Clones

It sounds a bit funny to talk and write about sewing machine clones, but they do have them. One of the definitions of a clone is: a product  that is a copy of another product produced by a well-known company. Singer would be the well-known company and the models that we frequently see cloned are the 66 and 15. How can you identify a model 15? The Singer model 15 has the tension mechanism on the face-plate towards the back:

 Mine is a great stitcher but the bed is quite scratched. Not great aesthetics!

Here's a few of the 15 clones I have:

Eau Clair
 (compare to the Revere below)

DeLuxe (with a Morse motor)

Revere

Some of the identifying characteristics of a 15 are the tension assembly, needle plate, and bobbin placement. Here's  close up of the tension assembly on the DeLuxe:

Threading is done differently but the same principles of engaging the tension disks apply. The needle plate and slide plate are also facing left as we look at the front of a 15:

On a Singer 66 it might look like this or have the slide plate moving from back to front but they have a drop-in bobbin and a 15 has a vertical bobbin:

Although I really like the drop-in bobbin feature, the vertical bobbin you see above is thought to be stronger for use with heavier fabrics and applications because the needle has a straight path down into the bobbin to engage the thread. On a drop-in bobbin the needle doesn't go straight into the bobbin but there is a "bend" in the path. Still works but the more indirect method of a drop-in bobbin might compromise what you can do effectively. This is also good reason to have more than one kind of sewing machine (but that might be rationalization, too).

I think there will be happy sewing on the DeLuxe due to the 4 leaf clovers on the corners of the bed!