What sewing machine should I purchase?

[AlZilla]

8 hours ago, J Kellar said:

I was actually just looking at the CB2500 when I figured I'd check notifications. Some time in

I went through this a couple of years back.  Just a seeming few dollars more gets you a little more capability. Then, if you're at that level anyway, why not a little more money..?

Such a slippery slope. Be interesting to find out where you land. 😃

[kgg]

1 hour ago, AlZilla said:

Such a slippery slope. Be interesting to find out where you land.

Lets face it, It ain't a hobby it's an addiction. Just depends on which rabbit hole you go down. The worst is buying a machine that will not do what you thought it would. I think a lot of use have done that at some point.

On 12/8/2025 at 5:44 PM, J Kellar said:

sew wallets, belts, and knife cases

 

On 12/8/2025 at 5:44 PM, J Kellar said:

sew through 2 layers of 10-11 oz Hermann Oak

No one machine will do everything.

My personal thoughts

If you are:

i) sewing wallets and typical belts, a Class 341/1341 like a Juki LS-341 / LS- 1341 or clone with a table top attachment would be a good choice.

ii) sewing thick / tough leather with V207 and above, a Class 441 like a Juki TSC-441 or clone or one armed bandit is needed.

The thing a lot of people forget is if you buy a Class 441 machine the needle is basically the size of a 2 1/2" finishing nail which is going to punch a really large hole that may not be suitable for say a wallet.

The 90 percent rule:

Buy a new machine that meets 90 percent of your sewing needs / wants. For the other 10 percent buy a good used machine. 

 

kgg 

Edited 9 hours ago by kgg

[MikeG]

4 hours ago, kgg said:

Lets face it, It ain't a hobby it's an addiction. Just depends on which rabbit hole you go down. The worst is buying a machine that will not do what you thought it would. I think a lot of use have done that at some point.

No one machine will do everything.

*****************************************************************

 

I am the poster child for this.  When I first got into this "hobby" I attended a class.  Two different students in the class convinced me that a Luberto #9 was the best machine for doing leatherwork, so I traveled three states away to get one.  And it was NOT cheap.  It turned out it WAS the best machine -- if you wanted to stitch 3/4" leather.  As KGG said, that thing punched BIG holes.  It took me many years to sell that machine at a fraction of what I paid for it.  I now have a 50 year old Juki LU-563 that I picked up for $100.  There are a lot of things the Juki won't do, but I use it it way more than the #9.

My 2 cents:  Read Wiz's article on sewing machines, watch Facebook & pick up a cheap triple feed.  Learn how to sew.  Learn the ins and outs of machine sewing. Understand how to tune and adjust a machine.  After all that, decide which direction to go.  If you decide to change machines, the one you bought and tuned will probably be worth more than you paid for it.  

Just be careful, or you will end up with two (or three, or more!)  sewing machines.  They are so awesome and fascinating!!

Good luck on your journey!

Edited 4 hours ago by AlZilla
Moved the response out of the quote box

[J Kellar]

4 hours ago, kgg said:

Lets face it, It ain't a hobby it's an addiction. Just depends on which rabbit hole you go down. The worst is buying a machine that will not do what you thought it would. I think a lot of use have done that at some point.

 

No one machine will do everything.

My personal thoughts

If you are:

i) sewing wallets and typical belts, a Class 341/1341 like a Juki LS-341 / LS- 1341 or clone with a table top attachment would be a good choice.

ii) sewing thick / tough leather with V207 and above, a Class 441 like a Juki TSC-441 or clone or one armed bandit is needed.

The thing a lot of people forget is if you buy a Class 441 machine the needle is basically the size of a 2 1/2" finishing nail which is going to punch a really large hole that may not be suitable for say a wallet.

The 90 percent rule:

Buy a new machine that meets 90 percent of your sewing needs / wants. For the other 10 percent buy a good used machine. 

 

kgg 

I use stitching chisels right now, and they leave a fairly big hole. I just always tap down my stitches with an old bodywork hammer, and it does the trick usually. 

3 hours ago, MikeG said:

Just be careful, or you will end up with two (or three, or more!)  sewing machines.  They are so awesome and fascinating!!

Good luck on your journey!

When I get my own separate workshop, I would love to have a few different machines. As far as a triple feed, it's simply too far out of budget. I keep searching eBay and Craigslist, nothing comes up. 

[MikeG]

I used to mine Craigslist years ago.  I don't care much for Facebook, but today I find most of my deals on Marketplace.

[J Kellar]

3 minutes ago, MikeG said:

I used to mine Craigslist years ago.  I don't care much for Facebook, but today I find most of my deals on Marketplace.

There's not enough leatherworkers in my area who would have the types of machines I'm looking for, so Marketplace won't help me much either.