Redbone Report post Posted February 16, 2017 What would be a good "all a round" leather sewing machine? I have been looking at one of the cobras but not sure which one. Thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shoepatcher Report post Posted February 16, 2017 Redbone, We need to know specially what items you want to sew, i.e. leather, type of leather or cloth, thickness, weight of thread, etc. Once we know that, we can recommend what you should look for. glenn Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yetibelle Report post Posted February 16, 2017 Cowboy - CB4500 fully-loaded. Raaaaaar - I'm saving up for mine. Honestly the best machine for the job could really be 3-5 separate machines. Once you have the workflow sorted out, you get the machine setup for one step of the project and then you discover you need X more machines setup to complete the project, or you will have to keep tweaking your single machine for each part. That is why we have so many machine, they are each good for one part of a project and once we get it working its painful to change it up. I still am getting a 4500 however. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brmax Report post Posted February 16, 2017 Their big ones are the 25" and 16" then the 9" to my knowledge all the same except length. Some accessories are needed but depends on work, and Saddles do require certain task. Some members here can easily say what they use most but still cant do without. If you have a local seller close its good to check one out, these big ones have general comparison brands and so if your on the fence look at some of the Cheaney videos him and his brother use both so apples apples. I would say the 16" on the big stitcher and every saddle leather shop will not spin up the big dog for everything they have to have other machines as well. good day Floyd Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dikman Report post Posted February 17, 2017 Unfortunately, Redbone, the "all-around leather sewing machine" is a mythical beast. It all boils down to what you want to sew. Probably not the answer you really wanted. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Brosowski Report post Posted February 18, 2017 It is like buying a car that can take the family to Church on Sunday, plough fields during the week and win a hill climb event on Saturday Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Uwe Report post Posted February 18, 2017 (edited) If your main goal is saddle and tack repair as indicated in your profile, then the "field plowing" Cobra Class 4 (or any other Juki TSC-441 class machine) would be a good candidate to cover a large range of your sewing projects. If you need to extend that range downward towards more delicate "Sunday church trip" projects, get a companion Juki LS-341 class machine (e.g. Cobra 26). Neither will win the hill climb race, but at least they'll get you to the top to enjoy the view. Edited February 18, 2017 by Uwe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JimTimber Report post Posted February 18, 2017 Probably not going to be making wallets with a Class 4, right? The thing that struck me when I was looking at cobbler type machines and more traditional table type industrials was the minimum thread size on the larger rigs wasn't exactly "small." My Singer 211G ran fabric store (not industrial) "upholstery" thread like a champ in an old ratty wash cloth for my first stitches ever. I'm not sure that stuff is even size 45, but it might be. Took some dialing of the tension, but it made great looking seams despite the size 20 needle. Knowing I can go down to thin material is a big plus when dealing with the hiker/camper people who want to shave as much weight as possible. I also know that I can't do a leather stirrup if I wanted to. Maybe the little ones are like a 8N tractor? You can drive it to the store, but it's not going to pull the 4 bottom plough. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Uwe Report post Posted February 18, 2017 (edited) Machines not only vary in where their intended application range falls, i.e. light/medium/heavy duty, but they also differ in how wide a range of needles sizes they handle well. Some machines are generalists by design and support a wide range of needle and thread sizes. For example, Consew 225 specs supports needles from size 12-24 (Nm 80-180) and threads Tex 35-138. Another generalist, the Juki LU-341 supports needles 14-24 (Nm 90-180) and threads Tex 40-138. Other machines are specialists by design and tuned for a very narrow range. For example, the Pfaff 335 specs officially call for needle sizes 12-16 (Nm 80-100) and threads Tex 35-69. In the heavy duty category, the Juki TSC-441 class has a fairly wide design range of needle sizes 20-28 (Nm130-280) and threads from 92-415. Many machine designs can extend their design range to some degree on either end, but the basic design range they start from does make a difference in how versatile they are in supported needle and thread sizes. Edited February 18, 2017 by Uwe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
