Juki 1341 experience? pros cons?

[HardenGoods]

4 hours ago, kgg said:

I can not say enough good things about Chris at Japan Sewing Machine. He is excellent to deal with no BS or up sell. When I purchased my Juki 1541S he gave me options like Juki 1541 vs 1541S vs his own brand Kobi. Spend the time with the wife and me, querried what we were doing and wanted the machine to do, had the machine setup for a test run using the thickest stuff we could bring. When it was said and done we walked out with a NEW Juki 1541S, table, servo motor, electric rotary cutter for thick stuff, 1 3/4" binding attachment and a couple of other items for at least $1000 CA cheaper then anyone else could or would supply in Ontario or Quebec. It was worth the 4 hour trip.

Glad to hear that. I got a really solid vibe off the guy too. Going to see him next week. 

[kgg]

Hi HardenGoods,

What machine are you thinking about and let us know how you found him to deal with.

kgg

[HardenGoods]

1 hour ago, kgg said:

Hi HardenGoods,

What machine are you thinking about and let us know how you found him to deal with.

kgg

Looking at a copy of both the Juki 1508 and the Juki 341. Both branded "Kobe".

I ordered a Techsew 2600 a few weeks back and am not happy with it at all. My initial impressions were that it all looked pretty nice but upon closer inspection and use, my experience started to change. The machine vibrates an unreasonable amount and I was told it was normal due to torque increase which sounds reasonable, although, I’ve got 5 servos in my shop and none of my machines shake rumble and grind like the Techsew.

The thread stand shakes a remarkable amount (and it is fastened properly) and it sounds like gears are grinding inside the machine. Castings are super rough and the underside of the table (legs) feels flimsy. Here is a short video of the machine without a load. It does this to varying degrees with different materials.

Techsew has a really strong following and have been super nice guys to deal with when they do get back to me but for just under $3000, the machine just feels so cheap to me to be honest. This definitely won’t help me sell the machine (which was timed and sews properly!) but it is true.

Will keep it up in the classifieds until someone purchases it, as it does sew well and comes with a really beautiful table attachment from Uwe.  Excited to see what Chris has in store though!

Edited August 16, 2018 by HardenGoods

[plinkercases]

I ordered a techsew servo to out on my my 335... are your issues with the servo itself or the head?

My 1245 is comig with a Kobe servo like Chris sells.

Edited August 16, 2018 by plinkercases

[kgg]

Before I purchased the Juki 1541S I did some comparative shopping of walking foot machines and found the same thing with the Techsew flat-bed sounding off, couldn't quite put a finger what vs the Juki sounding, feeling smooth more like a Singer. When spending $200 I can put up with some things, over $2,000 I want it to look good, feel great and run properly right out of the box. 

kgg

[HardenGoods]

9 hours ago, plinkercases said:

I ordered a techsew servo to out on my my 335... are your issues with the servo itself or the head?

My 1245 is comig with a Kobe servo like Chris sells.

Vibrates and grinds with other motors still, just a little less. Hope your end result with the motor is good, Plinker!

 

1 hour ago, kgg said:

Before I purchased the Juki 1541S I did some comparative shopping of walking foot machines and found the same thing with the Techsew flat-bed sounding off, couldn't quite put a finger what vs the Juki sounding, feeling smooth more like a Singer. When spending $200 I can put up with some things, over $2,000 I want it to look good, feel great and run properly right out of the box. 

kgg

I’m with you 100% on that. I’m glad you ended up with a solid machine!

[Matt S]

10 hours ago, HardenGoods said:

Looking at a copy of both the Juki 1508 and the Juki 341. Both branded "Kobe".

I ordered a Techsew 2600 a few weeks back and am not happy with it at all. My initial impressions were that it all looked pretty nice but upon closer inspection and use, my experience started to change. The machine vibrates an unreasonable amount and I was told it was normal due to torque increase which sounds reasonable, although, I’ve got 5 servos in my shop and none of my machines shake rumble and grind like the Techsew.

