Singer 401A
Continuing Singer’s premium series
The unofficial x01 series of top end Singer sewing machines consists of the Singer 101-x, Singer 201-x, Singer 301x, Singer 401x, Singer 500x, Singer 600 Auto-Reel and Singer 600E Touch & Sew, sewing machines.
It was the 401 and 403 that introduced multiple stitch patterns to Singer’s top end sewing machine line. The traditionalist in me would have preferred the 401 would have continued as straight stitch only, swapping the 401 and 404 names, but I do understand that from a marketing standpoint the 401 needed to be the most full featured model. The 401, 403, and 404 continue the rotary hook and high production standards the x01 machines are known for.
The good… More features than you can shake a stick at
More often than not when you create a machine that’s a Jack of all trades you end up with a mess. This Jack of all trades actually works. The rotary hook, gear drive, lightweight aluminum body, extensive built in stitch pattern library, ability to expand that stitch pattern library with drop in stitch cams, and even the return of the case/cabinet hinge pin holes that were missing from the model 301. The 401 is considered by many to be the pinnacle of the Singer x01 lines evolution. If you sew a lot, and don’t have room or budget for more than one specialty machine the 401 is a good choice. It does everything a modern mechanical sewing machine can do, but with it’s all metal construction it will still be doing those things when the modern mechanical sewing machine has worn out.
The bad… Poor User Interface
The 401A feels like the marketing department demanded every bell and whistle possible be added , regardless of practicality, and I feel both the machine and the user suffer from it’s overly enthusiastic feature set.
The user interface is difficult to figure out, and then it’s hard to actually manipulate the buttons and knobs into the correct positions for the settings you desire. You can’t move one knob into the correct position without adjusting the other knob and vice versa. It’s frustrating for a new user to the machine, one hopes that you learn the idiosyncrasies of the controls and it becomes easier, but that really shouldn’t be put on the user. I know Singer was really in uncharted waters here, there’s a ton of information you need to convey to the user, and then you need that same user to use a couple of knobs to adjust a very complicated system inside the machine, It was a monumental task. On one hand, given that this was all new technology, it’s amazing that it works as well as it does, but on the other hand they really should have taken another year to make the controls on the machine user friendly.
The ugly… No, it’s a nice looking machine
Like anything, when it comes to looks, opinions vary. I actually kind of like the oyster over tan color scheme of the 40x series as carried over from an option available on the 301, and continued on the 50x models. It’s a classy look and the information on the panels is easy to read though sometimes hard to understand.
I’ll admit I wish they had offered an all black version like they did on the 301, it’s just an aesthetic that works well in my opinion.
Singer 401A Reference images
This machine was won at auction and it’s a mess. I have been and will continue cleaning it up. I did manage to get it so that it will sew, but the motor needs to be serviced but at the time of this writing it’s still varnished in place. I will add info and photos as I work on it so check back now and then to see how it’s working and looking.
Cam Stack
I pulled the cam stack, dissembled and cleaned it. Then reassembled, reinstalled and retimed it.
Stitch selector assembly gallery
Before and after gallery
Here are a few before and after cleaning images. As stated above this machine was quite a mess. It took a lot of work, but as you can tell from the gallery images it was worth it.
| Brand | Singer |
| Series | Slat-O-Matic |
| Model | 401 401A (Featured here) Made in the United States 401G Made in Germany |
| Hook Type | Rotary |
| Bobbin | Class 66 |
| Needle System | 15×1 |
| Foot Type | Slant Shank |
| Stitch Pattern Cams | Cams from the 401, 403, 500, 503, and some 600 Series machines can be used in the 401 |
| Construction | All Metal |
| Construction Drivetrain | All Metal |
| Introduced | 1957 |
