Hi! Thanks for sharing this information, you have an interesting perspective! I have a slightly different take on this; much of the time, I use the hand wheel not because the motor cannot drive the needle through the fabric, but because it allows me greater control over the speed at which the needle is driven through the fabric. I've been using the hand wheel on various machines for a decade now, and so far haven't broken one. I'm not saying that your advice is incorrect, it sounds very sensible, but I don't think it's a "NEVER use the hand wheel" thing so much as a "don't use the hand wheel to FORCE a machine to sew something it can't." Thanks for adding to the conversation!

I can concur on the stretch/elastic needle. Universal needles tend to occasionally grab along some of the elastic threads in the fabric which looks bad, makes the elastic more prone to tearing, and can cause bird nesting. It really behaves differently when you use a stretch/knit/jersey needle

Hi! I have to respectfully disagree that hemming these jeans, at least, is far from what I would call the "minimum ability for any machine." Allowing for the possibility that there is some trick or technique I am not aware of, the bulk of that seam was challenging for every machine I tried it on. I've been sewing for over ten years, and have made a LOT of useful gear, including items I have used every single day for many years, on machines that would (or did) struggle to get over that seam. I may have failed to clearly communicate just how thick the denim is in this pair of jeans; some thinner denim might be far easier, but this was a very challenging seam, and the Singer HD did a lot better than I expected it to.

@@thejasonofalltrades Respectfully - Oh I get they all struggled, and yes in industry it is done a specialist machine, but the majority of machines manufactured today would hardly get over a seam in a pair of very light fabric pants leg - let alone take up a a pair of work pants, or walking pants, let alone sew through anything heavy gear related, especially not without just given up having chewed its self to pieces.. Singer for many years re-badged the same machine that your testing as a ''jeans capable' here in Oz, same machine just badged as the machine 'for denim projects'. You can imagine the returns and the subsequent pull from market as it wouldn't do as advertised - I had debated getting one for donkey work and was warned off by the local chain sewing store staff as they had had so many returns, and so many catastrophic failures. I will give you that I am biased, I dislike the throw away mentality which cheap manufacturing has brought about. I like you have old recycled machines that just work, and are easily serviceable and repairable 100 years after manufacture. This if nothing else should be the standard for the brand. Even if neither of them will sew through the seam at least your 201 will last another little while. I would think you've already seen the best out of the modern machine. There are multiple issues at play, but you've perhaps unintentionally persuaded a lot of the chat respondents to look out for a recycled machine - but perhaps that was a self selecting group anyways.

I never noticed or gave it a second's thought before myself!

Did you miss the part where I state that I have no idea how to hem jeans? 😁

I would love to know what the factories use (or what technique I am missing to make it better)!

By holding on to the thread and pulling on it just a little as the bobbin is spinning, it causes the tread to rapidly twist to the point of failure and gives that satisfying snap.

@@paulhopper9879 I never knew! Guess what I'm going to try next time I load a bobbin 😁

Me too! 😄😄

@paulhopper9879 nailed it! I have found that it can be thread-dependent, though, so some thicker threads may not snap off readily. I don't think I've had V69 do it, but I can't swear to it.