Review of Jianglong 341 after 4 months

[friquant]

Review of Jianglong 341 purchased March 2025

I am quite happy with my Jianglong 341. It only took two months to get it, cost me a total of $1115 with a table, knee lift, foot lift, flatbed table attachment, servo motor, needle positioner, and a couple of binding attachments.

It’s been quite versatile. I’ve been able to stitch a stack of vinyl 12mm high using TEX 270 thread. I’ve also been able to repair my watchband with TEX 70 thread.

Not that I expect it to be exactly as good as an original Juki 341, but in areas where it is a little less polished, I have been able to adapt.

    

First Impressions

On arrival it sewed well. It stitched slightly longer stitches in reverse than in forward.

I would say it was not perfectly in adjustment, but I had no complaints about it at the time.

Here is my “first impressions” forum post: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/125619-jianglong-341-first-impressions/

Representative Work

Here are some photos representative of things that I stitch. On the left is a tote with liner and heavy interfacing in the base. In the middle is a backpack compartment that uses plastic corrugated signboard for two of its interior walls. On the right is a heavy belt made of webbing on the outside and a plastic core for stiffness.

 

Thread Size

Supposedly this machine is rated up to TEX 207. I’ve used TEX 30 on up to UNbonded TEX 270. Mind you, I’m mostly sewing textiles so I can’t vouch for its abilities with large thread going through thick stacks of leather.

Major Quibbles after Four Months of Use

Here are the main things that I hope Jianglong will correct in the future.

1. No Hook Safety Mechanism

The juki 341 manual shows a hook safety mechanism, but the Jianglong 341 has none. (You can run low belt tension to help keep you from damaging)

2. Advertised Stitch Length

The factory advertises 9.5mm stitch length. This is only achievable if you optimize for forward stitch length, leaving your reverse stitches about 3mm long.

If you balance the stitch length, you can get 8mm forward and reverse.

3. Banana Slide

The arm that connects to the banana slide is too long in my opinion. What this means is that when you adjust the height of the walking feet, you must also adjust the timing of the walking feet.

(Ideally this would only require a single adjustment, not two)

Forum post: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/125832-juki-341-lift-height-adjustment/

4. Reverse Spring

The reverse spring is so stiff that it was hurting my arm to use it. Ultimately, I disconnected the spring where it hooks under the frame and used a number 64 rubber band to hold the lever in the “up” position.

5. Cylinder Bed End caps

The upper end cap on the cylinder bed is not solidly located. That is, there is a range of fore-aft positions you can position it at before tightening the screws. This presents a challenge, because if you inadvertently tighten it down in a different position than last time, then your bobbin latch opener will open a different amount than before.

Somewhat related forum post: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/126148-hook-off-the-shoulder/

6. Hook Shoulder

When stitching medium or long stitches in reverse, the thread does not ride in the hook shoulder. I suspect this machine would do better with a larger diameter hook, which would give less side-to-side deviation between the needle and the hook when the needle moves front to back.

Forum post: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/126148-hook-off-the-shoulder/

Minor Quibbles

Here are some minor annoyances

7. bobbin winder

1. if you move the handwheel in reverse, the bobbin winder goes in reverse. (May be a problem if you need to raise the needle to remove material)

2. The height of the exit on the bobbin winder tensioner is incorrect. to get a bobbin to wind evenly, I bent a piece of wire to hold the thread higher for an even wind.

8. Hook timing cover plate

The hook timing cover plate has a hole in it so that you can supposedly loosen/tighten the set screws in the hook gear without removing the cover plate.

But the hole is in the wrong position, so you have to remove the cover plate anyway.

9. Check Spring limited adjustment

When you slide the check spring stroke limiter out of the way to let the check spring drop down farther, the machine casting is in the way so the check spring does not actually drop down much.

You can bend the check spring to match the contour of the machine casting, and then you will have full range of motion.

10. Stitch Length Dial

On the stitch length dial, the number at the top of the dial is not what it’s actually set at. If you were to draw a line to indicate what length you are at, the line would be at more like the 11:15 position.

