Techsew 5100

[JWfur]

I'm new here, thanks for letting me in. I clicked the techsew add up top. What's your opinion on the 5100? It says it will sew wallets to thick leather 

[kgg]

9 hours ago, JWfur said:

What's your opinion on the 5100? It says it will sew wallets to thick leather

This is a class 441 clone machine of the Juki TSC-441 and is similar to the Cowboy 4500, the Cobra Class 4 along with other machines in this class. These days they all seem to be pretty dependable. The main question that should first be answered is this class of machine the right one for what you want or need to sew. This article will help you determine what machine or machines will best suit your needs.

What are you planning on sewing and with what size of thread????

kgg

[JWfur]

I have read that, it was very good. In fact I took notes. I've been lurking around here for a while now.  If the 5100 I mentioned will sew everything from wallets to tack, it's the one for me.  I want to be as versatile as possible.  This is an example of some of the stuff we do right now. Lots of work with fur, some leather work. I want to do more leather work and I'm buying a machine for the future. ( if that makes sense) I will be doing knife sheaths for one customer, bags for another and maybe even fixing horse tack.  I need to be versatile and open to anything.  At least I need to have the equipment to be able to.

[Wizcrafts]

The 5100 can sew fur items if you install the blanket foot set made for it. This set has teeth on the feet and feed dog that help grab slippery  material.

[JWfur]

Wizcrafts, I have fur sewing machines. I don't want it to sew fur. I'm just curious as to the variety of leather it can handle. I would like a cylinder machine with a flat bed option, that will handle the widest variety.

[AlZilla]

1 hour ago, JWfur said:

Wizcrafts, I have fur sewing machines. I don't want it to sew fur. I'm just curious as to the variety of leather it can handle. I would like a cylinder machine with a flat bed option, that will handle the widest variety.

It's all really going to depend on how thin you want to go and how small the thread/needle size you'll want to use.  For me, a 111W with 138 complementing a 441 class kept setup with 277 fits the bill.

The following article talks about how to "dumb down" a 441 class machine for lighter work. It should help you decide if the 441 is the right fit. There's a video somewhere online of a machine similar to these sewing through plywood, so upsize is definitely not the issue.

You mentioned wallets, which the article specifically mentions as a case for "dumbing down" the 441.

 

Edited August 10 by AlZilla

[JWfur]

Excellent reading, thank you.

[Wizcrafts]

@JWfur

If you intend to use a 441 clone to sew thin or soft materials using thin needles and thread, you'll probably need to upgrade the stock feed dog and throat plate to a narrower set that resists the tendency of some materials to get shoved down into the cutout in the throat plate and the oval hole in the feed dog. These aftermarket feet and throat plates are made by one of our members. His website is here. I use some of his items.

[kgg]

15 hours ago, JWfur said:

I want to do more leather work and I'm buying a machine for the future. ( if that makes sense) I will be doing knife sheaths for one customer, bags for another and maybe even fixing horse tack.

 

13 hours ago, JWfur said:

I would like a cylinder machine with a flat bed option, that will handle the widest variety.

Keep in mind no one machine will do everything well and most of industrial sewing machine do not like using V69 thread preferring V92 and larger. That is why a lot of us have more then one class (Upholstery Class 563/1541, Class 341/1341, Class 441) or style machine (Flatbed, Patcher, Cylinder Arm).

I think as an all rounder with a flatbed attachment that are rated to sew about 7/16" thick leather you may want to consider the Class 341/1341 machines similar to the Cowboy 341, Cobra Class 26 and the Techsew 2750 to name a few. They use the 135X16 needle system for leather and 135x17 needle system for fabric.

The Class 441 machines can do thin stuff if properly dumbed down and with the right feet dogs/presser feet/needle plate but really shine at the doing the really thick items. Keep in mind that they take a large diameter needle the 7x3 or 794 needles and may not give you a nice looking finished item with small sized thread. As a visual comparison think of a 3" finishing nail punching a hole vs a 1" finishing nail.

I guess it really comes down to which machine that will do most of your items most efficiently. You may find it better to get a Class 341 / 1341 cylinder arm now and if the need arises then invest in a Class 441. As this is going to be an expensive investment I would suggest making a road trip to a dealer (or sending a sample of your items to a dealer) and test driving a couple different classes and styles of machines using the thread size you want to use.

kgg

[JWfur]

@AlZilla @Wizcrafts @kgg

Thank you guys for your help. I appreciate it. I tried to quote and add a pic but that reply went bad. I don't know what I did wrong, I apologize for whatever happened. Anyway,  after thinking more about it, I'm wondering if the 4800 might be the answer? I'm not stuck on a particular brand, but I've heard good things about techsew customer service/warranty. The 4800 if I'm reading the descriptions right, should sew 3-5 oz leather as well as the occasional heavy tack repair? Is there an advantage to one brand over the other? The cowboy brand I think I could find close enough to drive to. The others don't seem to be the case. What would the 4800 be in the other brands? As I said before, without the experience all I can go by is the written description. Which isn't always completely accurate I guess.

h

[kgg]

5 minutes ago, JWfur said:

What would the 4800 be in the other brands?

