Upgrade Advice From Consew 225 To 206 Rb-5

[Cebwrd]

Greetings All:

I'm new to this and could use some help deciding on this upgrade. I restore cars and do woodworking as a hobby/side business. Recently decided to add upholstery work to my game. So, I'm looking at leather interiors for cars and cloth/leather furniture and cushions.

After much research I felt the Consew 206 Rb-5 would be a good machine for this. But I didn't want to jump into spending $1,500 without knowing if I could do it or stick with it. So I bought a old Consew 225 for a few hundred bucks to learn on with the intention of turning around and selling it again on Ebay or Craiglist, then getting the 206.

My dilemma is that I've become quite enamored with the 225. The most obvious feature difference between these two machines to me is the reverse. But I've become quite comfortable turning 180, or backing up to lockstitch, even hand tying for a very clean lock. So that feature alone is not worth the extra $1,000 to me.

I'm sure you'll all agree the available documentation from Consew if pretty lacking. So my question is, what other features and capabilities does the 206 have over the 225? What made you decide to upgrade? I'm assuming needle size and thread size are both capped at 23 needle and 138 thread. I'm hoping the 206 is still made of metal not plastic on the outside.

I find the 225 is built like a tank, rock solid. It has held up to my learning curve abuse and recovered from multiple nasty nests that I've created without even being knocked out of time. Would the 206 be as robust being that it's now made in China?

I guess another feature I find appealing is the ability to set stitch length with a dial on the fly without having to remove my thread from the needle. The 225 chokes on it's thread and makes a nest if you change length with the needle threaded.

Any other significant feature differences?

I also considered keeping the 225 for a spare and getting the 206. That's a lot of $$ but if the newer Chinese made product is prone to breaking down, it may make sense. I chose the 225 over the 226 because I like the much longer stitch length 3 1/2 vs 5 per inch and the 226s around here are double the price of the 225 so might as well go brand new at that point.

Thanks,

[Colt W Knight]

Well the 206rb-5 has

Reverse

Big bobbin

Dial to adjust stitches

Will sew up to 3/8"

Will sew up to 207 thread

Well the 206rb-5 has

Reverse

Big bobbin

Dial to adjust stitches

Will sew up to 3/8"

Will sew up to 207 thread

My consew 206 will sew 4.33 spI at it's largest

[Cebwrd]

Thanks Colt, I wasn't aware of the larger bobbin and that it could go to 207. Getting closer.