kgg

Just like the rest of the 441's the head weighs about 125 lbs. Assembled the complete unit should weight about 300 or so pounds. kgg

If you end goal is for a class 441 machine buy the presser feet / feed dogs / needle plates for lighter items and purchase / make a flatbed table attachment. Purchase a machine from whom you feel will provide the best after sale service. In the US the popular 441 clones are Cowboy 4500 and Cobra Class 4 in Canada you have Techsew 5100 and Kobe TSC-441, all of which are basically the same machine with different name tag but able to take the same accessories. They are all essentially cloned after the Juki TSC-441 however the Juki will set you back 10K. Yes you will need a class 411 machine for holsters and all the class 441 machines will take up to V415. Most of the class 441 machines are mounted on the pedestal style tables and probably operated while in a standing position. The major consideration with this style of stand is the possibility it being more prone to being able to be tipped over if struck the wrong way. So consider your particular situation and whether you are going to sew stood up or sat down. I choose to go with a more conventional style stand and modify it as I have dogs and when they get rough housing you never know. When you get your machine have a second person help as these are heavy buggers that are nose heavy and clumsy to handle. kgg

The 1 hp brushless servo motor to my mind a 735 (1hp) watt would work nicely as a lot of us run 550 watt servo's on this class of machine. I would suggest going with a smaller servo motor pulley. It will reduce the speed. Example a 60mm pulley on the servo motor at 100 rpm's with a 100mm sewing machine pulley. The 100mm sewing machine pulley speed will be 60 rpm's. Reducing the size of the servo motor pulley to 40mm will reduce the speed down to 40 rpm's. The most important question is how many internal coils does the 1hp servo motor have??? The less expensive brushless servo motors have 6 internal coils, mid grade have 9 internal coils and the better ones have 12 internal coils. The more coils the better the startup torque. The next important question is what is the startup speed of the 1 hp motor, 100 or 500 rpm's??? Some people like the needle positioning feature and others not so much. Either way most of the brushless servo motors will NOT work with a speed reducer. This will depend on how thick / tough the material you are sewing is going to be. In this class of machine they are usually rated for V138 with a top thread and in the bobbin. Some will run V207 top and bobbin but once again it depends how thick / tough the material is. Why?? Some people like them and others not so much. I do have a drop down guide but I didn't like it so it lives in my "special" box somewhere. Having a flatbed is always nice but it also depends on what you are mostly going to sew. If you are mostly going to sew close to or over the 3/8" thickness or use v207 or larger thread go with a Class 441 machine as a primary machine and a used upholstery class flatbed machine or vise versa. Another option is go with a Class 441 and the modified needle plates that a couple of members make. Out of curiosity why the Cobra 4??? kgg

That is a fair bit of savings. For an idea of what the £700 saving is equal to in other countries ----- >about $1200 Canadian Dollars or $1350 Australian Dollars or $890 US Dollars and a new not used machine. That saving can go into other related items like leather, etc. As long as someone is fairly apt with sewing machines buying direct ( fresh off the boat) can be a cost effective way to go. kgg

Nice go. I think you should be pleased with the capabilities of a 341. At least they are honest with their labeling / numbering which is nice to see. JL for Jiang Long, 341 as to what it is basically cloned after. kgg

I just measured a LS-1341 bobbin which is a style "M" bobbin also used in the DNU-1541 or DU-1181N. Just measured a 1341 bobbin diameter is 25.44 mm x 10.59mm. The 28 mm bobbin is a style "U" bobbin which was used in the Juki LU-563 and LU-1508 at 28mm x 12mm. My understanding is that the Juki LS-1340/1341/1342/1342-7 all use the Style "M" bobbin. You may want to check and see what bobbin case and hook assembly they are using. kgg