11. Oil hole in End Cap

The oil hole in the center of the lower cylinder bed end cap is in an awkward position. I’m not convinced that there is any reliable way of oiling through that hole and having the oil arrive to the feed dog cam.

12. Screw Holes for Edge Guide

The screw holes for attaching the swing down edge guide are filled with paint. The screws that come with edge guide do fit fine after installing/reinstalling a couple times to squash the paint down. But at first I thought it might be the wrong screws.

13. Missing Screws for Foot Lift

The foot lift bar (extension of the knee lift bar) attaches with two screws. Mine came without the screws. I ended up using some smaller screws and putting nuts on the back.

14. Needle Threading Path

I like that some of the paths downstream of the tension discs have side entry. But the loop at the bottom of the needle bar has no side entry…you must thread that manually.

15. No slots in cover plates

The cover plate on the back of the machine and the one on the left end have standard holes (enclosed on all sides) for the retaining screws. This means you have to remove at least one screw on the left cover (or at least three screws on the rear cover) in order to rotate the cover out of the way. It would be more convenient if some of these holes had a slot running out the side so you could simply loosen some screws and rotate the cover plates out of the way.

15. Thread Post Too Long

The thread post—the one that the thread goes through before descending toward the tension disks—is quite long. When I tilt the machine head back, this post runs into the window blinds. It could be quite a bit shorter IMO.

16. Feed Dog Eccentric

16.1 There are no markings on the main shaft indicating optimal position of the feed dog eccentric. The first time I adjusted this eccentric, I actually adjusted it 180 degrees out, such that it stitched in reverse when the feed lever was in the forward position, and vice versa.

16.2 With the handwheel in the needle bottom dead center position, neither of the set screws for the feed dog eccentric are visible through the rear cover. It takes a little extra work to rotate the handwheel to needle bottom dead center, check the adjustment of the feed dog eccentric, then rotate the handwheel to a position where the set screws can be reached to adjust to a new position.

17. Squeak Sound

At low speed (80-90 stitches per minute) it makes a sing-song sound when the inner toe moves upward or downward. The sound goes away at higher speeds.

Notes on Ordering

Accessories

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uaZYioWcaXI

They sell several accessories to go with it, if you ask.

• Ask for a speed reducer
• Ask for a knee lift
• Ask for a foot lift
• Ask for any binding attachments that interest you
• Ask for a flat top table attachment
• Ask for a motor if you want theirs
• Ask for a needle position sensor if you want one
• Ask for a table if you want one. (Not sure how much this inflates the shipping cost)

Verification Video

https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/112102-new-machine/page/2/#findComment-733498

After they get your machine ready, they will provide a video of it running. You can ask for additional videos that demonstrate the machine doing certain things. I didn’t know what to ask for then, but now I realize this is prime time to ask for verification that the machine is adjusted properly. (This will save you time dialing it in yourself)

I would ask for these things:

• Ask to see your machine stitching synchronized holes (forward/reverse same length)
• Ask them to measure the distance between the holes (they may be less than their advertised “maximum stitch length”)
• Ask for a video showing the feed dog moving with no fabric to show that the min clearance at the front of the feed dog matches the min clearance at the rear of the feed dog
• Ask to see the hook to needle distance. Ask for it to touch the needle.
• Ask to see close-up photo of needle in throat plate. (should be exactly centered. Mine is not) (see this post where a jianglong 441 was out of alignment: https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/109373-441-clone/ )
• Ask to see close-up video of hook in slow motion (crank handwheel) in REVERSE at MAX stitch length (make sure it clears the notch gracefully) (make sure the thread rides in the hook shoulder, and not off the side of the shoulder)
• Ask to see stitching using your maximum intended thread size (or larger)
• Ask to see forward and reverse stitching that goes into the same holes at your chosen stitch length.
• If you want it without the jianglong logo, ask to not include. (My demo video had no jianglong logo in it, so I was hopeful it would come without one but no)
• Ask to see the screws that hold the foot lift extension bar (mine came without those)

Note when they demo your machine, they will use their own table and motor but your head unit.

