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| Necchi:BU (Sewing Machine) | | Viewed 930 time(s) | | Review rated Very Helpful by 7 people | | Reviewed by: | Ripple Dandelion | 
| | About Ripple Dandelion | | NC USA | | Member since: 9/23/06 | | Reviews written: 6 | | Sewing skills:Intermediate | | sewing machines reviewed: 1 | | Bio: more... |
| | Posted on: | 9/2/09 7:38 AM | | Approx price paid: | $85 | | Had this machine for: | One year | | Recommended? | Yes | Features
- Adjustable Stitch Length and Width
- Adjustable Presser Foot Pressure
- Adjustable Needle Position
| | What Ripple Dandelion likes about this machine
Photos are available at my blog: http://asewinglife.blogspot.com
Oh, I certainly love this machine, but that's no great endorsement, since I seem to love all of my machines. I first got interested in trying out a vintage Necchi when the circuit board on my Bernina 160 failed. I surfed the internet reading various reviews and just happened across a couple of glowing accounts of vintage Necchis on here on Pattern Review. Their enthusiasm led me to the Vintage Necchis Yahoo Group. After reading along on this group for a couple of months, I had to have one. What they said is true, there is a quality to this massive chunk of Italian machinery that is quite unlike any other sewing machine I had used before.
According to the Vintage Necchis Yahoo Group, this model was manufactured in Italy between 1948 and 1953. The easy-to-spot differences between this model (BU) and its successor, the BU Nova are the VN (for Vittorio Necchi) logo on the machine bed, and the plain chrome face of the tension assembly. The later model had the newer cartoon-style N logo and a black face on its tension assembly.
The BU is a flat bed machine with an oscillating hook and manual zig zag (which I believe means you select zig zag by shifting the stitch width lever rather than pushing a button). Necchis designated as BC, BCJ or BF are straight stitch only. The BU was manufactured in black or green. It is a very simple, very heavy cast iron machine with no plastic parts whatsoever.
I had been watching eBay for a vintage Necchi for several weeks. This machine was listed by a damaged freight company. As far as I could tell from the very indistinct photo, its spool pins were bent, and the plastic modern case it had been shipped in was cracked, but otherwise things looked okay. It turned out that it came with no power cord or foot pedal, or attachments other than the bobbin case, one bobbin and the all-purpose presser foot. I had ambitions of resolving the power situation myself, but in the end I took it to a local sewing machine mechanic who was backed up for seven weeks! The replacement foot control he provided is okay, but it does have a tendency to race. Since I sew clothing, I like to go slowly much of the time, and I find that I don't have the control I would like. I've heard of others with similar problems with replacement foot pedals. When the perfect treadle table comes along, I plan to convert this machine to treadle operation.
I don't have a base or a cabinet with hinge pins for it. As a heavy machine that generates some vibration, it could really use the extra stability of one of those.
I paid $55, plus $30 shipping, which was a good deal, but then I spent around $100 for the mechanic's services and the foot pedal, and $40 for a set of attachments belonging to a BU Mira. My total cost was higher, and my gratification much more delayed, than if I had bought a complete outfit to begin with.
In hindsight, I would not recommend buying a machine over eBay in unknown condition as one of your first vintage sewing machine purchases! A complete setup from a local source, or a well-established eBay seller, might have been a better way to go. In the year that I've been on the hunt, I've only seen two Necchis in my state (North Carolina). One had a broken part that is no longer available, and the other was the same machine I have, but after I had already bought this one.
I have done quite a few projects on this BU, but other machines have happened along since, so it hasn't been my only machine. I pieced a twin quilt top and made my son a pair of jeans as the first pair of projects. I have made a couple of denim skirts for myself, several cotton blouses, a rayon dress with piping and six very wide and long sheer curtain panels.
This machine is wonderfully well-suited to a wide variety of woven fabrics. It handles light fabrics just as beautifully as very firm and heavy fabrics. I am not sure, in all honesty, that it pierces heavier fabrics any better than my modern Bernina 160 (which I did have repaired, to the tune of $250!). And I have not had great luck at all using it on lighter weight knits, such as jersey.
The sewing experience on this machine is fantastic. The BU gives me the feeling that together we can push right through nearly any project. It handles thick topstitching or upholstery thread in the needle and the bobbin much, much better than my Bernina. I love that it has an adjustable needle position (left, center and right). My Bernina probably has 10 different positions from left to right, but I love the simplicity of the three, which turns out to be plenty for any need. I like that it has adjustable presser foot pressure, which two older Berninas I used to own did not. I like that the feed dogs can be dropped for free motion work, though I haven't explored that much yet. This machine is a high shank model, so it can use many industrial presser feet. These feet are rugged, very specific to a purpose and cost between $5-$10 per foot. Compare that to between $30-$60 per Bernina foot!
