Necchi Model 535fa : A Machine From The 80’s

Necchi Model 535fa was a sewing machine made in Taiwan 1982-88. I won a bid for the machine at Goodwill online for $8. After paying taxes and shipping costs, I ended up spending $24.27. If you would like to learn more about the experience of shopping Goodwill online for sewing machines and other  supplies, check out the YouTube video below. Note: At the end of this article, there is a parts list for Necchi 535fa. 

Necchi 535fa has 10 standard stitches,…

…which are all color coded for ease of use.  It also comes with a 4 step buttonhole function and a free arm for sewing around sleeves or other small items.

The manual is fairly easy to find online for free.

Since, Necchi 534fb is very much alike Necchi 535fa, you can use the exact same manual. It is available online for free here.

Necchi Model 535fa stands out because it has two sewing machine belts instead of just one.

The two belts allow users to sew without loosing much torque between the motor and the handwheel.

Necchi Model 535fa takes these belts:

Large Belt size 19 3/4

Small Belt size 9 7/8

While the machine does have two belts for extra torque, it lacks a good motor.

The motor is only a 0.7amp motor, which is quite bad for a sewing machine made in the 1980’s era. Disappointingly, the motor is what you would only expect to see on an older machine like the Singer 66. Although the motor is very unimpressive, it will do a decent job of completing small sewing tasks.

In terms of quality, Necchi 535fa is very mediocre.

There are no plastic gears on this machine. However, most of the parts are made from aluminum and are quite thin and don’t feel of the same quality as Necchi machines were when they were made in Italy. As a primary example of quality , the knobs feel very light weight and delicate in comparison to earlier model machines.

Also, the handwheel is almost entirely made from plastic. The machine, used for this review, had a cracked handwheel that caused the wheel to turn in lopsided rotations. Normally, a plastic handwheel isn’t a problem. However, it is a problem when the handwheel is made from a brittle sort of plastic like Necchi used for this particular sewing machine.

There is just one main thing that bugs me about this Necchi.

Necchi model 535fa bugs me because there is small gap between the bed and the free arm that allows for threads to get caught in-between.

Not only is the bed poorly fitting, but you must also remove it to access the bobbin case.

IMPORTANT: There are a few thing to note about this machine.

• First, the machine does not take a standard sewing machine foot pedal because the plug connector/receptacle is shaped differently than  standard Singer class 15.

The kind of Necchi foot pedal required for this machine is not always readily available in the U.S. However, it can be found here.

• The machine takes standard snap on presser feet.

For those of you who are not fans of snap on presser feet, you have the option to remove the snap on adapter and use standard low shank presser feet.

• Necchi 535fa Stop Motion Washer fits with the inner ears facing inwards. 

Typically, sewing machines have the washer facing outwards. But this time, it does in fact fit on with the ears resting inside of the grooves. Once placed on correctly, the needle bar will stop when you turn the stop motion knob forward and set the machine to wind a bobbin.

Replacement Parts List (with clickable links)

Snap On Presser Feet Kit

Low Shank Zig Zag Presser Foot

Large Belt size 19 3/4

Small Belt Size 9 7/8

Bobbin Tire

Light Bulb

Sewing Machine Foot Pedal

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