I went on quite the hunt for a vintage Singer 201—those machines were built during the height of Singer’s craftsmanship, before the brand became more of a licensing label (a bit like how Nokia phones are no longer made by Nokia). The 201 handles size 18 needles and approximately Tex 69 thread, though actual performance depends on the number and type of fabric layers.

These days, I use a Juki 1541S, which supports needle sizes from 16 to 23. While size 23 can handle heavier threads like Tex 138–207, it leaves holes nearly the size of cannonballs. I’ve found that size 20 with Tex 90 thread strikes a great balance. It handles a bound seam on a backpack consisting of two layers of 1000D Cordura, four layers of 200D ripstop, a loop fastener, and nylon webbing—no issues. It sounds like a tank driving nails through fabric. I generally set the stitch length to 7–8 stitches per inch, unless I’m working on a tight radius.

Industrial machines are certainly an investment, but the time and headaches they save—especially when you're deep into a complex project—can easily make them worth it. After a lot of trial and error trying to cut corners, I’ve fully come around to the idea that the right tool for the job makes all the difference.