SandyinAnaheim

OK, I will! Thank you. I find it surprising that I can't locate a cylinder arm to try out....

I called the only two industrial sewing machine shops I could find within a 50 mile radius and neither has a Juki LS 1341 for me to try. One of the shops, while a Juki dealer, said they'd never had anyone ask for an LS 1341 or ever had one in their shop....I asked if they had ANY compound feed cylinder arm machines for me to try and they didn't understand what I was asking for and said I could come in and look at their Consew industrials. They said they mostly sell a wide variety of Juki domestics, but could order any Juki I want and would likely be received in 90 days.... The other shop is focused mainly on repairs and didn't understand what I was asking for either. I plan on heading over to Leather Machine Co. tomorrow morning to look at the Series 26. I'd like to hear what @Wizcrafts thoughts might be on Thor vs TechSew.

Thank you, I'll reach out tomorrow.

So how do you like the Kobe? Having worked on it for a while, would you buy it again? Would you consider the Thor or TechSew clones to be comparable? I would ask you, based on your historical knowledge of this forum, your opinion of TechSew's customer service record, but I realize they are a forum supporter and you wouldn't feel free to give me an honest opinion publicly. I've searched high and low and there are exactly zero distributors of either of these brands in SoCal, so unless I can find an individual that will allow me to sit at their machine for a little while, I'm going to be SOL on that.

Thanks so much! That was a very informative response. Unfortunately, even though I live in a metropolitan area, I don't have access to either the Thor or TechSew models. I could likely find the Juki and definitely the Cobra. I want to make handbags as a hobbyist, without compromising the integrity of my VERY expensive sewing/embroidery machine. I don't know yet if I'd use a flatbed or cylinder aspect more often, as I've never even touched an industrial or made a real bag. But I do know that for the types of handbags I'm interested in learning to make, a cylinder arm will be invaluable. I only have one year of sewing experience but have learned a lot and progressed quickly. I plan on buying only one machine that I'll grow into and use for life, unless by some miraculous aligning of the stars I actually have some talent and need to buy a second machine. There's about a 99.99% chance of that not being the case though. As such, resale value is not a primary concern for this purchase as I don't plan on upgrading. I note in your tag that you have a Kobe LS 1341. How do you like that machine? I found it interesting while looking it up that the description on the site I found is nearly word-for-word identical to the Juki 1341. Now THAT'S a clone, in more ways than one.

Thank you kgg. Can you please elaborate as to why you'd prefer the Juki LS 1341? Besides being the most expensive of the bunch, it has a max stitch length of 6 mm and seems to have fewer thread thickness options and less bells and whistles than say, the TechSew 4800 Pro. Based upon comparison of specs vs cost, I think I'm leaning towards the Thor or TechSew, and while there will ALWAYS be complainers, the vast majority of vendor reviews for Sunny Sewing for Thor and TechSew are overwhelmingly positive. I don't hear complaints of timing issues like with the Cobra 26. I realize that I know nothing and may not be evaluating these machines properly, which is why I'm here, so please forgive me if I come across as ignorant...because I am in this arena. Thank you!

Thank you Jr. I was considering visiting them next week as I've heard nothing but good things about their customer service and being local is an obvious benefit. In addition, it might alter my thinking as to the Cobra 26. While I really have been considering it as a viable option, TRULY no offense to anyone who has and loves theirs, it's at the bottom of my list, right in front of the Juki. I love the small footprint but frankly, it's hideous....and doesn't seem as feature-filled as some of the other clones. Not to mention, I've read multiple accounts of people who've either never been able to get the timing right on it or have continuous issues with the timing. As a total novice, that scares me a little bit.

Hello everyone! I’m a first-time poster looking for machine advice. I am a newbie bagmaker working mainly with vinyls and faux leathers, and will likely be using various types of canvas, denim and webbing in the future. I have a great domestic machine that I don’t want to overtax experimenting with bagmaking or frustrate myself with the wrong tool(s) for the job. After reading and researching for a few months, I’ve determined that I’d like to add a compound feed cylinder arm to my arsenal. I’ve spent quite a few hours in the archives reading all the helpful threads on them. I am a firm believer in buying the best I can afford and not having to rebuy a better machine once I outgrow the original purchase. I want to buy once, well and wisely. While I never say never, I don’t foresee using leather in my future. I have narrowed down my choices to: Thor GC 1341, Titan GN-1341,TechSew 4800 Pro, Cobra Class 26, Pfaff 335 and Juki LS 1431. I am aware that the Juki is what all these other clones are based on, and some of them have more features than the Juki for less. My goal is to work on small, structured handbags and wallets, and I have some likely unfounded concerns on cylinder arm diameters. Most of these machines come with a 3” cylinder arm diameter, which I’ve read may not be optimal on smaller projects like the gussets on small handbags. I know TechSew has the 2600 Pro which has a diameter of 1 7/8”, but the trade off is shorter max stitch length, less heavy thread options, less needle options and less thickness capacity under the needle. I don’t know if the diameter difference should be a concern, but I haven’t seen that question asked in my research on the forum. What are your thoughts on which of these machines I should be considering seriously, and which ones are not suited to my needs, if any? I know I missed all the holiday deals while I was researching, but is there another time of year I should wait for in order to get a good deal? Thanks in advance for sharing your time and expertise.