MtlBiker

Thank you @Northmount for giving @Techsew Ron a heads up about this thread. He sent me a private message and after giving him my phone number he called me. Very helpful fellow. It restored my confidence in the company (and him). He answered my questions and I'm probably too much of a novice to really ask the important questions. I've got to rely on the company's (and his) reputation. Ron also said that I'd be able to pick up the machine and that it would fit in my small SUV. I'm now very tempted to place an order for a 2750 PRO with speed reducer and my only hesitation is that I don't think I've ever spent that much money ($4,000 Canadian including taxes) before, without having actually examined a product. If I was a lot more experienced with sewing I would probably be able to go just by the specs, but I'm just a beginner. I plan on making small pouches, bags, notebook computer bags and sleeves, etc. So far with my flatbed machine I've made firewood totes, wine totes and a bunch of pet harnesses and leashes. I'm still too much of a beginner at this to know really what my future projects will be. But I'd certainly like to also experiment with leather. How much am I taking a chance on this machine? Would I be making a mistake to order one?

Please confirm that to back stitch, you are actually turning the wheel in the opposite direction. That's what I understand you to be doing from what you've written. If that's really what you are doing, why are you not using the reverse lever? The wheel should ONLY be turned in the normal (towards you) direction. I hope I've misunderstood you. (Don't forget that I'm a novice, much like you, so I may be way off.) (This could also be what's causing your thread to tangle.)

Cowboy machines seem to be very popular on this board, and I'd like to find out more and hopefully look at one. But I'm drawing a blank on where they might be available in Canada. (I'm thinking of adding a cylinder bed machine to my fleet.) Cowboysew.com proudly says the machines are Canadian, but nowhere on the site do they appear to list any Canadian sources to buy. Only the place in Ohio. And Hightex (are they the parent company?) also proudly says they're Canadian, but their where to buy page doesn't list any place in Canada. Is there a Canadian source? (And not finding anything so far would make me fear after sales support, even if I could find one.)

I'm just a novice myself but what you said above caught my eye... As far as I know, you should never turn the wheel backwards. Only forward. Turning it backwards can cause lots of problems, including thread jams/nests.

Are you kidding me? You, apologize? Absolutely not at all required! It's not at all your fault. I checked out their website, checked Google Maps info, and found they were supposed to be open. I'm the dummy for not having tried to phone them before driving out to see them. The shame of it is, if they'd updated their website, had a message on their phone or at least the possibility to leave a message, it wouldn't have given me (others?) a less than ideal impression of them. And without their being open, it looks like I'll have no chance to check out the 2750 and 2750 PRO and compare them. And that if I do buy from them, instead of picking it up and putting it in the back of my SUV, I'll have to pay for a freight company to deliver it. I see that Raphael Ohayon (owner?) is trying to sell (looks like privately) a used or demo 2700 on Kijiji.

Yesterday (my day off) I went to Techsew to check out the machines, and it's my fault, but it was a total waste of time. I should have phoned them first, but their website (and Google Maps) said they were open. They were locked up tight, and a sign on the window said that all orders had to be via the Internet and that NO pickups of any products (machines or other) would be permitted. SIGH I tried to phone afterwards (several times) but their toll-free number instantly answered with the message that they were not available. It's a shame that they haven't updated their website info to reflect this new situation. I also run a (small) retail business and understand that during these Covid times things are different. But we are open, and our website lets clients know of any changes in operating hours or other requirements. I wasted over an hour (35 minutes each way) to go see them and I was seriously itching to buy a new machine. Oh well. Looks like there's no advantage to being in the same city as Techsew. Meanwhile the dealer (Canadian distributor of Consew and dealer for several brands) who sold me a used/demo Consew RB206-5 tells me that I must see him before buying another machine. And that he has several that might interest me. And he is open, but with slightly reduced hours. I'll update when/if I end up with a machine, whatever it ends up being.

Thanks Keith, As you know, I'm quite a novice with sewing. I can't quite see or understand the need for a speed reducer... My Consew RB206-5 doesn't have one, but with the servo motor I'm able to sew really quite slowly. And if I need slower and even more control, I've just been turning the wheel by hand. I was thinking that it would work the same way on the 2750. But I will visit the dealer, hopefully on Monday when I'm off, and will find out more. Your machine is going well?

I'd watched a YouTube video of someone using that needle positioner and he was sewing really slowly and it seemed to be a great help in terms of always seating the needle properly in the material before making sharp turns. I was thinking that especially for a beginner like myself it would be a great help. Looked great for small leather wallets and bags. But again, as a beginner, I don't see how it would benefit high speed sewing. I mean, if you are approaching a 90 degree turn in the stitching, wouldn't you have to slow down before the turn anyway? I mean, it's not like going along at full speed and then stopping on a dime. I'm probably wrong though.

Thank you Arturo for your thoughts on this. The differences between the 2750 and 2750 PRO seem to be significant... particularly with the motor having the needle position feature. Plus the laser light guide. Plus some added accessories, including that flatbed table attachment. I don't know enough yet to be really convinced, but I am leaning towards keeping my dedicated flatbed RB206-5 and adding the 2750 PRO. It doesn't look like (from their website) it's possible to get the PRO version without the flatbed attachment. Maybe when I'm there and actually talking with them about it. Especially since I wouldn't really need it, it would be nice to save a couple hundred bucks too.

Thank you. I'd never heard of Raphael Sewing before but a Google search shows that around 2001 the company name was changed to Techsew. I'm probably going to visit them on Monday which is a day my own business is closed. I'm glad to hear you have been happy with your 2700. Do you think the flatbed attachment is a worthwhile add on? Do you think it might be a good replacement for my Consew RB206-5? Or just an addition to my "fleet"?

