Portable Leather Sewing Machines

[donna]

I've been looking but so far no luck. Wondering if there are portable leather sewing machines. I will be sewing leather handbags (not hard think leather ones but soft supple ones)...we need to take this on the road with us. Was looking for an industrial model.

Donna

[Randy Cornelius]

The only one I would consider portable would be the Boss that would fit your needs. But you will need a sturdy table or bench to bolt or clam it down to.

[Wizcrafts]

A Sailrite portable walking foot machine, with a Power Plus wheel, will do the work you intend to sew.

Avoid the portable walking foot machines sold on eBay. They are worse then junk. They are pathetic. I bought one and had to send it back because it got jammed durning shipping and couldn't be un-jammed without completely tearing it down and rebuilding it. I lost money shipping it back. The castings are horrible, the shafts bend, the mating surfaces are not smooth. Pure garbage (Rex, Alphasew, etc).

[donna]

Thank you both. We see the consew CP206R...would this work....as we no knothing about it. Similar to sailrite? Price is right for a starter machine and we do intentd to upgrade a bit later on to a full industrial machine. We will be sewing up garment/glove leather purses...just need something for on the road.

Thank you.

Donna

A Sailrite portable walking foot machine, with a Power Plus wheel, will do the work you intend to sew.

Avoid the portable walking foot machines sold on eBay. They are worse then junk. They are pathetic. I bought one and had to send it back because it got jammed durning shipping and couldn't be un-jammed without completely tearing it down and rebuilding it. I lost money shipping it back. The castings are horrible, the shafts bend, the mating surfaces are not smooth. Pure garbage (Rex, Alphasew, etc).

[CowboyBob]

Wiz,

The Sailrite is just an Alpha-Sew w/a large wheel & different color paint.And they also give you a big sales pitch about it.

Bob

[Wizcrafts]

Thank you both. We see the consew CP206R...would this work....as we no knothing about it. Similar to sailrite? Price is right for a starter machine and we do intentd to upgrade a bit later on to a full industrial machine. We will be sewing up garment/glove leather purses...just need something for on the road.

Thank you.

Donna

Donna;

I haven't seen a Consew 206RP yet, but looking at photos of it, it looks like the same casing and design as the garbage Rex machine I bought. If you can go to the place where they are sold and see one in operation, then take it home in the back padded seat of your car, you'll probably make out okay. If you buy it and have it shipped by UPS, parts may be broken by the time it arrives, even though there aren't holes in the box. The shock of the packed box being dropped on the front or back is all it takes.

I suspect that somebody here who owns or owned a Consew 206RP will chime in.

By contrast, Sailrite builds a sturdy portable walking foot machine. The Power Plus or Monster Wheel gives it a positive drive pin, plus multiplies the torque tremendously. The eBay portables are only driven by friction from the knob on the back of the wheel. The one I got wouldn't even turn the mechanism when it arrived. The wheel just spun while the rest of the parts stayed motionless.

If you intend to use a portable walking foot machine to make money on the road, buy a Sailrite. The cheaper machines aren't built to take the shock of being moved around a lot.

[Wizcrafts]

Wiz,

The Sailrite is just an Alpha-Sew w/a large wheel & different color paint.And they also give you a big sales pitch about it.

Bob

I didn't know that. This is discouraging. Are there any portable walking foot machines that have a decent casing and sturdy rods, cranks and bearings?

[CowboyBob]

I don't know of any we have sold the Alpha-Sew & alot of inmates like them & use them alot & they don't seem to have alot of problems.We also have found a way to prevent the topshaft from getting bent in shipment.It probably takes us a good hour or more to go through one & get it ready,there's alot of little things that need to be done &

if you get a machine from ebay that hasn't been gone over I'm sure you'd have some issues with it.

Bob

[glennaycock]

Donna;

I haven't seen a Consew 206RP yet, but looking at photos of it, it looks like the same casing and design as the garbage Rex machine I bought. If you can go to the place where they are sold and see one in operation, then take it home in the back padded seat of your car, you'll probably make out okay. If you buy it and have it shipped by UPS, parts may be broken by the time it arrives, even though there aren't holes in the box. The shock of the packed box being dropped on the front or back is all it takes.

I suspect that somebody here who owns or owned a Consew 206RP will chime in.

By contrast, Sailrite builds a sturdy portable walking foot machine. The Power Plus or Monster Wheel gives it a positive drive pin, plus multiplies the torque tremendously. The eBay portables are only driven by friction from the knob on the back of the wheel. The one I got wouldn't even turn the mechanism when it arrived. The wheel just spun while the rest of the parts stayed motionless.

If you intend to use a portable walking foot machine to make money on the road, buy a Sailrite. The cheaper machines aren't built to take the shock of being moved around a lot.

Interestingly, in the photos of the Consew CP206R on Ebay, the name badge says "Made in Japan." Now, that doesn't necessarily mean anything, but it could be decent quality.

[Wizcrafts]

Interestingly, in the photos of the Consew CP206R on Ebay, the name badge says "Made in Japan." Now, that doesn't necessarily mean anything, but it could be decent quality.

Unless you can find someone here who has or had one, you won't know until you buy it and hopefully, receive it in one working piece.

Make sure the seller offers a full refund if you are dissatisfied. Do not tell the seller you want to sew belts or straps with it, as this may void the implied warranty. That is, unless they ad claims it can sew x-ounces of belt leather.

In my bad experience, the machine was so badly damaged in shipping that it did not turn over long enough to even sew the sample cloth that was under the feet. When I tried to return it the seller claimed I ruined the machine trying to sew leather. After certifying that I hadn't sewn anything, much less leather, I was able to get a partial refund. These machines are not built to sew leather, other than soft or thin stuff. They are marketed to the boat cover repair people and hobby upholsters. They are set up for sewing low resistance Marine Vinyl and Sunbrella/Duck cloth.

[King's X]

I have a portable walking foot machine that I bought earlier this year from a person who made some items for a movie. It was used for this one movie and used on site for repair and partial reconstruction or changes and has been stored. It comes fully contained in a traveling locking case and worked from the moment I saw, and brought it home. I also had a technician inspect it and service it. It was given the okay and tuned up. The technician spoke very well of this machine except for one thing! It would not do what I needed it to sew, belts cases and medium thickness leathers! oh well!

I would be willing to work with anyone willing to take it off my hands for what I have in it plus shipping to you! I have and would send the service reciept along with the machine to the new owner.

Good luck

[donna]

We bought one but what kind do you have?

Donna

I have a portable walking foot machine that I bought earlier this year from a person who made some items for a movie. It was used for this one movie and used on site for repair and partial reconstruction or changes and has been stored. It comes fully contained in a traveling locking case and worked from the moment I saw, and brought it home. I also had a technician inspect it and service it. It was given the okay and tuned up. The technician spoke very well of this machine except for one thing! It would not do what I needed it to sew, belts cases and medium thickness leathers! oh well!

I would be willing to work with anyone willing to take it off my hands for what I have in it plus shipping to you! I have and would send the service reciept along with the machine to the new owner.

Good luck

[King's X]

I have no idea. I cannot remember, but I can dig it out of the closet and take a look.