Members Margherita Posted January 30, 2024 Members Report Posted January 30, 2024 Hello everyone I am new in the leather work industry and I am making dog collars and leashes and sewing them by hand. But now I am interested in buying a sewing machine to speed up the process and be even more precise. I am doing some research online but it's very difficult to understand what machine will be the one perfect for me. I am working with natural leather that is 3/3.5 oz thick and/or natural leather 3oz plus a padding made with soft leather (0.8/1oz) and some foam. What would you suggest I could buy? My budget is 500/600 CAD. I found two Omega machines on e-bay that seem interesting but I read good and bad things about them at the same time (model Omega 307 and Omega walking foot WF22ZZ). Thank you a lot for your help! Quote
Members Margherita Posted January 30, 2024 Author Members Report Posted January 30, 2024 Yes I have seen it and it's very interesting, but I am still a little confused/insecure about what I should buy, especially with my budget that I know it's not the biggest of all. It's also my first sewing machine for leather and I would like to avoid buying one and discover when it will arrive that it will not suit my purpose... I am a total beginner and the options are many, I would just need a tip to reduce my options given my budget. It's even possible to find something that I need to start within my budget? Quote
kgg Posted January 30, 2024 Report Posted January 30, 2024 3 hours ago, Margherita said: It's also my first sewing machine for leather and I would like to avoid buying one and discover when it will arrive that it will not suit my purpose... The Omgea WF22ZZ is a Sailrite LSZ clone from more then likely China. The Omega 307 is a domestic drop feed with zig zag. I personally think you will not be pleased due to their limitations as neither are industrial machines. With your budget I would suggest dropping into a industrial sewing machine repair / service center and see what they have available in a used industrial sewing machine. There should be quite a number of them in Montreal. If you find a machine and aren't sure of it's abilities just ask on the list before purchasing. kgg Quote Juki DNU - 1541S, Juki DU - 1181N, Singer 29K - 71(1949), Chinese Patcher (Tinkers Delight), Warlock TSC-441, Techsew 2750 Pro, Consew DCS-S4 Skiver
MtlBiker Posted January 30, 2024 Report Posted January 30, 2024 5 hours ago, Margherita said: Hello everyone I am new in the leather work industry and I am making dog collars and leashes and sewing them by hand. But now I am interested in buying a sewing machine to speed up the process and be even more precise. I am doing some research online but it's very difficult to understand what machine will be the one perfect for me. I am working with natural leather that is 3/3.5 oz thick and/or natural leather 3oz plus a padding made with soft leather (0.8/1oz) and some foam. What would you suggest I could buy? My budget is 500/600 CAD. I found two Omega machines on e-bay that seem interesting but I read good and bad things about them at the same time (model Omega 307 and Omega walking foot WF22ZZ). Thank you a lot for your help! Hi Margherita, and welcome to the forum! I'm a fellow Montrealer by the way. You're going to be buying a used machine I guess (for what you need and considering your budget). Gonna be a bit challenging and tough. What is it that you're planning to make? That might help figure out what thread size you would need which would also mean which needle size. Also you need to know if a flatbed machine or a cylinder arm would be best. Maybe a cylinder arm with flatbed table attachment (making it maybe the best of both worlds). Dog collars and leashes can be made easily on a flatbed machine but you also have to consider how many layers (probably two at least!) of leather you'll be sewing. And basically the rule of thumb is that there is NO ONE machine that will do everything or that is right for you. That's why so many of us have more than one machine. I only started sewing during the first Covid lockdown and I'm terribly hooked now and I have SIX machines! If you want to chat send me a PM and I'll give you my number. My office (not where I do my sewing) is at Pare and Decarie. Quote Current machines: Janome HD3000 and Skyline S5, Consew 206RB-5, Singer Profinish serger, Techsew 2750 PRO, Sailrite LSZ-1 Premium, Consew DCS-S4 Skiver
