The Singer VS machines were produced from the 1880’s until the late 1950’s and saw small changes in the placement of the bobbin winder, an addition of a shuttle ejector, as well as a change in the casting as the early machines had a cast plate that exposed the back of the machine instead of a plate.
The 28 and 128 were the smaller version of the model 27 and 128 and sold in massive numbers as they were one of the least expensive machines Singer offered, were dead reliable, and made an outstanding stitch. They could also sew through pretty much anything you could get under the foot.
The model 28 had a heavier hand wheel and a lower placed bobbin winder save for the case of the 28-9 which was a transitional model, that had a high placed winder and a handwheel that was a little heavier than the 128’s.
The 128 shown here is a 1951 Centennial model with an M.R. decal, this stood for Marca Registrada and was placed their for export to Spanish speaking countries. It has Celtic decals which were unique to Canadian made machines and the hand crank is a replacement for the original electric motor.
These machines were always best as hand cranks as they were not designed to run at the speeds an electric motor provided, and turning one of these machines over by hand is a zen like experience. It does of course provide excellent stitch control and the stitching of a VS machine is beautiful, and as close to a hand stitch as any machine could make.
Any collector of vintage Singer machines should have at least one, as they were so significant and successful for almost 60 years of production.
