Ken B

Trox, the H867 is a new machine recently posted on the DA webpage. It is listed as an M class machine, that is "reinforced". The specifications are what I listed above, and they're quite impressive. Here is a link to the machine. If Nm8/3 is Tex 400, then it seems the M-Type H867 can run Tex400 top and bottom.

Hey Trox, thanks for the explanation. The Operating Instructions for the H867-190362 state that it can run Nm 5/3, but I suspect that's a mistype. The DA website, and the Service Manual say it can run up to Nm 8/3. So I'm not sure what that is, but I believe Nm10/3 is approx #277, so I suspect Nm 8/3 is #346. The H867 is advertised as a "reinforced version" of the 867. It also has 25mm/1in foot lift, 12mm stitch length, 9mm foot stroke, 3XL bobbin size, electropneumatic lift standard, and 1800 stitches/min. Pretty impressive specs. I wonder how much they're charging for such a versatile, beast of a medium duty machine.

I'm trying to determine the differences between the DA machines, and I really cannot understand some of their specs. Could anyone help me out with the following thread sizes please? What is Nm 5/3, Nm 8/3, Nm 10/3, and Nm 15/3 thread sizes? Thank you for your help.

That makes sense, thanks Wiz. So it's not due to "special parts", it's just adjustments

I've been looking at 441 and 205 machines lately, including the machines straight from China, shipped over on a boat. What I'm curious to know, is why do the machines from Ferdco, Techsew, Cobra, Artisan, KingMax, and Cowboy sew 7/8" and have 1" foot lift? The other machines, Keestar, Foxsew, Hightex, Consew, Nick-O Sew, SewPro, etc, etc have 4/5" foot lift, and will sew 16/25" material. What changes must be made to these machines to make them have 1" presser foot lift? Is this even feasible with the 205, or must the 441 be used?

Hey thanks, Gregg! Very helpful.

Hi Greg, thanks for replying. Yes, I have demo both machines. Both seem the same, same specs, but one is twice as much. Why is that? I'm asking because I must be missing something.

So, I'm having a difficult time understanding why the Adler 267-373 is twice as much money as the made in Japan Seiko sth-8bl? They're both spec'd the same, they both run 210 thread, 3/8" lift, etc, etc .... why the price difference ,and why buy one over the other? It seems to me the Seiko has much more going for it. Aside from 1/2 the cost, there's also all the presser feet and parts available for it, and it's made in Japan. I'm sure I must be missing something here. If someone can help me to understand why one machine is twice as much, and why you would buy the Adler over the Seiko, I'd appreciate your insight! Particularly, because Aristan sells a modified 267 that I've seen sew an honest 1/2" of leather, on 277 thread. Even still, I'm having a difficult time justifying double the price. Thanks for the input!

I really like the cheap, optical servo motors with the custom gradient modification, paired to a speed reducer. Very nice slow speed control that I've not found on any other servo motor, which typically engage like a clutch motor for whatever reason.

I'm trying to find information on the CB205, and it seems there's none available online, which, in 2015, is actually quite confusing me to me. I'm wondering if you wouldn't mind defining "smoother"? Does that mean it would more easily swap from #138 to #415 with less adjustments? Or does the machine itself just run smoother, like a Japanese sport bike vs a Harley Davidson? One last question: Are the Cobra and the CowBoy/Hightex machines manufactured in the same facility, and just branded differently, or are they completely separate? I've been able to find a few threads that broach the topic, but I've not yet found the answer. Thanks again for all your input.

