rxjohn

Oh Man...Thanks Wiz!! I really appreciate it.

I'm not as thick headed... I went to a brick and mortar distributor this morning. They showed me 2 used machines both with 2 years warranty. One was Mitsubishi LU2-4410 with a larger motor and a bobbin and Pfaff 145.. they recommended Mitsubishi.. they were both priced at $795 for the entire set up. Neither are cylinder arm machines... what are your thoughts? Thanks.

Im not set on any machine. Im simply researching and am not discounting any advice here. I thought I sew techsew ga5-1 non R model advertised here granted it was an older post but I swear I saw that post 2 weeks ago but its no longer here. Also, I came across what seems like the original manufacturer of ga5-1 from china so im obviously curious if techsew is importing it and making some upgrades to it. If so, im curious if the upgrade is simply adding a speed reducer and a servo motor or are they doing more upgrades to the machine itself. Every hobby I get into, I do a thorough and intrusive research about everything before I spend a couple of thousand dollars at it. Im wanting to sew 4 layers of 4oz leather which should be much less than an 1/2 inch and while techsew ga5-1 is rated to sew almost half inch, experts here are saying its not an enough machine and I would need cobra class 3 or 4. So my research continues.

I understand that. But the machine from ebay I believe is Super Star Sewing Machine GA5-1 which you labeled as Techsew GA5-1 and used to sell but the difference is that it doesn't have Reverse hence GA5-1R must be an upgraded version with Reverse. Correct me if I'm wrong. SuperStar GA5-1

Thanks Art. It seems like Techsew GA5-1 is very capable. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDizQ60OaiQ&feature=player_embedded#at=72 So, brand new GA5-1 with motor and table shipped to my house for $823. And since it's not from Raphael (Canadian co), there's no tariff involved and much less shipping ($1,349 + shipping + Tariff).... would you think it's a farily good price?

Ok, I found new Techsew GA5-1 head only for $575 + $99 shipping. Where can I find the motor and table for this and how much do they cost? Will Techsew GA5-1 do the job? Thanks,

Alright. I'm easily convinced. Recommend me a cylinder arm sewing machine then. Would Consew 223 work? Thanks!

Hi, Short time lurker and a first post. I've been searching the forum and read intensely to find a suitable sewing machine for a small project. Even though I read many posts that were mostly related to my question, I felt I needed to ask more direct questions at the dismay of longtime forum members who have to constantly answer the same questions from different newbies. I'm trying to make a couple of stachels...computer bags that can double as a camera bag. Been going over to a local Tandy shop and also bought a bunch of leather tools on the ebay. I do know I'll be using 4 to 5 oz leather to make my bags and the thickest area that needs to be sewed will have about 4 layers of it. If I do the math right, 4 layers of 4 to 5oz leather should be around 1/4"+ but I would like to be able to sew up to 1/2" or so. The plan is to ruin large amounts of perfectly good leather and hardwares until I can proudly post a picture of the bags on here...then I'll force my kids to carry my handmade bags to college and the rest of their lives. Here is a sample picture of the thickest area that needs to be sewen. So, could you throw out some names and models of capable used/new sewing machines that I can pick up for $500 to $1000? I would prefer a flatbed model over cylinder arm as I don't think I can keep a straight sewing line over a cylinder arm. My mother in law who's a retired seamstress thinks I'm crazy but I plan to make my wife, who's pretty good with a sewing machine, do the bulk of the work once a needle penetrates my finger or two. Thanks!