Somehow the visibility of the sewing surface and the ease of reaching it on this machine are both great. The "head" of my Bernina seems to be higher and come forward more, and I feel like I hunch over more when using it. The ergonomics of the Necchi are terrific for me. It's awesome to set the levers in one position and know that they will stay put until I change them. On the other hand, it isn't so easy to change back and forth between different settings on the fly. What Ripple Dandelion does not like about this machine
I wish it handled knits better, and sometimes I wish it was a pink and cream Supernova with the circular needle plate and a full set of cams! This machine does straight stitch and zig zag, forward and back, and free motion work. That's all.
I haven't seen a lot of discussion about the way the needle mounts on these vintage machines versus the more modern arrangement, but it presents an issue for me. The needle mounts with the flat side to the right. Threading goes left to right. This is not just Necchis, but actually all of my vintage machines. It's easy enough to thread, and easy to insert the needle once you learn which way the flat side goes, but it doesn't make two parallel rows of stitching with a twin needle. Instead the twin needle makes a sort of a shadow effect vertically. I like to use a twin needle for hemming knits, so I have to hold onto a modern machine for this purpose. | *LOGIN to add a comment to this review
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| Reader Comments | | sew obsessed | 9/2/09 | Very nice review! I have several vintage machines and there are things I love about each one of them. I don't own a Necchi.....yet! The right one has not come available to me but I suspect at some point I won't be able to resist......Thanks. | | * * * | | Mufffet | 9/2/09 | Thanks for an interesting review! | | * * * | | catsmeow | 9/2/09 | Thank you for your excellent review of this machine! I "haunt" the Ebay Necchis, too, and I very well remember the one you have reviewed here. Except for the bent spool pins it was in wonderful cosmetic condition for its age. I almost bid on it myself. What you paid to get it up and running is about par for the course when one purchases a vintage machine from Ebay. I just consider it an investment in a really great machine. A BU Nova is my "dream" machine someday -- maybe a green one????? | | * * * | | Ripple Dandelion | 9/2/09 | catsmeow, how neat that you saw this machine on eBay too! I'm glad we didn't end up bidding against one another. You're right, the total cost wasn't bad, and at least I got a one year local guarantee on the work. I also got to know a good mechanic, which is very important. I hope you find a green Nova--a beauty just sold for around $150 on eBay a day or two ago. | | * * * | | catsmeow | 9/3/09 | Ripple -- Yes, I saw it. I'm sure it's a little rusty because I drooled all over it. However, right now is not a good time for me to splurge. I knew that it would get a good price, and then there would be the cost of manuals, accessories, maybe a need for a good sm guy to do any fixing needed. So glad you love your new-to-you BU! | | * * * | | Peter in NYC | 9/3/09 | Loved reading about your vintage Necchi. I have a vintage Necchi 555, very similar to a Supernova, from the early 70s, and I am enjoying greatly. I bought it on eBay and took a risk but to my delight, the machine works splendidly, though I did have to replace the bobbin winder tire, which was missing. There's a treasure-trove of old machines out there and it's great to know people are adopting and using them. Thanks for your review! | | * * * | | Manalto | 9/3/09 | Thanks for your thorough review. The BU is a great machine, solid and very well constructed. Don't feel too badly about it not being a pink-and-cream Supernova - you can get yourself one of those too! | | * * * | | marycds | 9/4/09 | My grandmother had a Necchi that she just loved. I was amazing what she could do with that machine. It had all kinds of cool attachments. It did tons of decorative stitches with a cam system. I still have the booklet that shows all the stitches. She even had a big attachment system to do monograms. She did lots of pillow cases that were cutwork. I wish I knew what model it was. She must have gotten it new in the late 50s or early 60s. Thanks for the memories! | | * * * | | Tina Rathbone | 9/4/09 | I'm so glad you're having a positive experience with this machine. This is the one I grew up with; my mom, me and it all battling to teach me how to sew. I never mastered it then, and considered it a bear of a machine. Now, with your happy experience in mind, I must head over to Mom's and try it out once again. I also love vintage machines. My mom's is in a built-in table; I'll take a pic for you if you'd like. Maybe you'll be able to find one like it and the sturdy housing will help with the vibration problem. | | * * * | | zanylady | 11/5/09 | Necchi's are really great machines. I have one, a Necchi-Alco. Had the same problem with fast stitching. The foot pedal had a loose wire. If you have the kind of foot pedal where the bottom slides off, you can check the wires and see if they are loose or if one is sticking up and touching something. If I am having trouble with the speed control, I go ahead and take the leads off and put them back on making sure that they are tight. It usually works. | | * * * |
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