Pfaff PFAFF select 4.2

The select 4.2 is a Pfaff mechanical machine with the IDT system as standard, the same integrated dual feed found on Pfaff's more expensive electronics: an extra feed dog comes down from above and pulls the fabric together with the feed dogs under the presser foot, so two layers do not shift against each other even on satin or lightweight linings. Controls stay mechanical: stitch length and width are set with two separate dials, and the stitch is chosen by pressing the button with the matching letter under the lid.

It has 40 built-in stitches, width up to 5.5 mm and 173 mm of space between the needle and the machine arm. The buttonhole is sewn in four guided passes with the dedicated foot, selecting the stitches in sequence rather than automatically. The needle threader is a built-in lever device: it lowers, turns toward the needle and releases, slower than an automatic threader but still quicker than threading by hand. The thread cutter is a fixed blade you pull the threads across, not a button. The feed dogs drop for darning and free-motion work, and the bobbin winder fills a bobbin without unthreading the needle.

It weighs 11 kg and ships with 8 presser feet, including zipper, blind hem and rolled hem with IDT. It suits someone who wants dual feed without moving up to an electronic machine with a screen, and who can live with a multi-step buttonhole instead of a one-step automatic one.