Tippman pros / cons

[TwinOaks]

In a similar price range is the Luberto's Cub series- 6 and 9 inch arms available. You're still looking at around $1200 to start, though. Not too far after that to get a motorized one.

[Ken Nelson]

I have a Lubertos Classic that is about 9 years old. Great machine that will do a lot of neat stuff, never had a breakdown. If I were looking for a hobby machine, I would look at the Luberto Cub, If it is as well made as the Classic, it would be a look at. I also have a Cobra 4, which is an awesome machine. If it had been available when I got the luberto's classic I would have went with it. I had a couple of Toro 3000 models but I sold both of them as I moved twice and both times, someone give me within $100 of what I had paid for them. If possible, I would get a short arm version of the 441. More money, but a really good machine and seems to hold its value.

Just my opinion. Hope it helps.

[Techsew Ron]

So, for the hobby leatherworker, the Boss is the way to go? I don't need to do heavy production, hell, if it got used once a week I think that'd be a lot. But there's times that I KNOW I should be sewing something, and I just hate sewing so much that I get lazy and rivet or lace the damned thing. There's also a few things, like scabbards for swords, that I just don't make because I hate all the stitching involved - but I'd like to make more of them.

Is this what I should be looking for? A Tippmann Boss? Is there anything else comparable in price and function?

If you're looking for a motorized machine in the same price range as the Tippmann Boss check out our website, the Techsew GA5-1 and Techsew 2603 are popular machines for hobbyists and serious leather workers as well.

Good luck in your search!

Ron

[hivemind]

If you're looking for a motorized machine in the same price range as the Tippmann Boss check out our website, the Techsew GA5-1 and Techsew 2603 are popular machines for hobbyists and serious leather workers as well.

Good luck in your search!

Ron

Will they sew three pieces of 12oz, or two sole bends, together?

[Wizcrafts]

Will they sew three pieces of 12oz, or two sole bends, together?

A: 36 oz of latigo, belting or harness leather, maybe. My Adler 204-374 will sew that much and more, but the needle gets hot and sticks in the leather after so many stitches. This causes the leather to jump up as the needle rises, leading to skipped stitches. One solution to that is to run the thread through silicon lube in a wax pot, or use lubricated thread.

B: Are you asking about sewing two layers of 1/4" thick sole leather? That is extremely tight grained leather that will cause most needle fed machines to jam from friction. Maybe needle fed machines will, maybe they won't sew two sole bends together without bending the needle, or jamming it inside the leather. I have used a variety of heavy leather sewing machines and the only types that reliably sewed sole leather together were a Union Lockstitch Machine and a Campbell Bosworth. These are needle and awl machines. The awl punches the hole, and the barbed needle follows through the hole, grabs the thread from a looper, and takes it down to the bobbin shuttle, where the stitch byte is formed. No friction or heat is placed on the needle, just on the awl. To tell the truth, I sometimes had to keep a spray can of silicon handy to spray the awl on long runs, because it got red hot sewing dense leather, like sole bends, used to make weight lifter belts.

[Techsew Ron]

Will they sew three pieces of 12oz, or two sole bends, together?

The Techsew GA5-1 is a medium-heavy weight machine that can do about 3 layers of 9oz.

The Techsew 2603 is great for chaps, upholstery grade leather, wallets, boots, belts etc..

To sew 3 pieces of 12oz you'll need the Techsew 180-2 heavy duty long arm machine with servo motor & speed reducer.

For the sole bends, what thickness are they?

Feel free to give us a call toll free at 1-866-415-8223 for more information.

Thanks,

Ron

Edited December 31, 2009 by Ronnie

[Peter Ellis]

I am looking into buying a boss,, the videos of its use look ok, I do not do I productiob so the hand op is not an isse, please , let me hear from you

Out of the box I loved my Boss. No problems sewing, worked great, I was incredibly happy. Had not had it for two weeks when I let a friend use it for some canvas tent repairs.

It's been a couple of years now and it has never worked right since then. I've talked with the factory, taken it back to the Tandy where I bought it and had Jeff spend a good couple of hours working with it. He got it behaving decently, I brought it back home and it took a couple of feet worth of stitching to be an expensive hole-punch again.

I don't know what the problem is and I don't know how to fix it, which makes the machine pretty much an irritating roadblock in my shop.

I'm considering going to something in the Cobra 4 category and keeping the Boss on the chance that eventually I'll learn enough to be able to keep it working. It could be nice for taking to shows and permitting me to do some work on site.

[mdmorgan]

The Techsew GA5-1 is a medium-heavy weight machine that can do about 3 layers of 9oz.

The Techsew 2603 is great for chaps, upholstery grade leather, wallets, boots, belts etc..

To sew 3 pieces of 12oz you'll need the Techsew 180-2 heavy duty long arm machine with servo motor & speed reducer.

For the sole bends, what thickness are they?

Feel free to give us a call toll free at 1-866-415-8223 for more information.

Thanks,

Ron

I am looking for a machine that will do two layers of 7/8 oz with #277 thread with ease and maybe three layers once in a while. will the GA5-1 work?

[Techsew Ron]

I am looking for a machine that will do two layers of 7/8 oz with #277 thread with ease and maybe three layers once in a while. will the GA5-1 work?

Not a problem at all, the GA5-1 can easily sew 2-3 layers of 7/8oz with #277 thread. What will you be sewing?

Ron