Are all Juki 1341 clones created (somewhat) equal?

[6ixStitcher]

I've been going down the rabbit hole on which cylinder bed machine to upgrade to from my flatbed and I've been wrestling with whether to get a used Juki or a new clone. Alot of the used Jukis in my area look pretty rough and are scarce (in Canada).

Given that, I've seen really popular clones (Cowboy, Cobra, Techsew, Kobe) which all command different price points. And on Alibaba there's even more clones with brands I've never even heard of.

My question is - are these mainly all just coming out of one or two factories or is there a significant difference between clones?

Edited Monday at 06:09 AM by 6ixStitcher

[Constabulary]

IMO there not as many sewing machine factories in China as you find sewing machine brands online so IMO most of the so called clones come from the same factory. If you want your own brand name on machines you can order that if you buy enough of the "hardware". Maybe there are a few different factories but who really knows that. And IMO the machines are fairly equal the differences probably are in how they were set up. Some clones may have features that others do not have. In earlier times this was called sub class. In your picture you see that certain machines have installed different "devices" like machine mounted bobbin winders, direct drive motors of a knob for adjusting the foot lift height and so forth so have an eye on that. But IMO it is not possible to tell quality differences by just a brand name - there are just too many brand and there is not a "pool" of experiences when it comes to buying sewing machines directly from China in relation to brands - if you know what I mean.

However - buying directly form the "manufacturer" can be a gamble as you never know if they come ready to sew and set up as you would expect it from a local dealer. But we have members here who bought directly and the machines arrived properly set up. But in the end the responsibility in on your side and claiming warranty issues may be not as easy as when you buy from a local dealer.

If I was in need of a brand new sewing machine I would buy directly from China. Why? Mainly because you have dozens of videos online how to adjust these machines and I do not have the big $ and output that would justify buying from a dealer so yes, its a gamble but IMO the risk is not very high. Times have changed and IMO the quality of the Chinese products have increased and the Chinese have learned customer service and the latest feedbacks here are not bad.

But again it´s a gamble.

However. I´m a big friend of used / vintage equipment and I do not see that I`m in need buying something new. So it depends on your situation (time / money) and if you are willing / able to tinker a bit here and there. For my purposes I can deal with used / vintage equipment very well.

 

Edited Monday at 09:12 AM by Constabulary

[6ixStitcher]

8 hours ago, Constabulary said:

IMO there not as many sewing machine factories in China as you find sewing machine brands online so IMO most of the so called clones come from the same factory. If you want your own brand name on machines you can order that if you buy enough of the "hardware". Maybe there are a few different factories but who really knows that. And IMO the machines are fairly equal the differences probably are in how they were set up. Some clones may have features that others do not have. In earlier times this was called sub class. In your picture you see that certain machines have installed different "devices" like machine mounted bobbin winders, direct drive motors of a knob for adjusting the foot lift height and so forth so have an eye on that. But IMO it is not possible to tell quality differences by just a brand name - there are just too many brand and there is not a "pool" of experiences when it comes to buying sewing machines directly from China in relation to brands - if you know what I mean.

However - buying directly form the "manufacturer" can be a gamble as you never know if they come ready to sew and set up as you would expect it from a local dealer. But we have members here who bought directly and the machines arrived properly set up. But in the end the responsibility in on your side and claiming warranty issues may be not as easy as when you buy from a local dealer.

If I was in need of a brand new sewing machine I would buy directly from China. Why? Mainly because you have dozens of videos online how to adjust these machines and I do not have the big $ and output that would justify buying from a dealer so yes, its a gamble but IMO the risk is not very high. Times have changed and IMO the quality of the Chinese products have increased and the Chinese have learned customer service and the latest feedbacks here are not bad.

But again it´s a gamble.

However. I´m a big friend of used / vintage equipment and I do not see that I`m in need buying something new. So it depends on your situation (time / money) and if you are willing / able to tinker a bit here and there. For my purposes I can deal with used / vintage equipment very well.

 

This makes alot of sense since sewing machines are a pretty niche manufacturing industry especially if it's a specific model.

Since it's my first cylinder arm, I'd probably go with a local dealer since I'm not confident with my technical know how yet and they can probably also provide some after service care/help. 

Great advice thank you! This helped me alot. This is the type of info you'll never just find on Google haha

Edited Monday at 05:10 PM by 6ixStitcher

[Constabulary]

well, thats just my opinion. Others may have a different views on that. 😉