Harbor freight

[speedbuggy]

Does anyone have any experience with the harbor freight industrial sewing machines? I was thinking for a beginner that doesn't have a lot of money it might be worth it.

Thanks,

Kris

[Jordan]

While they may be decent knockoffs, my experience with anything from HF is that I need to remember I am buying a disposable item, as most tools I have purchased there barely last long enough to finish the job at hand.

[$$hobby]

im not familiar with HF machine, but as the Jordan stated already they arent known for quality.

since you are beginning in this, you should think of the tools/equipment you buy as "investments" in your job/hobby. yes, you can buy less expensive tools/equipment but they may not hold up or last in the long run. if all you want to do is to sew a few projects, then it maybe worth it to buy the less expensive ones.

if you want to spend more time/$$$ on this hobby then i would save your pennies and buy a decent machine. if you have little/no experiece with sewing machines, i would opt to buy a NIB one or one that comes with SERVICE since you will be asking alot of questions once you get it home and from time to time calling for help.

also, if you can, try to test drive different machines. If you know what you are going to sew, bring sample materials and thread and do some test sewing. to me its the best way to find out if the machine will handle what you want to do.

you can buy used machines too, but unless you are willing to spend $$$ to have it serviced if it needs it, you maybe throwing more $$ into it. also, unless you know what to look for in a machine, you could get ripped off.

[DougVL]

I've gotten lots of things from HF, over many years, and feel satisfied with them. Don't count on any real support from the store, though. They just sell stuff, not help use or fix it.

Granted, you get what you pay for, but if you haven't got much money, all the wishing in the world for a nice, new, quality name brand won't get you anywhere. A Chinese knockoff can be a pretty good product. You just don't know until you try.

If you can do or learn to do adjustments and repairs, go ahead with the HF. It's nice being able to get ship-to-store free shipping. That saves a lot of money if you're near enough to a store.

Doug

[canemaker]

Kris

keep in mind that improper tools can create a painful experience.

with that being said .

if the machine doesn't work out . don't let it get you down.

a machine will only do what you tell it to , if it is capable.

personally , i have bought many tools from hf and i figure 50% are satisfactory

mike

[Art]

Hi Kris,

There are certain models of machines that are made by darned near every sewing machine factories in China, in addition to some toy manufacturers and general manufacturing factories. You can find these at whatever price point and quality level you may want. The volume of machines used for leatherwork in really quite small, mostly less than 1% of the market. Most machines are made for sewing fabric or some form of textile and are not made for leatherwork. Machines are generally modified to do leatherwork by the distributor. By the time you modify the HF machine to sew leather controllably you may have been able to add a few dollars and get something new that will do the job better and longer. Support is more important than the machine for a person new to sewing.

Art