Sewing Machine Stitch Length - an unscientific evaluation

A friend was wondering about which domestic sewing machine might have the longest stitch length. So I thought, hmm, I have a "few" sewing machines that I could test out to find an answer. And let me say right off the hop, I have no formal sewing machine training, so any opinions I might have are strictly from my own observations.

That being said, I was a bit surprised at one of the test subjects I used for this evaluation. But you'll have to read on to find out. Here are the results. DUHNNN.. DUH-DUH-DUH.. DUHN-DUHN-DUHN-DUHNNNN! And the winner is......

SewMor Class 15 clone (1950s, straight stitch, cast iron):

Here are the specifics, from longest to least longest stitch length (inches, stitches per inch, mm):
SewMor Class 15 clone .167"  6.0SPI 4.2mm
Kenmore 385 .166" 6.0SPI 4.2mm
Kenmore 158.321 .157" 6.4SPI 4.0mm
Morse MZZ              .152"  6.6SPI  3.9mm
New Home 270 .138" 7.2SPI 3.5mm
Singer 328K .136" 7.3SPI 3.5mm
Pfaff 130 .113" 8.8SPI 2.9mm
Singer 185K (3/4 size) .100"  10SPI 2.5mm

Before I get to the photos of the remaining seven sewing machines, let me explain what the dial calipers are doing in the photos. I counted 10 stitches then measured the length of the 10 stitches using the calipers to get a fairly accurate measurement. I then took that number and divided by 10 (duh) to get individual stitch length. It caused less error than measuring an individual stitch.

Following are photos of the runners-up in descending order.

Kenmore 385 (24- stitch, circa 1987, plastic housing but a really great machine overall - this particular machine we bought soon after getting married):

Kenmore 158.321 (late '50s, zig zag, cast iron):

Morse MZZ (late '50s, zig zag, cast iron)

New Home 270 (late '50s, straight stitch, cast iron - ok, so you're saying to yourself that this one says ".143" on the paper.... but that was before I started measuring a grouping of 10 stitches, so you can see that measuring one stitch is not as accurate as measuring a group of 10):

Singer 328K (early '60s, zig zag, cast aluminum):

Pfaff 130 (early '50s, zig zag, cast iron) - this one was the shocker with such a short stitch length (maybe it is malfunctioning?? but it sure didn't appear to be):

Singer 185K (early '60s, 3/4 size, straight stitch, cast iron):

There you have it. A non-scientific compilation of sewing machine stitch lengths. First place went to a very basic Japanese Class 15 clone that is based on the Singer Class 15 series. It's a good general purpose machine but is straight stitch only. I guess I should have tried a real Singer Class 15...

Second and third place went to Kenmore, and it's interesting to note that they were made at least 25 years apart. One is a classic '60s cast iron monster that has a reputation for durability and the other is an '80s plastic wonder (but still an excellent sewing machine in my opinion). And both of these machines are zig zag. So if you are looking for a good all-around machine that needs a longer stitch length and zig zag capability, look at a Kenmore. They're usually plentiful and fairly inexpensive at your local thrift store.