Chinese 441's

[AngryDick]

Has anybody purchased one of those 441 clones on like Alibaba straight from china, they appear to be the same machines as Cowboy or Cobra but straight from the manufacturer and about half the cost with shipping.

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[ToddW]

I bought a new cobra Class 26 from Traditions but would have look this way if I knew about it..

[Constabulary]

IIRC sole folks from Downunder imported one or two of them a while ago. But I do not recall who it was.

 

EDIT:

Found some related threads:

https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/94574-tsc-441-clone-from-china/

https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/56853-buying-keestar-sewing-machine-441-directly-from-china/

https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/70913-441-clone-factory-name-and-location/

https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/88115-usa-import-of-441-my-story/

 

Edited March 12, 2024 by Constabulary

[AngryDick]

Wow! Lots of good info, Thanks!

[LiftPig]

Buy once cry once.  

I'd be very nervous buying something this expensive and tempermental from a company I'd never heard of and couldn't call back for support.

[Wizcrafts]

@AngryDick

Are you aware of the various surcharges, fees, and tariffs that you will be liable for in addition to the actual price of the machine and shipping?

If you go ahead and have one drop shipped to you, after paying all the various fees, possibly including a power gate delivery fee, do you have the skill to uncrate, de-grease, deburr, assemble,  time, and mount the machine onto a pedestal table that contains a servo motor (with a switch box) and speed reducer (which requires two type 3L v-belts of different lengths)? I asked one of our dealers how much time they invested in a 441 clone that was in a crate from a well known industrial sewing machine manufacturer in China. He told me it is approximately 6 hours of professional work in their well equipped shop. If you get into a bind, or parts are damaged or missing, who ya gonna call? Do you speak Chinese?

[AngryDick]

Thanks guys, I think I have decided to not risk it.

[toxo]

29 minutes ago, AngryDick said:

Thanks guys, I think I have decided to not risk it.

Although not a 441, I'm expecting a machine at the end of this month. It's had to go the long way around because of the Red Sea situation. My first new machine and I wouldn't have bought it at UK prices. No one is more skeptical than I am but I reasoned that so many machines come from China these days and most reviews are good. Maybe I was lucky but the company I dealt with couldn't have been better. They built my machine the way I wanted it and then sent me a video. Then they sent a video showing every query I threw at them. And this after we had gone through it once with a different machine that I decided to pull out of.

Of course I haven't got it yet so still might end up looking like the biggest fool but if not it'll be interesting to compare my experience with Wiz's scenario. At least I've seen it fully built and even got pics of it crated up ready to go.

[kgg]

23 hours ago, AngryDick said:

Has anybody purchased one of those 441 clones

I purchased my Juki TSC441 clone from a Canadian, Ontario supplier for about 60 percent plus of the more popular names. This included a table which I modified for my needs and brushless servo motor. Kinda hard not to buy when you can save $1500 plus for a similar machine. As long as it is a Juki clone parts / manuals are easy to get should something go wrong but you will be on your own as far as support goes and may have to do some adjustments. On the flip side of the coin is where the brick and mortar dealers excel, support.

kgg

[TomE]

I quit leathercraft ~50 yrs ago to work on cars (I discovered that girls liked cars).  This time around I'd rather work with leather than fuss with machines. Happy to pay a dealer to sort out the machines.  Anything other than thread tension and shuttle timing is above my pay grade.