The Techsew 4800 would be sort of similar to Juki LS-1342 in that it has a adjustable presser foot climbing mechanism. Looking at the photo's on their website it has the larger diameter nose like the Juki LS-1341 and their model 2750. The difference between the Juki LS-1341 and a Juki LS-1342 is basically the presser foot climbing mechanism and the smaller diameter nose which maybe beneficial for smaller items. What I did notice is the spec's  for the Techsew 4800 says it is capable of handling V277 but it can only handle a #24 needle which is good for V207 so I think that maybe a typo in Techsews spec's. As a note that the Juki LS-1341 and LS-1342 can handle a #24 needle but it appears they rate their machines for the max size of thread for the max sewing thickness not thread size capability of the needle.

My conclusion:

i) if you need an adjustable presser foot climbing mechanism in a clone machine with similar spec's as the Techsew 4800 then maybe investigate something like the THOR GC 1341

ii) if you need a smaller nose and the presser foot climbing mechanism buy a Juki LS-1341 which is going to cost a lot more.

iii) if you can do with a clone machine having a slightly larger gauge nose and no presser foot climbing mechanism like the Juki LS-1341 then look at the Cowboy CB341, Cobra Class 26 and Techsew 2750 to name a few.

kgg

 

[JWfur]

5 hours ago, kgg said:

The Techsew 4800 would be sort of similar to Juki LS-1342 in that it has a adjustable presser foot climbing mechanism. Looking at the photo's on their website it has the larger diameter nose like the Juki LS-1341 and their model 2750. The difference between the Juki LS-1341 and a Juki LS-1342 is basically the presser foot climbing mechanism and the smaller diameter nose which maybe beneficial for smaller items. What I did notice is the spec's  for the Techsew 4800 says it is capable of handling V277 but it can only handle a #24 needle which is good for V207 so I think that maybe a typo in Techsews spec's. As a note that the Juki LS-1341 and LS-1342 can handle a #24 needle but it appears they rate their machines for the max size of thread for the max sewing thickness not thread size capability of the needle.

My conclusion:

i) if you need an adjustable presser foot climbing mechanism in a clone machine with similar spec's as the Techsew 4800 then maybe investigate something like the THOR GC 1341

ii) if you need a smaller nose and the presser foot climbing mechanism buy a Juki LS-1341 which is going to cost a lot more.

iii) if you can do with a clone machine having a slightly larger gauge nose and no presser foot climbing mechanism like the Juki LS-1341 then look at the Cowboy CB341, Cobra Class 26 and Techsew 2750 to name a few.

kgg

 

Thank you, I'm in the process of checking on the machines you mentioned. 

[kgg]

11 hours ago, kgg said:

if you need a smaller nose and the presser foot climbing mechanism buy a Juki LS-1341 which is going to cost a lot more.

I made a mistake. It should have said Juki LS-1342.  

@JWfur

kgg

 

[JWfur]

That Juki 1342 sounds awesome in the description.  However the price about tipped me over. Too much for me, unless I could find a used one. I'm still looking. 

@kgg

[kgg]

1 hour ago, JWfur said:

However the price about tipped me over.

I figured the price would catch you a bit off-guard. When I bought my Kobe LS-1341 I had actually gone to buy a real Juki LS-1341 but the new Kobe was a lot less so I said I'd give it a try and if I didn't like it I would sell it. Well I basically kept it for 3 years with no problems before I sold it. I usually keep a clone for about 3 years whereas the Juki's stay.

kgg

[JWfur]

So just curious.  Why keep them 3 years and sell? I'd assume it's not a wear and tear problem,  seems like 3 years they'd just be broke in?

[kgg]

1 hour ago, JWfur said:

So just curious.  Why keep them 3 years and sell? I'd assume it's not a wear and tear problem,  seems like 3 years they'd just be broke in?

Your right it is not a wear and tear thing as I keep my machines in pristine condition and when I sell them they look like they just came out of the box. What I have found is at that time frame the price of a new clone, for that model, has increased allowing me to usually get what I paid or close or more and move on to something else. 

kgg

[FDC]

I have a Techsew 5100. I’m a novice leather worker. This heavy duty machine has worked flawlessly for me using heavy to light set ups. I’ve run #19 needles and #92 (?) thread on leather, rubber and marine vinyl with good results. The heavy stuff? Not a problem, I’ve sewn 0.80” plastic an it didn’t even register as tough. 
 

Likely more machine than most leather workers would ever need unless you’re making sheaths, holsters, saddles and protective equipment. Download the manual and parts list, be curious about how it works and try to get it optimized every chance you get. That’s how to climb up the learning curve in my opinion.