Members Margherita Posted January 30, 2024 Author Members Report Posted January 30, 2024 45 minutes ago, kgg said: The Omgea WF22ZZ is a Sailrite LSZ clone from more then likely China. The Omega 307 is a domestic drop feed with zig zag. I personally think you will not be pleased due to their limitations as neither are industrial machines. With your budget I would suggest dropping into a industrial sewing machine repair / service center and see what they have available in a used industrial sewing machine. There should be quite a number of them in Montreal. If you find a machine and aren't sure of it's abilities just ask on the list before purchasing. kgg Thank you for your suggestion. I'll definitely check industrial sewing machine repair/services. 31 minutes ago, MtlBiker said: Hi Margherita, and welcome to the forum! I'm a fellow Montrealer by the way. You're going to be buying a used machine I guess (for what you need and considering your budget). Gonna be a bit challenging and tough. What is it that you're planning to make? That might help figure out what thread size you would need which would also mean which needle size. Also you need to know if a flatbed machine or a cylinder arm would be best. Maybe a cylinder arm with flatbed table attachment (making it maybe the best of both worlds). Dog collars and leashes can be made easily on a flatbed machine but you also have to consider how many layers (probably two at least!) of leather you'll be sewing. And basically the rule of thumb is that there is NO ONE machine that will do everything or that is right for you. That's why so many of us have more than one machine. I only started sewing during the first Covid lockdown and I'm terribly hooked now and I have SIX machines! If you want to chat send me a PM and I'll give you my number. My office (not where I do my sewing) is at Pare and Decarie. I can definitely increase a bit more my budget but I definitely wanted to stay under 1K for my first one I'll send you a private message so we can chat! Quote
Members Margherita Posted February 2, 2024 Author Members Report Posted February 2, 2024 (edited) On 1/30/2024 at 2:46 PM, kgg said: The Omgea WF22ZZ is a Sailrite LSZ clone from more then likely China. The Omega 307 is a domestic drop feed with zig zag. I personally think you will not be pleased due to their limitations as neither are industrial machines. With your budget I would suggest dropping into a industrial sewing machine repair / service center and see what they have available in a used industrial sewing machine. There should be quite a number of them in Montreal. If you find a machine and aren't sure of it's abilities just ask on the list before purchasing. kgg Hello again I found this machine on Kijiji I've never heard about this brand, could it be ok I contacted the seller because he didn't put any specification on the product. Also I found a Juki LU 563 and a Juki DDL-5600N (both in the price range 700-800$), any suggestion on that? Edited February 2, 2024 by Margherita Quote
MtlBiker Posted February 2, 2024 Report Posted February 2, 2024 @Margherita - I haven't heard of "Relsew" machines. It looks like it might have a servo motor - if so, good. But is it a compound walking foot? Maybe someone else will comment, but to me it looks like it might be a machine more suitable for high-speed fabric sewing than what you're looking for. (And I'm sure, and hope, that @kgg will see this soon and comment.) Quote Current machines: Janome HD3000 and Skyline S5, Consew 206RB-5, Singer Profinish serger, Techsew 2750 PRO, Sailrite LSZ-1 Premium, Consew DCS-S4 Skiver
kgg Posted February 2, 2024 Report Posted February 2, 2024 1 hour ago, Margherita said: I've never heard about this brand, could it be ok I contacted the seller because he didn't put any specification on the product. Also I found a Juki LU 563 and a Juki DDL-5600N (both in the price range 700-800$), any suggestion on that? The Relsew if I'm not mistake was sold by Reliable out of Toronto many years ago before they had their own line of clones. The Relsew is a drop feed sewing machine made for fabric and has a clutch motor. The Juki 5600N is also a drop feed machine made for thicker fabrics. I would suggest seriously looking at the Juki 563 and maybe post some pictures of the machine prior to purchasing. kgg Quote Juki DNU - 1541S, Juki DU - 1181N, Singer 29K - 71(1949), Chinese Patcher (Tinkers Delight), Warlock TSC-441, Techsew 2750 Pro, Consew DCS-S4 Skiver
Members Margherita Posted February 2, 2024 Author Members Report Posted February 2, 2024 (edited) 51 minutes ago, kgg said: The Relsew if I'm not mistake was sold by Reliable out of Toronto many years ago before they had their own line of clones. The Relsew is a drop feed sewing machine made for fabric and has a clutch motor. The Juki 5600N is also a drop feed machine made for thicker fabrics. I would suggest seriously looking at the Juki 563 and maybe post some pictures of the machine prior to purchasing. kgg I just came back from the place that sells the Juki 563. They will install for me also the drop down edge, give me 6 months of warranty, bobbins, needles and shipped it for free. Since I'll work from home they also said the table could be cut 8' to adjust my space. It seems in good conditions for 750$ but since I am not an expert I'll ask you Here you can find some pics that I took: Should I just go for it? Edited February 2, 2024 by Margherita Quote
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