. Key parts like feet, throat plate, hook, thread tension unit, etc. are all readily available from various vendors, both OEM and good quality aftermarket. A properly adjusted Pfaff is a thing of beauty and a joy to use, in my experience. 

[Handstitched]

I quite like the Pfaff. Never seen a gold Singer before . But I'd be leaning towards buying both, if possible . You could always set the 2nd machine up for other  jobs, materials , threads etc. 

HS 

[Kozuph]

Depends on the price? That pfaff is significantly more valuable than the singer in your picture. Trying to find a older pfaff on the used market is almost impossible (especially if it’s in your local area). Also individuals selling pfaffs are usually very well aware of what they are worth so deals are hard to find.  I would grab that 545 and run with it  no questions asked! . I have a 545 H4. It sews beautifully. At least for the upholstery that I do....... parts wise, yeah they are pricy but unless it’s something major you’re golden. As a reference, My dad has a old pfaff 1245. He’s used it for 30 years without putting a dime into it.  They are amazing machines. 

 

 

if you are curious, go onto universalsewing.com and you can search the parts manual and parts pricing.

 

 

As far as the singer goes.  “Fresh paint no warranty”. In all seriousness though as long as the internals are good it’s probably ok but I’d grab that pfaff before someone else does. (I Also have a singer 211g156 so this is not a bias recommendation) 

 

do they come with tables or head only. Either way get a servo motor and you’ll be sewing happily. 

[johnny91]

Hello, everyone 

I’m happy to report that today I bought my first leather sewing machine and finally I made a decision, I chose it Pfaff.  It looks in a decent condition. However, It does not come with a motor, nor a table, just the head only and It cost about $150 (Singer had the same price as well). Does anyone knows like an approximation when these models were manufactured? What is the maximum thickness of layers that this machine can handle? Thank you all so much for your honest opinions and suggestions.  I appreciate it.

my best regards

Edited September 12, 2020 by johnny91

[Kozuph]

Congrats! You stole that thing. 

[JJN]

That was a great deal. I bought a head recently that needed a table, motor etc. I found a nearly new juki 8700 on Craigslist for 350. It had a a like new table, servo motor, spool stand, bobbin winder and drawer. I put the other head on it and plan to sell the 8700 head to recoup my expenses. I think I saved a lot of money over buying those items separately and paying shipping on top of that.

Edited September 12, 2020 by JJN

[Pintodeluxe]

Normally they can sew about 3/8" of compressed leather.  Yours might be a little different because it doesn't have the "P" in the letter code that describes the sub model.  Supposedly that means it wouldn't have 4 motion drop feed.  I'm not sure how that affects its maximum capability.

[Handstitched]

@johnny91 Congratulations , its a boy    Just kidding. Theres not that much difference between your  Pfaff, Singer, Seiko &  Consew variants. I mostly sew horse rugs,with lots of folded seams,  corners, thick webbings, bindings etc.  on my Seiko STW,   but it sews 3mm leather quite happily . 

have fun  

HS

[johnny91]

Good afternoon, folks

Thanks for the congratulations. I've done a little research, so the lift is 11 mm or approx. 1/2" on this model particularly (many of you are probably already familiar with that I guess).  Watched a Pfaff model 145 on YouTube with the same H3, it sewed like 8 layers of leather at its max limit. Pretty impressive! Can't wait til I get the table and the motor and start working on this perfect German piece of machinery.

Btw, I found a manual on the internet or instruction book as Pfaff calls it, however that pdf was a mess, inconsistent resolution of the pages, very annoying, so I took care of that issue, so If anyone will ever need this, here's my fixed version of that manual:

manual_pfaff_545_145.pdf

Best regards 

Edited September 15, 2020 by Northmount
uploaded file

[Old Coach Saddlery]

We have a 545 at our work. Used for light duty repairs on chaps and such. Parts are a little harder to find for the machine and more expensive. Personally I prefer a Juki over the Pfaff 

[johnny91]

 

Hey guys, look what I found here. Are these 2 screw holes for edge guide, finger guard or? Does any subclass of 545 has these set of screw holes? So far, I didn't see this on any 545 models while searching the internet. What do you think?

Edited September 15, 2020 by johnny91

[Marykins]

On 9/14/2020 at 6:53 PM, johnny91 said:

 

Hey guys, look what I found here. Are these 2 screw holes for edge guide, finger guard or? Does any subclass of 545 has these set of screw holes? So far, I didn't see this on any 545 models while searching the internet. What do you think?

Maybe someone tapped those holes in for an edge guide? They don’t look factory IMHO.

[Uwe]

Yup, those are mounting holes for edge guides, like home-made.

You may need a KB09 adapter bracket in order to install one of the popular KG867 edge guide or similar. Both are readily available from various vendors on Ebay end elsewhere.

You’re missing the manual foot lift lever, by the way. Easy to replace and not a big deal if you plan to hook up a pedal or knee lift to operate the presser foot lift. If you’re buying a new manual foot lift lever, make sure you get the correct version for your H3 model. That part varies between the  H1/H2/H3/H4 models, if I recall.

 

[DonInReno]

Nice purchase!   Even the Singer, if it sews ok, could be sold for $400 since it has reverse.   The repaint wouldn’t bother me if it’s in good shape underneath.  

[johnny91]

21 hours ago, DonInReno said:

Nice purchase!   Even the Singer, if it sews ok, could be sold for $400 since it has reverse.   The repaint wouldn’t bother me if it’s in good shape underneath.  

Thanks. One big reason I chose Pfaff over Singer is because I easily found a cheap OEM Pfaff table for it (I was so lucky, because I wasn't looking particularly to be OEM Pfaff table), so I just needed to fit the machine and It was ready to sew. With Singer I couldn't get easily one that fits at least here where I live.

Edited December 15, 2020 by johnny91