You are right, Jack. A small mechanical machine is very easy to maintain, no computers to worry about unlike many modern machines.

leenia, the price these machines now sell for is scary - many hundreds of dollars! I paid $140 Oz, even with a missing bobbin case that was considered to be a bargain. With the ensuing 15 years plus inflation the price is getting dearer, especially for one of the rarer models.

When you look inside an older machine there is't much to go wrong, they are beautifully simple. I also have two mid-1920s Singer treadles which sew beautifully, but of course they don't belong here because they aren't electric.