Tippman Boss - Why?

[Darren Brosowski]

Anyone who has been watching my posts over the lasts couple of years knows that I like to stir things up and get people asking questions.

For portability the Boss has no equal.

My concern is the huge number of problems that crop up on this and various other forums.

[rickybobby]

Anyone who has been watching my posts over the lasts couple of years knows that I like to stir things up and get people asking questions.

For portability the Boss has no equal.

My concern is the huge number of problems that crop up on this and various other forums.

Darren,

My experience with the Boss has been positive. But, when it did not perform as I thought it should I took it upon myself to "read the instructions!" Tippmann puts out a simple, easy to understand pamphlet that goes with the machine. I did not assume it was the machine, I assumed it was ME. Since I had little to no experience with sewing machines when I bought it. I figured it was my issue, I opened the directions, and followed them. Most of the time, problem solved.

I have seen "Cobra" machines for sale on this site because they "didn't sew right" well I know for a fact they do and Steve offers World Class Service to make sure they work but the buyers would not learn some basic rules of thread tension.

While learning the whole process, I purposely "over tightened" "under tightened" upper and lower thread tension while running test stitching in belt blanks. I marked the places where adjustments were made and learned what the results did. I learned from "my mistakes" and how to correct them with adjustments! (to see how the stitches pull high or low in the hole, ideal is in the center (middle) of the piece).

One thing I did notice was Tippmann sends this machine out with very little lubrication on the moving parts. I think most "new" buyers think this is all they need. They need a lot more!

My machine performance (ran smoother) improved %100 after using gear grease (tub from auto parts store about $4.00) and on moving metal parts on the backside and oil ("3 n1 oil") on other moving parts. This made such a difference in ease of use and I could concentrate on sewing instead of "cranking". By the way, you must crank full swing up and full swing down for everything to work.

I would not be so quick to say that the Boss has problems as much as I would say the Buyers of the machine have the problem and that's, not learning some basic fundamentals of sewing machines and their adjustments. One cannot pull it out of the box and sew a belt! Close, but it does need some set up and adjustment (and lube).

Beginners buy this machine because they can stitch as slow fast as they choose. An electric machine with a perceived notion of little control is not a choice a new leather worker wants to start with so the Boss and it's hand crank ability is appealing, I understand that feeling that was me 15 years ago and my exact reason for its purchase.

This has been what I have seen over the years, I hope this is informative and helpful!

[RoosterShooter]

I'm going to chime in and post my experiences with the Boss.

I own two Boss machines and they do their part when it comes to making holsters. The only gripe in the design that I have is that the area between the needle and the body is far from convenient when it comes to sewing larger pieces. I often have down time spent being unproductive, and figuring out the best way to sew a piece without interfering with the needle tension and range of motion.

That being said .... Both of the machines I have are factory warranty replacements, and I am still having issues with one of them. In other words ... in two years .... two machines have been replaced by Tippmann, and now one of the replacements is acting up on me. I do not 'Force' anything, and make sure everything is lined up and in running condition before sewing each time. I will also note that on my most recent replacement I spent 2 hours on the phone with Tippmann, and even they couldn't figure out why the machine was stitching erratically. It would stitch 3 stitches just fine and on the 4th it would pull the stitch to the needle side!

I also have two older Singers that I have had ZERO issues with over the course of owning them. I keep them oiled and clean, and they run like a Swiss watch! The Boss tends to be more finicky with it's 'Will Do' and 'Won't Do' aspects. Then again, on some days ... you wake up and sit down at your machine and find out that everything is 'Off' for some reason.

All in all ... the Boss has it's place in the mobile repair or manufacture field. However, I would NOT recommend it to someone who never plans on taking it out of the shop. They're just too finicky, and for a new user it can mean the difference between quitting altogether or spending endless hours figuring out what's wrong with the machine.

Edited September 15, 2014 by RoosterShooter