cdecaire

Thanks R8R. I might have to follow up on that 226. I had been looking around and saw nothing for the past few months. I probably last checked 3 days ago right before that was posted. lol.

Thanks, KGG. Yea, I suppose I could have shared some background information and I definitely understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to sewing machines and projects. I'm primarily making wallets, passport/field notes wallets, belts, bracelets, and small bags (Dopp kits) for travel, etc. that are all relatively flat. I'm not stitching anything more than a couple of 3-5oz layers of leather, other than belts (9-13oz) but I rarely stitch those and if needed can continue to do those by hand. From an aesthetic perspective, I prefer the tighter stitching from smaller thread and needles for my projects (size 69-138). So something like a cowboy 3200 or similar isn't ideal, as I'm not a fan of the stitching size, I don't need to stitch anything that heavy and while a cylinder arm isn't totally out of the question, as noted earlier, I'm mostly stitching flat items. Cost wise, I'd love to find a used Juki in the $1700-2000 range but after a few months of browsing here and craigslist, etc, I haven't seen a single one popup. I'm ready to pull the trigger on a new machine which is why I originally called toledo sewing and Bob proposed their cowboy 1508 as an alternative for $1900 which saves me some cash but with such an important investment, I wasn't sure on the build quality of the cowboy vs Juki.

Thanks for the feedback so far. I'm planning on taking a day to head over to Toledo sewing and see some samples and view the machine, not sure if he will have a juki setup to show as well, but could be nice to see both in person and compare. I've never used a sewing machine, and this will be my first. I'm definitely in the mindset of spending the money on something that will be right rather than trying to save a few bucks unless there is no noticeable difference. I'm not even sure I will be able to tell the difference in person since I have no experience with the machines.

Hey all, I've been trying to do some research and learn more about the differences between the 2 machines. After talking to Bob at Toledo Sewing he simply stated they were identical, just different brand names and the parts were interchangeable, etc. The Cowboy retails new about $500 less than the Juki ($1900ish) with table/servo motor. Does anyone have any experience with the Cowboy 1508? Any thoughts, reviews, or criticisms? It seems like most folks are happy with their Cowboys in general, and have mostly positive things to say about Bob/Toledo Sewing so that's reassuring. Thanks.