jayjay Report post Posted May 9, 2012 Hello all I need some advise... I want to purchase my first leather sewing machine, I have done some regular sewing back in the 90's and tried to use this machine to sew leather (with 0% success) The machines i'm trying to decide between are both tech-sew the 2700 and GA5-1R. So after reading a ton of posts here this is want I (think) I know... Ga5 will stich heavy leather but has tendency to leave marks on the bottom side of Veg-tan leather? It may not be as good for garment leathers and only uses feed dogs no compond walking foot 2700 will not stich as heavy leather but I do not need to go to 7/16" 3/8" or 24 oz is fine with me Both have the variable speed motor Has compound walking foot Has more presser feet options If anyone has any insight into these would you please share with me? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phatdaddy Report post Posted May 9, 2012 If anyone has any insight into these would you please share with me? The price is inviting on the GA5-1R so I had a conversation with Ronnie at Techsew. Basically this machine is strictly for heavy work, tack, heavy gunbelts etc. and does not scale down to lighter material. I JUST got my 2700 a couple weeks ago, I really like it. I don't have any prior experience with sewing machine and I still haven't reached the point where I've tried to stitch an actual project. My scraps have taken a serious beating however. The servo is a lifesaver to a newbie. I will say that mine does lose power at the low RPMs and I can't stitch a belt on the lowest setting, I need to have it on 400-500 rpm. This was (a tad) disapointing for me as I was under the impression that you could put it as slow as possible and not lose power. Super easy to setup, very heavy. Kevin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jayjay Report post Posted May 9, 2012 Thanks that's what I needed to know. Does it leave any marks on the leather, or was this just a myth? The price is inviting on the GA5-1R so I had a conversation with Ronnie at Techsew. Basically this machine is strictly for heavy work, tack, heavy gunbelts etc. and does not scale down to lighter material. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phatdaddy Report post Posted May 9, 2012 I didn't make it that far in the conversation to ask. Most of the stuff I was going to be stitching fell in the light to medium range so I went with the 2700. I would message or call Ronnie. Ronnie <-- link to profile 1-866-415-8223 Kevin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Northmount Report post Posted May 9, 2012 1336586845[/url]' post='247140']Thanks that's what I needed to know. Does it leave any marks on the leather, or was this just a myth? Depends a lot on your presser foot pressure. The tighter it is turned down, the more likely it will leave a mark. Damp leather is almost certain to leave a mark. These statements apply to all machines. 2700 is a good machine, but you have to help it punch through 2 layers 8 oz leather when starting at low speed. CTG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Techsew Ron Report post Posted May 9, 2012 Hello all I need some advise... I want to purchase my first leather sewing machine, I have done some regular sewing back in the 90's and tried to use this machine to sew leather (with 0% success) The machines i'm trying to decide between are both tech-sew the 2700 and GA5-1R. So after reading a ton of posts here this is want I (think) I know... Ga5 will stich heavy leather but has tendency to leave marks on the bottom side of Veg-tan leather? It may not be as good for garment leathers and only uses feed dogs no compond walking foot 2700 will not stich as heavy leather but I do not need to go to 7/16" 3/8" or 24 oz is fine with me Both have the variable speed motor Has compound walking foot Has more presser feet options If anyone has any insight into these would you please share with me? Jayjay, Your info is correct. What kind of items are you sewing and what thickness? Feel free to give me call tomorrow and I'll be happy to recommend the best possible machine for your work. Ron Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
busted Report post Posted May 13, 2012 This machine is a knock off of the Singer 45. It is not intended to sew leather. It does not have a walking foot it is bottom feed only and it is not a myth that the machine leaves marks and scuffing on the bottom or back of the project you are working on. I had one of these things in the form of a Ferdco 440 Bull. I sold it at Weavers auction last year after 7 months of frustration and scuffing the back of the work. I think it is the worst machine I have ever had the misfortune to own. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Northmount Report post Posted May 13, 2012 1336916193[/url]' post='247661']This machine is a knock off of the Singer 45. It is not intended to sew leather. It does not have a walking foot it is bottom feed only and it is not a myth that the machine leaves marks and scuffing on the bottom or back of the project you are working on. I had one of these things in the form of a Ferdco 440 Bull. I sold it at Weavers auction last year after 7 months of frustration and scuffing the back of the work. I think it is the worst machine I have ever had the misfortune to own. The 2700 does have a walking foot. There are videos on YouTube showing its operation and threading. Take a look see! I would ask for either a gear reduction servo or a speed reducer pulley set if you are going to sew 1/4 leather, else you will have to hand wheel most starts, especially starting off with a back-stitch. CTG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Techsew Ron Report post Posted May 14, 2012 This machine is a knock off of the Singer 45. It is not intended to sew leather. It does not have a walking foot it is bottom feed only and it is not a myth that the machine leaves marks and scuffing on the bottom or back of the project you are working on. I had one of these things in the form of a Ferdco 440 Bull. I sold it at Weavers auction last year after 7 months of frustration and scuffing the back of the work. I think it is the worst machine I have ever had the misfortune to own. Not sure which machine you're talking about but I'm sorry you had trouble with your previous sewing machine. We don't sell Ferdco machines. You must be confusing it with something else though, the Techsew 2700 is a compound feed, walking foot machine. Feel free to read about it on our website. Ron Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
busted Report post Posted May 14, 2012 I am talking about the GA5-1R that you sell. It is a knockoff of the Singer 45 and the Ferdco Bull 440 is also a knockoff of the Singer 45. Sewpro, Neals saddlery both sell a version of the Singer 45 I made no reference to the 2700. Not sure which machine you're talking about but I'm sorry you had trouble with your previous sewing machine. We don't sell Ferdco machines. You must be confusing it with something else though, the Techsew 2700 is a compound feed, walking foot machine. Feel free to read about it on our website. Ron Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Techsew Ron Report post Posted May 14, 2012 I am talking about the GA5-1R that you sell. It is a knockoff of the Singer 45 and the Ferdco Bull 440 is also a knockoff of the Singer 45. Sewpro, Neals saddlery both sell a version of the Singer 45 I made no reference to the 2700. It's no secret that most sewing machine dealers base our designs off existing models in order to ensure parts availability. We've shipped hundreds of the Techsew GA5-1R to people making harnesses, blankets, holsters and much more. Our customers love it. Maybe you purchased your Ferdco machine for the wrong application? You should give them a call to get the proper machine for your work, I'm sure they'll be happy to assist their customers. Ron Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Northmount Report post Posted May 14, 2012 I am talking about the GA5-1R that you sell. It is a knockoff of the Singer 45 and the Ferdco Bull 440 is also a knockoff of the Singer 45. Sewpro, Neals saddlery both sell a version of the Singer 45 I made no reference to the 2700. The confusion started with neither machine being identified, so my comment was just to ensure that it was clear the 2700 was a walking foot type. No offense intended. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Singermania Report post Posted September 16, 2013 Most cheaper machines today are Chinese copies of successful present and past day sewing machines.... so there are stacks of Singer 132K6 and Singer 45K clones out there, most dealers try to put across that these machines are there own design, sport their own label, produce them because of parts availability or some other sales patter. Up from those machines are copies of the three best leather machines available, namely the Adler 205, the Juki 441 and the Consew and Seiko CH-8B. Sadly no matter what the dealers tell you if you put the Chinese copy of say a Seiko next to the Seiko you will see there is simply no comparison. No point going on about it, that's how it is. What does really bother me is that we can't manufacture our own machines these days. In Australia we don't produce any at all, in the States you did have the Luberto for a while, great shame that it didn't get better support. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