Edited August 26, 2025 by Wizcrafts
I disabled the link to the Chinese seller's website.

[kgg]

3 hours ago, friquant said:

7. bobbin winder

1. if you move the handwheel in reverse, the bobbin winder goes in reverse. (May be a problem if you need to raise the needle to remove material)

2. The height of the exit on the bobbin winder tensioner is incorrect. to get a bobbin to wind evenly, I bent a piece of wire to hold the thread higher for an even wind.

 

3 hours ago, friquant said:

4. Reverse Spring

The reverse spring is so stiff that it was hurting my arm to use it. Ultimately, I disconnected the spring where it hooks under the frame and used a number 64 rubber band to hold the lever in the “up” position.

Most machines have two spots to hook the return spring into. You should check to see if yours has a second location to give a softer return. 

3 hours ago, friquant said:

7. bobbin winder

1. if you move the handwheel in reverse, the bobbin winder goes in reverse. (May be a problem if you need to raise the needle to remove material)

2. The height of the exit on the bobbin winder tensioner is incorrect. to get a bobbin to wind evenly, I bent a piece of wire to hold the thread higher for an even wind.

Possible solutions:

a. The internal rubber wheel that drives the winder needs to be adjusted so it only engages when you want to wind a bobbin. However if you wind a bobbin while sewing it can create a problem of unwinding the thread from the bobbin.

There seems to be a couple of versions of this model some with the bobbin winder on the top of the machine and others driven with the main belt. I would just cut to the chase and buy a winder that runs of the main belt which probably would cost about $16 USD off Amazon.  

3 hours ago, friquant said:

10. Stitch Length Dial

On the stitch length dial, the number at the top of the dial is not what it’s actually set at. If you were to draw a line to indicate what length you are at, the line would be at more like the 11:15 position.

The dial should have a set set so you could move the dial to the correct position.

3 hours ago, friquant said:

I like that some of the paths downstream of the tension discs have side entry. But the loop at the bottom of the needle bar has no side entry…you must thread that manually.

Most machines are that way.

3 hours ago, friquant said:

15. Thread Post

The post that the thread goes through before descending toward the tension disks, the one that has four holes in it at 90 degree angles. This post is quite long. It could be quite a bit shorter IMO. It gets in the way when tilting the machine head back.

I know some of those machines came with a smaller top thread pin with only two holes. 

As a note the hook assembly in the Jianglong 341 seems to come in couple of favours one that looks like the old old Nakajima 341L which was similar to the Singer 111 and another that is like the Juki LS-341. Which one do you have???

Just my thoughts.

kgg
Juki bought Nakajima and renamed it the Juki LS-341.

 

[friquant]

5 hours ago, kgg said:

Most machines have two spots to hook the return spring into. You should check to see if yours has a second location to give a softer return. 

Checked tonight for a second spot to attach the return spring. I don't see one. I did try turning the attachment point around, which almost works but then one of the levers bumps into it when you select long reverse stitches. I'd like to replace the factory spring with one that has less stiffness, but I haven't been to a hardware store in a while. Maybe it's time to start forming my own springs..

 

5 hours ago, kgg said:

a. The internal rubber wheel that drives the winder needs to be adjusted so it only engages when you want to wind a bobbin. However if you wind a bobbin while sewing it can create a problem of unwinding the thread from the bobbin.

It only engageswhen I want to wind a bobbin. I wrote that part a couple months ago, and it actually hasn't bothered me since 😀 And I actually use the winder more than I used to. That is, when I think of it and when I think I might be using the same color bobbin thread for a while. I switch colors a lot..

 

5 hours ago, kgg said:

The dial should have a set set so you could move the dial to the correct position.