Hey thanks Wiz! That's very helpful info on the 205 running smoother than the 441 clone. When I say thinner, I mean like in the youtube video I posted. Something that runs smooth stitching couch pieces together, but can also sew through plywood or 1/2" of webbing when needed (which is more than 1/2 of the time). If I can get the 205 clone running #138 thread on denim and thin leather that would be great. I have a Juki LU563 right now, and it's just not working out for me in so many ways. I really wish I could get the dang thing to run well for me, and I'd keep it for the medium duty work. I'm also getting a Reliable 20u73 to take care of bar tacks and buttonholes when needed, and I'm hopeful that the 205 or 441 can cover everything from where the 20u73 leaves off. If I have to, I will pickup an additional Seiko STH-8BLD for $1300 new, but hopefully it won't come to that. If I'm crazy, feel free to tell me, I won't be offended, I appreciate the input

Wow, I've been looking into this for weeks, and I never once googled an image of the Juki 441. =/ And I thought I was good at "researching" information on the internet. I wrongfully assumed it was the same as the Adler 205! Embarrassing. Thanks for tactfully cluing me in Wiz! Now that I'm more in the know, is the CB4500 able to accept parts from Juki, should the need arise? Do you have any information or input on the pneumatic setup, and if it's possible to get the same setup on a CB5500, or Cobra class 4-25? Why does the same company (Hightex) make both a 441 clone, and a 205 clone? What is the difference between these two machines that would make one company choose a 205 over a 441? If one machine is more capable at sewing thinner materials, I would choose that machine over the one aimed primarily at sewing 3/4" material.

I'm looking to get a "441 clone", hopefully this week. I'm familiar with Cowboy, Cobra, Techsew, and Artisan. I really like the large hand wheel on these machines, and I like the EPS on the 25" Cobra, but I do not like that they aren't exact replicas of the Adler 205, should I need parts 10 years from now and, god forbid, one of these companies go out of business. I also need the machine to accept genuine 205 accessories, like the Adler table top attachment, which is much nicer on the Adler. Here's a picture of the Adler tabletop attachment. It does not have a slot along the cylinder arm, it is larger, and it looks like it does a really nice job of replicating a flatbed machine. I came across this video of a Hightex 205-370, and it seems like it may be what I'm looking for. But, perhaps it's not, and someone more knowledgeable than myself can chime in if they feel like it. I really like the pneumatic lift, the pneumatic guide, and the way the machine flips into reverse from the foot control. Is anyone familiar with a setup like this? Does it come with the machine, or is it something that one would have to order and install separately? Has anyone on leatherworker purchased a non-cowboy, Hightex machine? Is there a distributor for Hightex in the US? I haven't been able to find one. I really can't figure out how to purchase a Hightex branded machine over a CowBoy. Thanks for any input!

Well, I've had some frustrations with this machine, and I've decided to sell it. By moving the pedal all the way forward, and doing a custom gradient on the optics for the servo motor, and adjusting the pedal to sit more flat and at less of an angle, I was able to get decent results. I didn't like having the pedal all the way forward, but it was okay, and now I'm selling it, so on to the next machine.

Hey thanks again guys. If I can get the cylinder arm setup to have as much table space as a flat bed machine, I'm definitely going to pick one up.

That makes sense, thank you! I don't see myself making 3 dimensional items, mostly just belts and such. Perhaps the tabletop machine does make more sense for me. Thanks again

I'm new to leather working. So far, all I've made are a few belts, dog collars, and dog harnesses. I've done these on a flatbed sewing machine. I'm looking for a more heavy duty machine, and I'm having a difficult time understanding why leather workers go with the cylinder arm? I'd really love to have a cylinder arm machine with a plate attachment and table that gave the machine the equivalent amount of worktop space as a typical flatbed machine. I'm considering building such a setup myself, but I don't know why yet. I don't imagine myself ever taking the flatbed off, because I don't know how the cylinder arm is used. Would anyone mind helping a newbie understand? Thanks so much!

