Looking to buy an upholstery sewing machine, need your input on brand names, model numbers, pro's and con's, featuers, etc. Will mainly be doing autos and boats, anything to supplement the ole cash flow! Thanks in advance........
The main brands that are out there that I'd recommend are: Singer, Juki, Consew, and Pfaff. I have a Pfaff that has yet to fail me in over 22 years. Consews, are a solid reasonably priced machine with some Jukis being almoat bolt for bolt knock offs of Consews. Any of these brands will provide years of service if kept oiled and clean provided they are in good working order when you buy it. So, that being said, here are the features you should look for. *Get an industrial unit. A light weight unit can do upholstery but the brawn of an one that's made for heavy work will pay off when you have 4 layers of vinyl, foam, and welt to bring together. *A single needle machine is all you'll really need. Double needle machines are for specialized work and really won't do you much good tor trim. *A reverse is nice and I love mine but it's not essential. I would however highly recommend that you get a reversing machine to make locking the s***ches easy at the beginning and end of each run. *A bobbin winder is nice. Some run off the belt drive, some are built into the machine. Either one works well but you'll need to wind bobbins somehow. *If you can find and afford a long arm machine it's something to consider BUT it's not essential Having a long arm can make canvas work and things like door panels easier to do but there are ways to do these with out a long arm. Check the machine carefully when buying and never buy a machine you don't personally have the chance to try out. Open the access panels and feel the mechanisms for slop and wear, especially the bobbin case. A worn bobbin case will give you more broken thread, dropped s***ches and headaches than you'll ever want. Stick with a solid unit in the brands mentioned and you'll be good for years to come.
Great info and just the info I was looking for oldcarmike, thanks 4 taking the time to respond. Learned some things I would not have known to ask. Lon
Mike listed some good info. It really is important to carefully check out used industrial units. There are lots of these on the used market that have been running pretty much non-stop for decades. Pfaff and Consew are the only ones that I have really liked and never had problems finding parts for. I do consider reverse a must have.
I am a trimmer by trade. We use a Pfaff. It is somewhere in the range of 30+ years old. It is one of the best machines I have ever used. The guy who is traning me has been using Pfaff machine for over 25 years and has never had a problem out of one. I'm not saying that a Pfaff is the best but it sure is a good place to start.
stick to looking for a name brand industrial machine, it should be a walking foot locks***ch machine with reverse, 1/2 hp motor and a large bobbin. there is alot of machines available you should be able to find one for $500.00 or less with all the bells and wistles. Steve
one thing to consider is when buying a machine is when it goes out of time can you retime it or will you end up taking it to somebody else costing time and money. pfaff machines from what i have been told are more difficult to time. consews are simple. something you should look into before you buy. ask lots of people all the pro's and cons before you buy one.
Thanks for adding the walking foot feature, Steve. This is a must have! oI can't believe I forgot to mention that. Musta had too much cough syrup for breakfast again...
If anyone is looking for a Consew 226-R-1 Industrial machine, with 110v motor, table, and absolutely stunning condition, used extremely little, sews like a champ, let me know, I'm in Northern CA, and the wife wants to downsize her alteration/tailoring business, so the Industrial is the machine she wants to lose first... Can take and send photos, if anyone is interested.
Hey Bigrat, triend to send you a PM, but I guess you have that function turned off... please PM me with an e-mail address, and I'll get photos of the Consew to you
Hopefully I have corrected the PM problem that I didn't know I had, maybe that's why I feel so lonely! Thanks & you have E-mail...........
I ended up with a Sailrite which seems to be the cats meow. We looked and looked but this one had it all, support to boot. What did you get ???
One place to look for used machines may be at a sail loft. I'm guessing they may be long-arm machines, but the ones I saw looked like standard upholstery machines. Small side note, the sail loft I used to go to had a raised floor - about 26"-30" - with the machines set in the floor and an operators station down in a depressed area of the same depth. Machines were inset into the floor so the sails could be sewn without having to be d****d over the machine. The floor was covered in cork and the machines hauled *** since one p*** could be a long way even for a small sail. (The 150% Genoa on my boat was 176 square feet and the spinnaker was 436 square feet on an about 26' tall mast.) Anyhoo, thought I'd mention the sail loft bit. With so many businesses failing nowadays and with boats being a discretionary expenditure kinda thing you could get lucky....
My grandfather was a Master Upholsterer in Germany and liked Singer.I have a Consew with walking foot and reverse and I like it.Consew,Pfaff,Juki and Singer are all good.Here's a pic of my grandparents and their shop truck.
Can you recommend any specific model numbers for Pfaff, Consew or Juki? What is a good maximum s***ch width number? 8mm? I was looking at a CP206 Consew but it was $500 and only s***ched 6mm wide... Just checked Ebay... how about Powerhouse Tuffsew Units? Seller has excellent feedback, 9" total package for under $400 shipped, any thoughts? http://cgi.ebay.com/WALKING-FOOT-IN...ryZ26256QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Thanks, Tom
The most common Pfaff commercial machines are the #145 and 545. The only difference in the two is the 545 has the larger bobbin holder but you can also run the smaller bobbins in them with no problems. As far as Pfaff's being hard to time, never been a problem and easy to do.
Tuffsew reviews http://get-up-and-go.com/upholstery-forum/index.php?action=search2 enter tuffsew in search box
I have a Consew 226r.Some other models are 206rb and a 206rbl which is the long bed.Juki models 1508n and 1508nh which is one that has a large bobbin.My friend has a pfaff 135.
Here's my 2 cents. Never believe anybodys description of a machine as walking foot unless you verify it somewhere else. People on eBay call anything walking foot. Make sure you can run the machine on 110 current unless you have 220 outlet where you will use it. Have a truck ready to move that heavy sob
I don't know enough to advise you on this, but a guy in our club, Greg Chupp, sells and services commercial sewing machines for everything from one-man shops up to production operations that supply seats for the auto industry. Greg knows his stuff, he's a very good upholstery man himself, and he's a good guy who will treat you right. Send me a PM with your e-mail address and I will put you in touch with him.
What the hell my old lady wants to get rid of her consew to.It works great. Got it from an old hospital it got shut down they left all kinds of cool stuff.
This is old but Ron at Quality Industrial Sew in Grand Island Ne. has been selling upholstery machines to rodders for over 20 years. Does several NSRA and Goodguys events during the year.
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