The thread stand shakes a remarkable amount (and it is fastened properly) and it sounds like gears are grinding inside the machine. Castings are super rough and the underside of the table (legs) feels flimsy. Here is a short video of the machine without a load. It does this to varying degrees with different materials.

Techsew has a really strong following and have been super nice guys to deal with when they do get back to me but for just under $3000, the machine just feels so cheap to me to be honest. This definitely won’t help me sell the machine (which was timed and sews properly!) but it is true.

Will keep it up in the classifieds until someone purchases it, as it does sew well and comes with a really beautiful table attachment from Uwe.  Excited to see what Chris has in store though!

I have a very similar machine myself. In fact I believe the only difference is that mine is badged locally. I bought mine used for a lot less than you paid for yours and am reasonably happy with it until I can find a premium-manufacturer replacement for it at a price I can afford. I've had a very experienced technician service it and he wasn't impressed by the build quality. I would agree with you and him on that matter -- cheese-grade screws, plates soft as butter and castings rough as a badger's bum. However it does work most of the time, and for a lot lower price than a real Juki 246. It also can sew 30 ft of TKT20/V138 between bobbin changes, reverse perfectly, has a 4-motion feed-dog and has a cylinder end diameter only a tiny bit larger than that of a 335.

[SolarLeatherMachines]

10 hours ago, HardenGoods said:

Looking at a copy of both the Juki 1508 and the Juki 341. Both branded "Kobe".

I ordered a Techsew 2600 a few weeks back and am not happy with it at all. My initial impressions were that it all looked pretty nice but upon closer inspection and use, my experience started to change. The machine vibrates an unreasonable amount and I was told it was normal due to torque increase which sounds reasonable, although, I’ve got 5 servos in my shop and none of my machines shake rumble and grind like the Techsew.

The thread stand shakes a remarkable amount (and it is fastened properly) and it sounds like gears are grinding inside the machine. Castings are super rough and the underside of the table (legs) feels flimsy. Here is a short video of the machine without a load. It does this to varying degrees with different materials.

Techsew has a really strong following and have been super nice guys to deal with when they do get back to me but for just under $3000, the machine just feels so cheap to me to be honest. This definitely won’t help me sell the machine (which was timed and sews properly!) but it is true.

Will keep it up in the classifieds until someone purchases it, as it does sew well and comes with a really beautiful table attachment from Uwe.  Excited to see what Chris has in store though!

Check to see if your belt is lumpy.  This causes a LOT of problems like you describe.  We routinely throw away 10% of our belts because they are too lumpy.  The machine itself seems to be running smoothly.  

[HardenGoods]

12 minutes ago, Matt S said:

I have a very similar machine myself. In fact I believe the only difference is that mine is badged locally. I bought mine used for a lot less than you paid for yours and am reasonably happy with it until I can find a premium-manufacturer replacement for it at a price I can afford. I've had a very experienced technician service it and he wasn't impressed by the build quality. I would agree with you and him on that matter -- cheese-grade screws, plates soft as butter and castings rough as a badger's bum. However it does work most of the time, and for a lot lower price than a real Juki 246. It also can sew 30 ft of TKT20/V138 between bobbin changes, reverse perfectly, has a 4-motion feed-dog and has a cylinder end diameter only a tiny bit larger than that of a 335.

Cheese grade haha.. I concur with you and your tech on that.  You are absolutely right about the pros of the machine. The narrow cylinder arm is great and the bobbin size is a game changer for anyone coming from smaller sized bobbins. My reverse works well too. 

 

7 minutes ago, SolarLeatherMachines said:

Check to see if your belt is lumpy.  This causes a LOT of problems like you describe.  We routinely throw away 10% of our belts because they are too lumpy.  The machine itself seems to be running smoothly.  

That was the first thing I tried. As I’ve had lumpy belts before too. Belt looked fine, tried a new standard belt and tried a link belt with no real change in result. Thanks for this pointer though, I can see that fix helping others. 

[kgg]

Near the end of the short video to me it sounds like a gear that is not catching properly and giving that inconsistent cycling over spin noise. Is there any visible metal filings in the base, filter screen, oil feel gritty?

kgg