I like that idea. kgg

First off what continent are you on so members close to your location could help narrow suppliers. To help sort out what would be good options for a 1.5 x 1.5 sq. meter area: i) How thick of leather are you planning on cutting. ii) What is the running length of the largest die you want to use. You can determine roughly the tonnage that will be needed by the formula I use. Formula: F (pressing force needed) = S (shear strength of leather) (2900psi / 2) x L cutting (running) length of die X T (thickness) of leather in inches X Sf safety factor of 2 Example: 10 oz leather with a 3 in square die which gives you 12 inch running length of die F = 1450 x 12 x 0.156 x 2 => 5428.8 pounds (pressing force) 5428.8 pounds = 2.71 US tons or 2.42 Imperial tons I looked at I think most options out there for the largest size die that I want to use would require just over 4 Imperial tons (4.5 US tons) pressing power. I came to the conclusion that a 20 ton shop press would be the way to go with way more pressing power then I would need and it still will be able to be used for the normal things that a shop press was designed for. This for me is the least expensive option. kgg

Have you checked the fuse on the servo motor??? kgg

The Consew CP206RL, Rex RX-607 to name a couple are all basically clones of the Sailrite LS. They are a straight stitch machines without the zig zag feature, the build quality generally appears to be not as good as the Sailrite and the support can be iffy with the clones. They were designed for repairing sails while on the water, they will only handle V92 thread, use a small class 15 bobbin and the max sewing thickness is very limited, maybe 3/16" out of the box. These portable sewing machines would definitely not be my first choice. What is your budget as maybe someone can suggest other machines in your price range. kgg

Depends on your budget????? If you can afford a Claes you will need deep pockets. Example would be new from Landis International ( http://landisusa.com/us-en/claes-8346-20.html ) just the head will cost $5880 USD and the stand is another $1065 USD. Then there are the Chinese Clones of the Singer 29K73 to list a couple Amazon for $1200 USD, Cowboy CB29BL for $2950 USD, Cobra Class 29-18 for $2995 USD kgg

My opinion is it looks like it was rode hard and put away wet. I guess the seller can ask what they like, getting the price is probably another matter. If it was free maybe I would consider it as a project machine but for $575 USD ( $750 CAD) plus cost of replacing missing / worn out parts and probably having to replace the motor it just wouldn't be worth it. kgg

He must have mistyped "U" instead of "S". Juki does make a LU series in a flatbed. Here is the link to the LS-1340 series (LS-1340, 1341, 1342, 1342-7 ) brochure from Juki Japan with the specs and the differences. https://www.juki.co.jp/industrial_e/admin/pdata/filedata/332/ls1340.pdf I'm not sure how they are getting the 11mm stitch length unless they are including the max "hump jump" allowance. I would ask, nicely: i) to show you the 11mm stitch length with V138 and how they get it to that in what thickness, max or minimum. ii) show you the manuals for installation and parts. iii) to show you that the machine can actually take a #26 (220 metric) 135 X 16 or 17 needle and sew with it. I have never seen a 135 x 16 or 17 in size #26. iv) who the actual clone manufacturer is or at least which country Taiwan or China. I would take a look, nothing ventured nothing gained. If you don't get a good feeling about the vendor, need to take a shower afterwards, or the machine move on. kgg

Visiting some shops would probably be the best thing. Visiting the W&G shop maybe a waste of time as his clone version of the 1342 is a "special" order so they probably don't have one in the shop. kgg

I will base my answer on the Juki LU-1508. First off are you comparing the LU-1508 N or the Lu-1508 NH? The NH version is the heavier duty version using the 190R system of needles verses the 135 system which will allow for a longer stroke in thicker material. You using V138 thread and sewing at 10mm ( 0.393701" ) which is a touch over 3/8" (0.375") so you are close to or at the max sewing thickness depending on the version of 1508. I think you are at or close to the cross over point to the Class 441 machines. I am going to suggest that you consider looking at a clone Class 441 machine with a table top attachment similar to the Cowboy 4500 which would probably still be within your price range. kgg

Just a thought, It may not be the airbrush but the pump not being able to keep up with the demand. I would try hooking it up to a small, 2 US gallon, air compressor rather then the aquarium style pump. kgg

Yes I did. He really likes the words "heavy duty" throughout his facebook listings and also his webpage ( https://roberts-se.com/heavy-duty ). Some of his adverts on facebook have a disclaimer others not which differs from his webpage disclaimer. One is " DISCLAIMER: Even though our machines are heavy duty and leather capable, they are not marketed as or represented as Commercial or Industrial Machines. Our machines are recommended for household applications." kgg