I looked at this tonight. I don't see a good option outside of making my own label for the knob. Or drilling a new hold for the pin that acts as the final stop for the knob. I'm setting it so that the stitch length goes to zero as the pin runs into the final stop. I suppose instead I could figure out where a 4mm stitch is and line the knob up at the 4. 🤔

 

5 hours ago, kgg said:

Most machines are that way. [round eyelet at bottom of needle bar]

Ok. Seems reliable with a round eyelet. I can see benefits both ways.

 

5 hours ago, kgg said:

As a note the hook assembly in the Jianglong 341 seems to come in couple of flavours one that looks like the old old Nakajima 341L which was similar to the Singer 111 and another that is like the Juki LS-341. Which one do you have???

Here is the hook assembly. I assume this is NOT the singer 111 style. I wonder if the singer style has a larger outer hook diameter..

[kgg]

8 hours ago, friquant said:

Here is the hook assembly. I assume this is NOT the singer 111 style. I wonder if the singer style has a larger outer hook diameter..

This is a couple of photo's of the bobbin assembly from a fellow member who recently bought a 341 machine from them. Yours looks like a Juki style.

kgg

 

 

Edited August 27, 2025 by kgg

[Smiche]

Inspired by your post and experience I also purchased the same machine with pretty much the same accessories. I got the 28mm hook and it looks like the one kgg posted photos of. It's likely this part number if someone is curious: #KRT341-NHI /  28MM. I've been really happy with the machine as well.

Mine also has the squeaking noise at low rpm, I suspected the noise on mine came from the speed reducer so I oiled it and the squeak went away. I have pretty much the same small quibbles as you, but I suspect other clones have the same features and those are not specific to this one. One thing I still struggle with is aligning the reverse and forward stitching pitch at smaller lengths. Above 5mm the needle tracks for 3 to 4 holes backwards and forward, but when I go to 4 mm that drops to 2 holes. But maybe just need to spend more time and do finer adjustments.

I got it to sew with 270 tex as well (serafil 10) with no issues using a size 24 needle (tri point).

I got a 25mm bifold binder, but I'm not sure how to mount it to the machine. I think it's supposed to use the 2 holes near the edge of the cylinder arm, but that's not possible with the single L shaped bracket I have for it.

I've ordered a bunch of needles, walking feet and other accessories and spare parts from aliexpress. 

[friquant]

7 hours ago, Smiche said:

Inspired by your post and experience I also purchased the same machine with pretty much the same accessories.

That's great! Happy to hear

 

7 hours ago, Smiche said:

I got the 28mm hook and it looks like the one kgg posted photos of. It's likely this part number if someone is curious: #KRT341-NHI /  28MM.

What is your bobbin diameter? Did that hook come with your machine, or did you order it separately?

My bobbins are diameter 25.7mm. There is enough take-up lever throw to accommodate a larger hook than mine has.

 

8 hours ago, Smiche said:

One thing I still struggle with is aligning the reverse and forward stitching pitch at smaller lengths. Above 5mm the needle tracks for 3 to 4 holes backwards and forward, but when I go to 4 mm that drops to 2 holes.

Getting reverse stitch to match the same holes has some challenges on lots of machine. For one, there is no knob to turn...you loosen a screw then make your adjustment then tighten down. So it's hard to get a reliable small change in the direction you want. Beyond that, the feed dogs have a slant to them to optimize forward feeding. We can accommodate this for a particular material, material thickness, thread tension, stitch length, and presser foot tension. But then we change one of those variables and still hope that it matches up the holes in forward/reverse.

 

8 hours ago, Smiche said:

I got a 25mm bifold binder, but I'm not sure how to mount it to the machine. I think it's supposed to use the 2 holes near the edge of the cylinder arm, but that's not possible with the single L shaped bracket I have for it.

I bought two binding attachments with the machine. I don't see how to attach them either. One of us could send a message to the Jianglong factory to ask. They usually reply with photos or videos.

 

[kgg]

14 hours ago, Smiche said:

I got a 25mm bifold binder, but I'm not sure how to mount it to the machine.

 

6 hours ago, friquant said:

I bought two binding attachments with the machine.

