Used Ferdco Pro 2000/juki Vs New Cobra Class 4

[JSLeathercraft]

I'm in the market for a machine for tack/possibly holster work. I am looking at a used Ferdco Pro 2000/Juki in grest condition. However, it is about the same price as a new Cobra Class 4. I'm not sure how they compare in build quality. What would be the better buy? Thanks for the help!

[Art]

Buy the Juki Pro.

Art

[Cobra Steve]

It's always better to go with a new machine because of the lifetime warranty & Customer Service. There is no way to find out the age of a used machine.You will have no regrets with the COBRA Class 4. Guaranteed!

[Art]

Four reasons to buy the Ferdco,

J

U

K

I

Buy the Juki, If you don't like it, I will trade you one of my super 441 Highleads for it.

Condition is important, it has to be lightly used, not something out of a factory.

Don't get me wrong, the Cobra is a fine Chinese Clone, but when it is a toss-up with a lightly used (as in from a leatherworker) Juki, or Pfaff, or Adler, I don't think there is a comparison. Only my opinion.

Art

[Cobra Steve]

I still think the lifetime warranty and our outstanding Customer Service should be the deciding factor.

Why don't you give me a call Oldsetterswood.

Edited July 28, 2015 by Cobra Steve

[dirtclod]

I would get the Ferdco hands down !! I have had one for 20 plus years with no problems at all. In all that time i have adjusted the reverse screw twice. Never had to set timeing or anything else. Plus you get the special parts that Ferdco came up with.

I don't know a thing about the Cobra except what i have read, never sewed on one, heck i never have seen one. But i do know what my experience has been with the Ferdco Pro 2000 and it has been great !! It's very rare to see one for sale or it has been for me anyway.

[JLSleather]

I don't know Juki. But I think if you do a little research, you'll find that many of the people who speak well of the cobra machines are those who have never used something else. If I was a notch smarter, I would have spent the money on that Adler ...

Edited July 28, 2015 by JLSleather

[Geneva]

You are right there is no comparison. The JUKI is the best I agree with Art and dirtclod

[JSLeathercraft]

Thanks so much guys! You have given me some things to think about. I am buying a couple of extra pieces of equipment from this person so I am going to check it out in person next weekend.

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

I knew there were going to be some small sparks on this post even before I clicked on the first post.

[Lobo]

I must admit that I have no experience with the Ferdco machines. I have had about 5 years experience using the Cobra Class 4 from Cobra Steve at Leather Machine Company. After about 9,000 products completed (holsters, belts, accessories) the Cobra Class 4 continues to function flawlessly. I am constantly amazed at how little maintenance attention this machine requires. When a couple of little things have come up I know I can call and either Steve will answer the phone personally or he will have a qualified tech there to answer the phone and I will be walked through any needed adjustments.

You can buy a machine from any number of sources. You will not find any source that will provide the level of customer service that Leather Machine Company will deliver.

Best regards.

[dirtclod]

Wondering why the Ferdco / Juki.....Cobra thread was deleated ??? Or was myself and others politics incorrect when we answered the question and gave or opinion's ??? I have seen several pretty heated discissions on what was best a needle awl or a single needle machine and to the best of my knowllage none of those were deleated.

Edited July 29, 2015 by dirtclod

[Geneva]

Politically correct sucks.

[JLSleather]

Fact is, I probably wouldn't have noticed it if you didn't bring it up. I didn't even see anything there that "heated".

I think more political than correct

[JSLeathercraft]

I just got on to check it and thought I'd lost my mind for a minute because it wasn't there.

I belong to another (completely different skill) trade forum and used to be really active on there. However, because of sponsorship/ad revenue, we were not allowed to review or talk in a negative manner about sponsors...some of which were trade schools you would be giving a great deal of your hard earned money and time to. It's put a lot of people off enough to switch to using Facebook groups instead because they can talk freely. Sad to see but it is happening.

[JLSleather]

You said a mouthful. Wait, I admit that I'm not that bright... but are you saying that people are BUYING a reputation?

Edited July 30, 2015 by JLSleather

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

These issues are as old as the hills, or at least as old as online message boards! As per Wikipedia;

Flaming is a hostile and insulting interaction between Internet users, often involving the use of profanity.

Flaming usually occurs in the social context of an Internet forum, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), Usenet, by e-mail, game servers such as Xbox Live or PlayStation Network, and on video-sharing websites such as YouTube. It is frequently the result of the discussion of heated real-world issues such as politics, religion, andphilosophy, or of issues that polarize sub-populations, but can also be provoked by seemingly trivial differences.

Deliberate flaming, as opposed to flaming as a result of emotional discussions, is carried out by individuals known as flamers, who are specifically motivated to incite flaming. These users specialize in flaming and target specific aspects of a controversial conversation.

Edited July 30, 2015 by Gregg From Keystone Sewing

[Hockeymender]

Guess the old saying is being applied here- "never bite the hand that feeds you"

[DrmCa]

I did see someone being pushy in that thread and id did not sound right. But deleting the thread for that raises eyebrows.

In other words, if someone bets their revenue on a forum thread, they have a bigger issue than honest opinions.

Edited July 30, 2015 by DrmCa

[Hockeymender]

It would be nice if the person responsible for it's deletion would outline the reasoning for it, but.............

[Johanna]

I hid the thread while it was under review. No one "buys" favoritism in the forum, but we also don't let personal issues, or in this case legal ones, take over a conversation and detract from a thread. Carry on, but skip the speculation. The parties involved will work this out in private, not on the forum. I merged both threads for the sake of clarity.Thank you for your understanding.

~J

[JSLeathercraft]

Thanks Johanna....for a minute there I thought both threads had been deleted. I've been mostly a lurker for the last 7 years...mainly relying on search for my info. It figures that the one time I post I get into the middle of something. :-)

[Cobra Steve]

Hello OSW, now that the people have spoken.......it's not your fault. Please call me and I will give you all the info that you need to help you make a decision. Thank you.

[gottaknow]

Regardless whether the machine is new or used, the buyer should understand that ALL machines will at some point need to be adjusted, or repaired, have parts changed etc. I have purchased for factory use well over 1,000 machines of all make and class, new and used.

My personal expectations are that each and every one of them will have to be worked on at some point. That's what I expect, so when it happens, I don't get upset.

People get upset when their expectations are not met. In many cases, they simply expected the machine to be "plug and play". Beware of anyone making a claim that the machine will always work like a charm, they don't. A lot of the time the new owner messes it up themselves. In a factory, I can just walk over, make the adjustment, educate the operator hands on, and be done with it. Not the case for most folks on the forum.

In my honest opinion, I'd rather have someone available to talk me through an issue if I knew nothing about machines. At some point, the end user has to assume some responsibility in making sure they're not doing something that causes problems over and over.

I don't really have a dog in this fight, but I had some time during lunch.

Regards, Eric

[Tejas]

I'd rather have someone available to talk me through an issue ....

I'd rather have a really good user and service manuals, and then someone to help talk me through the issue.