Yes, the right machine would. This machine in my opinion would be a waste time, effort, money and probably would put you off from purchasing another machine. kgg

I would pass on this machine. This machine is a domestic drop feed machine made for fabric which means the movement of the item under the presser foot is moved rearward by the feed dog only. Being a domestic machine the max size of thread it was rated for was V69 but can probably handle V92. The machine has a Class 15 bobbin which has a small capacity. Someone did do a nice job on doing a custom speed reducer for this machine to give the machine more torque (punching power). kgg

If I were looking for a 341/1341 class machine I would pass on this one even though it maybe a great machine. I would give serious consideration to purchasing a new clone machine similar to the Cowboy CB341( $2400 USD), Cobra Class 26 ($3400 USD) and being in Canada the Kobe LS-1341 ($2500 CAD $1900 USD). The machine is actually to parts body and base. The base is hindged to the body and and held in place by the silver lever. Release the lever and the body will tilt backward and you will be able to see the timing belt. As far as slop it depends on the location but a quick check would be to push the handwheel towards the body if there is slop in that bearing there will be movement. kgg

A couple of thoughts: i) The color of the machine indicates to me the machine was made prior to 1996 so the machine is plus 25 years old. With this age of machine you need to tilt the machine away from the base and inspect the rubber timing belt for dry rot/ cracking and also check for side slop in the bearings. ii) Top thread pin is missing. Not a big deal cost wise but it needs one. iii) Top thread felt is missing in the horizontal square guide just before the needle. This keeps tension on the thread as the thread take-up arm cycles. Not a big deal just put a new piece of felt in. How much are they asking for the machine? In Ontario, Canada you can get a used Juki LS-1341with table and servo motor for around $1500 - $2000 CAD ($1200 - $1500 USD) depending on condition so a LS-341 should be cheaper. kgg

I do agree. It can be very confusing particularly for first time buyers trying to compare clone machines from different suppliers let alone what they have named their machine or their capability or what brand name model they are close to. The difference mostly is who will give you the best before and after sales service. A trend I am seeing is "fresh off the boat" sales where the dealer doesn't even open the box before selling and passing over the machine which isn't a bad thing as long as the price is reflective. kgg

They appear to be sort of clones of the LS-1341 (front throat plate assembly) with the "hump jumper" installed. They should handle V138 for the top thread and in the bobbin. However keep in mind the Juki LS-1340 series is rated to take a #24 (180) needle and V138 on top and bottom in it's max sewing thickness. Some clones rate their machines on what is the max size of thread that can be stuffed through the needle. In the case of the Wilcox & Gibb according to the link you referenced it is rated to take a #26 (220) which can handle V346 thread yet it is only rated to handle a max size thread of #8 (V138). The Thor link only referenced Tex 207 (V210) thread not the needle size. The Techsew website for the 4800 lists it can handle V277 with a #24 needle. I think this maybe an error as if I'm not mistaken a #24 can handle only handle V207 thread. What size of thread are you wanting to use? When you go to see a machine bring the thickest thread you want along with the thickest / toughest material you want to sew. That will be the tell tale. Remember Buy Once, Cry Once. kgg

If it was my decision the Singer 136 being plus 75 years old for about £800 ( $1000 USD ) needing TLC and upgrades or a more up to date new clone machine for £1200 ($1500 USD). If the clone machine has a good reputation I would go with the new one. kgg

Yes the hook and bobbin areas are the same whether it is a LS-1341 or 1342. Clones maybe different. The main differences are: i) LS-1341 has a longer feed dog area thus larger gauge ii) LS-1342 has a smaller feed dog area which is probably better for smaller items like bags iii) LS-1342 has what you call the "hump jumper". Only you can say if the hump jumper will be worth the extra cost for your items. I think if you are going to be sewing at close to 9.5 or slightly over thick material the LS series of machine may not be the best option. How thick including the thickness of the seam are you planning on sewing? kgg