What I done with my cylinder arm machines Class 1341 and Class 441 is I 3D printed table top attachments for three reasons:

i) I am a cheap old geezer and there is a considerable cost difference between your standard inline binding attachments vs the 90 degree ones.

ii) As I have quite a collection from 1/4" up to 3 1/2" I wanted to be able to use the standard inline binding attachments that I have on all my machines whether they are a flatbed or cylinder arm machine. That said I will coincide you can get tighter bends with a 90 degree binding attachment then with a standard inline. 

iii) None of the table top attachments for cylinder arm machines that I have seen have the ability to accept standard inline attachments.

Here is a sample of what I mean.

First photo is a Class 1341 and the second is a Class 441 with a standard inline binding attachment using a swing-away binding attachment.

kgg

 

 

Edited January 14 by kgg

[Smiche]

I never even thought of it even though we have a 3d printer at our office. Looks nice!

I asked on Alibaba and he replied right away. There should be a bracket that attaches on the backside of the arm. I haven't yet looked for it in the pile if I have it.

Here's the hook that I have. It came with the machine, I explicitly asked for a large hook, but I don't remember where did I read that I should ask for that. My hook seems to be identical to the one kgg posted of another member:

These are some small profile feet I got from aliexpress so I can get in tighter spots:


I've also seen narrow throat plate with smaller and smooth feed dog on Ali, but I haven't yet ordered it. I'll be trying to sew welt to midsole on a boot and see if I can get close enough to the inside with the current setup and if not I might get that narrow one. Also the smooth feed dog is a bonus for not scratching leather I assume.

@kggYour TechSew looks more like a 341 class to me? I thought 1341 has a cover plate on the top of the head? At least when I was looking at adjusting reverse pitch on 1341 it was done on the top, while on 341 it was done on the bottom, so it seemed like they have quite different mechanisms.
 

[kgg]

1 hour ago, Smiche said:

 

@kggYour TechSew looks more like a 341 class to me?

Yes you are correct a lot of the  "1341"  clones are indeed Class 341 machines regardless of what their labels say.

My two cents worth and I could be wrong.

That said the Juki LS-1341 does not have the vertical stroke knob as it only came with the Juki LS-1342 and the Juki LS-1342-7 (reference: https://www.juki.co.jp/industrial_e/products_e/lether_e/cylinderbed_e/detail.php?cd=LS-1341_LS-1342_LS-1342-7_E )

That said the Jianglong machines are hybrid's being they have the vertical stroke knob of the Juki LS-1342 / LS-1342-7, the larger throat plate of the Juki LS-1341 and older Juki LS-341, the bobbin size used in the Jianglong varies from the 25.4mm ("M") used in the Juki LS-1340 series and older Juki LS-341 to your 28mm which was used in the Juki LU-1508 and older Juki LU-563 along with Durkopp Adler 867 and 868 and is actually a "U" size bobbin that has a larger capacity then the "M" which also means the bobbin case has to be that of maybe a Juki LU-563 or 1508 or a Durkopp Adler (867, 868). I suspect it is more similar to a Durkopp Adler bobbin case as it has a coiled bobbin spring rather then a flat spring and a different shape then the Juki's. 

kgg

Edited January 15 by kgg

[eblanche]

Hey Folks,

I am currently in contact with a rep from JL about their acrylic/alum. table top attachment. I am looking for a table for my juki 246 rather than 341/1341 style but I wanted to ask about the overall quality of the table and the pieces, as well as the clearance to the cylinder arm and throat plates. This style looks to be somewhat common although I have not seen an acrylic version elsewhere.

@friquant @Smiche @toxo Do either of you have any feedback for the table top attachment from JiangLong, if you received one? Thanks, any info will be helpful and appreciated!

FYI, They are asking for $65 for the table as a separate purchase. Shipping to the the USA approx. the same cost, $65.  Depending on duty/tariff, this may or may not be reasonable. I am still awaiting clarification if they handle those costs for US customers. (ugh prob not lol).