New Guy Questions

[SARK9]

Stick, I think if had the funds available for a new business venture and enough volume of work to get out, I wouldn't hesitate to jump on a Juki 1508. Personally, I get the short run stuff I do handled easily by some of my old outdated machines like this one:

Poor old thing. LOL!

-DC

[stickandtin]

Thanks to everyone for sharing all your knowledge. What a great site!! My wife was off today so we went to a starbucks and spent some time on the internet looking at pics and reading specs on different machines. Since our vintage trailer resto business is a mom/pop operation, speed isn't a critical issue......at least not like I would imagine it would be in a bigger commercial operation numerous people. Turn around time on a trailer restoration tends to take a while, so there is some leeway. My wife watched a couple of videos of machines running with both clutch and servo motors. At her upholstery experience level and the lack of necessity for speed, she said she definitley doesn't need or want a clutch motor.

I definitely want to get a machine that exceeds our needs, not just meet them. Sounds like the 1541S will fit the bill. I will spend some time shopping around for the best package deal on one. Any recommendations of where to look would be greatly appreciated. I have already checked with keysew.com . Thanks again to everyone who took time out on Christmas Eve day to answer a new guy's questions. Merry Christmas.

[Tejas]

For me, part of the best deal was a dealer who assembled, adjusted and sewed off the machine before shipping, and after shipping provides phone and email support. Apparently some dealers drop ship machines. The buyer assembles, adjusts the machine, and must find service elsewhere.

[stickandtin]

Hope everyone had a great Christmas with their families/friends. Have another question. I found through reading posts that Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines is a great source. Tejas told me about Keysew.com. I can't seem to find anyone around my area that sells/services industrial sewing machines. Did an internet search including albuquerque NM and only thing that comes up is home sewing machine dealers. Can anyone give me some other names of reputable industrial machine dealers that provide great service after the sale? Thanks.

[Constabulary]

Maybe Leather Machine Co. Not close to you but they are at least in the south of the US and they have a very good reputation too. Cobrasteve is also a member here.

www.leathermachineco.com

[Wizcrafts]

Stickandtin;

Look at the banner ads on the top of every page on LWN. There are quite a lot that are leading to industrial sewing machine dealers who support the forums through advertising. All of them are reputable and very knowledgeable dealers. Click through and see what each has to offer for the types of sewing you want to do.

All of our member-dealers ship at a reasonable price. Most can be reached on the phone, during their business hours.

Edited December 26, 2014 by Wizcrafts

[stickandtin]

Thanks for the advice. Looked at the banner ads and checked out the Cobra site. Does anyone know where the cobra machines are made? Is the series 18 comparable to the juki 1541 or 1508? Thanks

[SARK9]

The Cobra 18 *looks* like a hybrid spawn of the Mitsubishi LU2-410, the Juki 241H-7, and the Nakajima 280-L. The claim to sew 7/16ths is sort of impressive. I'd bet $5 its made in China, but I've been wrong before.

-DC

[stickandtin]

I wanted to thank everone for their generous help and guidance in making recommendations for a machine for our restoration business. I ordered a new Juki 1541S from Toledo Industrial Sewing. Bob and Bobby were awesome to deal with and answered all questions. I feel confident we will get excellent customer care from them after our purchase.

[stickandtin]

Hello Everyone- after anxiously awaiting delivery of our new juki 1541S, it arrived yesterday at my wife's work. Went to pick it up today and got it home. Wasn't expecting it to weigh 275 lbs LOL

I would recommend dealing with Bob and Bobby Kovar at Toledo Industrial if you are in the market for a sewing machine. They were super helpful. The freight company and people at the loading dock where my wife works are another story. The table was damaged during shipping. One edge was gouged up pretty good and the top had a 7 inch long deep gouge in it. On top of that, the dock worker did not alert the driver of the visible damage when he unloaded it. Toledo Industrial had the machine insured, but because dock worker didn't alert freight truck driver, we can't claim damage.

FYI....make sure and check any shipment for visible damage and alert delivery driver immediately. They will note on bill of

Lading so you can put in an insurance claim. Once delivery person leaves, you out of luck.