So I recently saw a video for a video of the Hightex / Cowboy 9204ZZ, Zig Zap / Straight stitch, compound feed walking foot machine. This seems very ideal for me, depending on a few things. I do sew thicker materials, up to 1/2" rawhide, but for the most part I sew denim, and webbing, and sometimes marine grade vinyl. 1) Would this machine handle something thinner, like 092 thread with some medium weight denim, or lightweight marine upholstery? 2) Could I do all of the stitching with this one machine, the bartacking of high stress areas like pockets and belt loops, the button hole, and use the straight stitch to construct the rest of the garment? 3) Can I get different presser feet for this machine, so that I can run a straight stitch right right up next to a D-ring or buckle? Thank you so much for all of your help. I'm doing the best I can to find answers, but it's difficult, and I'm stuck with a Juki LU563 with servo and gear reduction, that is awesome, but that I cant get timed and working correctly. I really need a good solid machine that does what I need day in and day out, that can straight stitch, is compound feed, and can zig zag, and can handle from lightweight denim, to 1/2" of rawhide leather. Thanks again! Your input is invaluable. This isn't easy information to find and I want to make the correct purchase.

I've been unable to find any information on the Singer 3027G2, is it similar to the Singer/Reliable 20U73? I'm still hunting around for the best solution to a bar-tacking / buttonhole machine. The singer is $1000, the Sailrite/Techsew is $500. I know the singer would work, albeit on thinner materials, but I'm unsure on the Sailrite, and can't find one to demo or any video of it creating a bartac

I'd love to have one of the programmable bartack machines, they're just too expensive. With a basic zigzag machine the faux-bartacks should be good enough, plus I can use it to make the eyelet of a buttonhole. At least that's the best solution I've yet to come up with.

I'm trying to find an economic option for creating bartack's, mostly on denim and webbing. I will also be creating button holes using this machine. Those all in one home machines that bartack and have fancy button attachments would be great, if they ran at least #92 thread. Since they don't, I'm thinking maybe the $500 Techsew copy of a Sailrite "walking foot", portable machine. I would lay down a straight stitch, then use the zig zag option to come back over the stitch a few times to create a bartack. I realize that a dedicated bartack machine would do a better job and be more efficient, but it's out of the question for me, especially since I'd then also need a buttonhole machine. Is there any other "semi-commercial" machine out there, possibly even one with a bartack option, or one that would run #138 thread? I wish I could avoid this purchase all together, but I suppose for the $500 it will be nice to have a portable, semi-walking foot sewing machine. Thanks for any input!

Thanks for the ideas guys, I'll give these a try and report back with some pictures of what worked for me and what the improvement is like.

I'm wondering if anyone else finds the limited arm movement on the Enduro Pro / similar motors to be problematic? I bought a servo motor to gain control over my stitching, but I've only got about 1/2" of pedal movement to cover the entire range of the motors 0-5000rpm spectrum. I have done the custom, paper shading trick, to make the motor rev smoother. It worked great. But, the arm itself only moves 1/2", and I've got this giant pedal that lifts 2.5" until it is parallel with the floor. It would be very nice if I could use the entire range of that movement to control the speed of the motor. Further compounding the problem is that the control arm on the motor faces forward, toward the operator, so making it longer causes problems with the geometry of the linkage, especially with the 4:1 reducer that's installed, which drops the motor down closer to the pedal. I've already had to move the pedal all the way forward in order to keep the linkage perpendicular with the floor. If anyone has a clever solution to this problem, I am more than interested! If nobody's tackled this problem, then I'll post what I come up wither here.

You guys are awesome; thanks so much! The CB4500 and CB5500 seem more appropriately priced. The Techsew 5100 also looks nice, and also has a $99 flat bed attachment. I think the cylinder arm is the right way to go. Edit: for anyone else that stumbles across this thread with a similar question. If you really need a dedicated flat bed, I think the Tech Sew 180, long arm, heavy duty flat bed machine is a better alternative to the cd-243, based on the price difference.

That sounds really interesting, and better than a flat bed machine. I've never seen a flat bed attachment before now. Do you happen to have any good recommendations for where I could pickup a flat bed attachment? So far I've only found one, and it's for a machine I'm none to interested in. True about the Juki and Adler, but I've had good luck finding used, older sewing machines from them for less money, so I'm just keeping the options open. =) Thanks so much for the input, the flat bed attachment sounds like the way to go.