Hi Art,
thank you for welcoming me and for your response regarding my inquiry. As I've been involved with leather for about a year, I've noticed that its quite easy to spend a lot of money on tools and equipment- much of which you don't actually need, some of which you use daily. Still, it is exciting to see my little shop (of horror.. grow steadily into some kind of business....I enjoy working with quality tools and don't have a problem investing in them- I think, that having the best tools available is a must for anybody starting out- in the long run you save money through less replacements, less labor through more precise work, and less time because you don't keep looking for the cheapest stuff out there.
When it comes to a sewing machine, its important to me to have something that is somewhat setup and ready to go- although I know that tweaking it for your specific needs and style is inevitable. The problem I'm encountering now is that I don't want a machine that is overkill and too fast or too heavy duty- I still want the best machine available for my application. There are lots of places out of state and country that offer attractive machines, but shipping costs are quite high, and delivery takes time. Great Customer service is therefor a must, and the willingness to try to understand what the machine is actually being used for in order to make a good recommendation.
I'll make a decision soon, hopefully, but still need to do my homework on several machines, that look similar and cost about the same. Pfaff seems like a decent choice, since they've been around for a while, as well as Durkopp/Adler, and some others. Consews seem popular, as well as Juki's. Other seem reasonably priced such as Techsew in Canada- but I can't find much in terms of customer reviews on them..
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, I really appreciate it- I'll be back soon!
best regards-Attila