My first industrial machine just a couple of months ago was a Consew RB206-5 which I like very much but I'm itching to get a cylinder machine so that I could do small items, bags, etc. a little more easily. I'm just a home sewer and very much a beginner and I've got a small budget too (SIGH) but the Techsew 2750 caught my eye. (And Techsew is only 5 minutes away from me here in Montreal Canada.) According to the specs the machine looks very interesting to me. And there's a flatbed table attachment also available. And the price is possibly more manageable for me than a Consew or Juki, etc. Any opinions on this machine? Am I totally off base with the idea that with the flatbed table attachment option it might give the best of both worlds... cylinder bed for some things and flatbed for others? My RB206-5 was a demo machine (I feel it was quite heavily used) and if the Techsew could do everything the Consew could, then maybe I'd sell the Consew and replace it with a new Techsew. I feel too inexperienced to take a chance on a used machine from the Internet. My demo machine was from a Consew dealer and came with a 6 month warranty so I felt pretty safe with it. Thanks for any comments.

Thanks very much! The brand, Kunpeng, bought through Amazon had fairly good reviews, but obviously I don't know if the castings were accurate. I'll take a closer look at it tonight when I get home. There did seem to be a sort of ring around the inside foot post and the original foot didn't go up to it by maybe 1/8". This foot goes up higher. I guess there's no reason why changing the foot would change the thread tension?

I got a demo (probably used more than the dealer let on) Consew RB206-5 and I've been learning how to use it. The presser feet the machine came with are smooth on the bottom. Does anyone know if that's what a new machine comes with, or do the feet have serrations/teeth at the bottom? Anyway, I bought a set of presser feet from Amazon and I'm trying to install a set that is somewhat narrower and that has the serrations at the bottom. I'm not quite understanding how they should be adjusted. The manual isn't a lot of help on this (especially with the poor photocopied graphics)... At least with a needle, you insert it until it stops, but that doesn't seem to be the same with the feet. It looks like the outer foot (is that what I should call it?) only has one position/height that it fits at, but the inner foot seems to be moveable up and down on the shaft. How should that initially be set? With the lifter foot up, down, or what? And should the bottom of both feet be level? With the original feet my stitch tension seemed to be correct (newbie saying that), and with the feet I just installed, it looks like the lower tension is too strong and the upper thread is being pulled to the bottom. Do different presser feet require different thread tensions (for the same material) or did I do something wrong? Thanks for any help.

Thanks Tom! I thought 135x17 and 135x16 were different sizes. (New to industrial machines.) And that's a great PDF about the needles.

Thank you! But unfortunately I'm in Canada and buying small quantities of fabric (I'm just starting out so don't know enough about what I'll be making or what the best fabrics are, in order to buy larger quantities) from the States is just prohibitively expensive. Exchange rate, shipping, duties, etc. So I'm stuck with what I can get from Canadian sources. My Consew takes 135x17 needles... would 135x16 even fit? For my sewing (so far) I've been using v69 and v92 poly threads.

Tanker fabric is stated to be 1200 Denier Polyester with a PVC coating/backing. I've been buying it for $15.95 per yard (Canadian - dollar, not yard ) from JT's Outdoor Fabrics here in Canada. The 1000D Cordura is $18.95, so it's not a tremendous saving to go with the Tanker. But that's what I have so far been using for the firewood totes. So, what fabric would you suggest for those totes? (I'm really a newbie at this.) I've been using V92 UV-resistant poly thread. Invista Brookwood... the Cordura I've bought was simply listed as 1000D Cordura. Would that be the same thing? Yesterday I bought another fabric locally, which the (huge) fabric retailer had labeled as "Majestic 1000 D Nylon Oxford PU". I have no idea if that's really a brand name or just a name they've put on, but it seems very similar to the Cordura I have. Slightly more shiny on the PU backing. And I can buy that for $12.95 (minimum 10 meters). $15 for smaller quantities. It's obviously a clone, but I have no idea how good a clone it is. The problem is that I'm in Canada and buying small quantities from the US is just prohibitively expensive... exchange rate, shipping, duty, so I'm kinda stuck with Canadian suppliers and what they offer.

Hi Everyone, I'm quite new to sewing... started during the Covid isolation time with a Janome HD3000 and I made mostly masks (over 100 so far). And I sort of got hooked on sewing. Very therapeutic during stressful times. About 6 weeks ago I added a used (demo) Consew RB-206-5 and I really love it. So far I'm sewing things like firewood log totes, wine totes, small belt pouches, etc. I'd love to get into leather sewing but I can't seem to find a source for small pieces of leather to experiment with. And I guess I'd have to order online (I'm in Montreal). I also have no idea how good (if at all) my RB206 would be with leather, and at this point I'm not looking for another machine. I did find this board a few weeks ago and have followed several threads and while it is a great resource, I'd really like to find a board somewhere that has more general sewing discussions... not someplace that talks only about sewing clothes and stuff. Is there such a place? I've got SO MUCH to learn! Right now I'm trying to understand a couple of fabrics I bought... I have a 1000D Cordura and a 1200 denier polyester called "Tanker". The Cordura is more expensive and is PU coated (which I thought was cheaper) and the Tanker is PVC coated. The Tanker feels much thicker and quite a bit stiffer than the Cordura. I guess I put the cart before the horse by buying these fabrics before really understanding how they differ and what uses they would be most suited for. Is there any website where I might ask such questions? For my firewood tote bags I used the Tanker fabric and it seems very good. I wonder if the more expensive, yet thinner and PU coated Cordura would be as good, better or worse? I've been using v92 UV-resistant poly threads. Thanks for any direction you folks might offer.

I know this is a long shot, but do you have any of that Dabond V69 thread left? I'd gladly take about 5 rolls if you do. (I'm in Montreal.)