I bought an ABLE290 manual for my Chinese Shoe Patcher from Darren Brosowski.

[Hockeymender]

2 hours ago, Yankee63 said:

Why would you give a "junk" machine to those who bought high dollar machine? Sounds like you would be shooting yourself in the foot for future sales.

Nobody is trying to lose sales for you by not buying a high dollar machine when basic stitching is all you need for leather.

Were the china machines so crappy when you supposedly "gave" them away? Did you tell your customers they were basically just junk ?

It don't make sense.

Doug

Just remember what they say about opinions...........

[kgg]

I agree whole heartily with Wiz on this one. I have been tinkering with the idea of getting a patcher for sometime as an addition to my flatbed Juki and find the Chinese patcher discussion very interesting. I would not be expecting the Chinese patcher to do exceptional work, have a smooth operation profile or look pretty. It just needs to be able to do limited basic sewing that would be easier done with a patcher machine. The cost saving for me over some of the brand names (new and used) is substantial particularly considering the amount of use I will give it.  

kgg

[veedub3]

Mine just arrived today!  In the process of getting all the grease off, filing down the rough edges, then on to the modifications. I got mine for $112 with free shipping. My intended use is sewing tooled leather patches onto the bills of caps - something I have been doing by hand up until I get this machine up and running.  If it does not work out, it won't be a huge loss, and it was a heck of a lot cheaper than those big boy machines. 

Karina

 

[Singermania]

2 hours ago, Hockeymender said:

Just remember what they say about opinions...........

Are you talking to me?  I don't recall saying the machines were junk.  They are cheap but do in fact sew quite well.   We run Australia's biggest and most successful heavy leather machine company so we did not shoot ourselves or anyone else in the foot.   Sometimes when you buy some Kellogs Corn Flakes you get a cheap plastic animal, does that make the corn flakes rubbish?

[Singermania]

2 hours ago, mikesc said:

Agree 100% with Wiz..the only one who has used the word junk is Yankee63..

Singermania probably has the largest collection of machines ( I remember the many pictures, of many many machines all lined up like the sewing machine equivalent of the Terracotta army of any dealer..anywhere..and his advice is extremely well respected by all of us..A lot of businesses ( mine included ) give stuff away to people who spend a lot of money with us..Doesn't mean it is junk that we give away, just means that "whatever" didn't cost us so much to begin with in either time or money..so we throw in a little extra ( could be needles, thread, machine, tools for some of the dealers, for others of us it could be an item or items that we normally make / sell ) ..Quit trying to pick a fight with him..or anyone for that matter..

Thanks Mikesc, yes I still have the machines.   I might have sounded harsh re the patchers, it wasn't my intention.   They do in fact punch above their weight.  Of the three I have, one is set up on a block of heavy timber and I do use it from time to time, its fine.   The machines are relatively trouble free from my experience.   When we sell machines some people have machines already and can sew, some others are newbies and often they will buy the simplest machine they can, so often that is a handcrank of some kind.   The reality is that handcranks are not really easier as you are cranking, feeding the material and your eye can move a bit too.   So a greater proportion of people buying the little patchers are going to be first time machine owners and there is going to be a greater learning curve...… ie its expected then that these people will experience more problems.    To put it another way, I get a lot more phone calls for assistance from people that have not sewn before than those that have on any machine I sell.

[Singermania]

4 hours ago, Yankee63 said:

Why would you give a "junk" machine to those who bought high dollar machine? Sounds like you would be shooting yourself in the foot for future sales.

Nobody is trying to lose sales for you by not buying a high dollar machine when basic stitching is all you need for leather.

Were the china machines so crappy when you supposedly "gave" them away? Did you tell your customers they were basically just junk ?

It don't make sense.

Doug

Doug I don't think of them as junk, for the money they are exceptional.   I was pointing out that patchers (in general) are designed for repair work, not quality sewing, if you produce a good quality stitch then that's great.....I am not embarrassed to own one.   We don't sell a patcher as the patchers from our own supplier didn't pass our scrutiny... so there is no clash with out own product.

[mikesc]

When you buy certain models of Louis Vuitton Handbags in some Louis Vuitton shops ( like the ones my wife bought hers from In Cannes )..they give you a free Louis Vuitton ladies wallet..Which on its own ( the wallet was on sale separately in the shop window ) at the time they'd normally have charged around $800.oo for the wallet..
This was nearly 30 years ago..They still do this AFAIK..depends how much of a good customer one is ( she was a good customer, lot of Louis Vuitton and Hermes sacs..the Hemes boutique on the corner of the La Croisette and Rue Commandant Andre is 50 yards from the appartement we had at that time ) ..if your business is in luxury goods, high price services, or high ticket items..( the price of some heavy industrial sewing machines is like buying a new car..in some cases can cost as much as a house ) ..you give small "freebies" ( items or services ) to good customers..

We call it "très bon relations clientèle"..

It is what distinguishes your business from " the other guy"..and it pays..in repeat custom, and word of mouth free advertising..

Make your products "special/ unique" if you can..and do the same with your service..

That is what Singermania (Steve ) is doing by giving away a Chinese patcher with some industrial machines..

[Hockeymender]

49 minutes ago, Singermania said:

Are you talking to me?  I don't recall saying the machines were junk.  They are cheap but do in fact sew quite well.   We run Australia's biggest and most successful heavy leather machine company so we did not shoot ourselves or anyone else in the foot.   Sometimes when you buy some Kellogs Corn Flakes you get a cheap plastic animal, does that make the corn flakes rubbish?

No. If you go back and look at my post you will see it was not you I quoted.

[NovaScotia]

On 3/22/2019 at 1:41 PM, Wizcrafts said:

You are attacking a long time member who is also a reputable dealer in Australia. Don't do that again. Drop it now.

Thanks, Wiz.  I've left too many forums that let people go on too long and too far down that road....

[koroshjj]

Does anyone know how I could get a copy of the ABLE290 manual? 

Thanks

[hansknec]

Those patchers can be fixed up quite nice as this guy shows in his video.   A work of art!   I've ordered one to play with.  By the way, there is a Facebook group dedicated to the Chinese shoe patchers with lots of folks contributing if you have any questions about them.  

 

[dikman]

You're right! Both a work of art and a remarkable achievement. Having just done rudimentary smoothing on mine I can imagine the amount of time he must have spent in smoothing and polishing every part!!!!

[Kiltedlawyer]

Since Darren is no longer producing this manual, does anyone know where I can get a copy?

Thanks!

[Northmount]

9 hours ago, Kiltedlawyer said:

Since Darren is no longer producing this manual, does anyone know where I can get a copy?

Thanks!

Copied from ABLE 290 - patcher FB page Q&A Nov 2019:

ABLE 290 - Patching Machine Sorry for the delay in replying, message my personal business page Cyndy Kitt Productions. I am only selling hard copies of the fully revised manual. AU$25 includes postage.

 

Hope this is of help to those that are looking for a manual.

Tom

 

 

[Northmount]

Asked on FB page and this is the response:

 

Cyndy Kitt Productions Yes, AU$20 for the manual, +AU$4.50 postage . . . the international postal service has been very slow the last few months because of the pandemic though.

 

Tom