art23 Report post Posted March 6, 2018 Hey what's up everyone... I'm trying to decide on what consew flatbed walking foot machine best suits me. I guess what I'm looking for is the one with more bobbin thread capability and that will sew with 69 thread to 277. Oh and for sure reverse and the highest foot lift clearence available... I've had a couple of 111ws 225s and one 226..got rid of all of them(I like to fix em) anyways I'm thinking of 206rb5, p1255rb, p1206rb, p1206rb7, or are there any other ones out there, or are some of them the same head(whats the difference)??? Oh I'm thinking of sewing wallets and belts. Currently I have a cobra 4 a singer 31-20 and a 7630r, anyone ever sew leather with this machine? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Colt W Knight Report post Posted March 6, 2018 The 206 and 1206 will see best with #69-138 thread and with some extra setup might sew 207, but they can't handle #277. I have an older 206, and it's a great machine. Sews up to 3/8" leather and up to #138 thread. Never could get #207 to work The 206 and 1206 will see best with #69-138 thread and with some extra setup might sew 207, but they can't handle #277. I have an older 206, and it's a great machine. Sews up to 3/8" leather and up to #138 thread. Never could get #207 to work Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wizcrafts Report post Posted March 6, 2018 If you intend for your next machine to handle #277 thread, stop wasting your time looking at upholstery class machines. You need to focus your attention on the Juki TSC-441 or clones, Adler 205 or clones, or the Singer 45k clones, or needle and awl harness stitchers, or even the Boss hand operated heavy thread sewer.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
R8R Report post Posted March 6, 2018 4 hours ago, Wizcrafts said: If you intend for your next machine to handle #277 thread, stop wasting your time looking at upholstery class machines. You need to focus your attention on the Juki TSC-441 or clones, Adler 205 or clones, or the Singer 45k clones, or needle and awl harness stitchers, or even the Boss hand operated heavy thread sewer.. Or something like a Consew 2040, etc if it has to be a flat bed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yetibelle Report post Posted March 7, 2018 You can always get a Flat-Bed table for the Cobra-4? Or if your looking for the similar machine in the flatbed the Consew 733r, HEAVY DUTY, this gives me a good excuse to drop in one of my favorite sewing videos - AKA - How to Sew with a Hammer! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ljk Report post Posted March 8, 2018 I have a Singer 144w305 w/reverse Used these machines in my leather shop we called it T-Rex When 7 layers of 4oz said no on my 206s we went to good old T -Rex. Looking for CB3200 money. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Uwe Report post Posted March 8, 2018 (edited) I'm not aware of any flatbed machine that is designed to cover thread sizes 69-277 well, or at all, without major adjustment gymnastics or premature parts failure. One approach is to simply ignore the specs, install a 200Nm/#25 needle and some size 207 or 277 thread and put the pedal to the metal. One tarp shop I'm working with has apparently been doing just that for decades using various single and double needle Consew 339 machines - nobody ever told them "you can't do that!" Your Cobra 4 comes close, though - it will cover thread size range 92-277 (and higher.) [Shameless self-promotion alert!] A decent flatbed attachment like my UT441 is a good occasional or long-term solution in my (decidedly biased) opinion. It's plenty big for wallets and belts and installs in about a minute or two with a little practice. I'm also working on a small, modular flatbed (or huge flat-top throat plate, depending on how you look at it) for folks who just need a small-ish flat work surface for wallets etc., or have a short-arm 441 class machine (e.g. Cowboy CB-3200.) The UTP441-66 will measure about 6"x6", but currently exists only in my CAD program: [End of shameless self-promotion] Edited March 8, 2018 by Uwe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikermutt07 Report post Posted March 8, 2018 17 minutes ago, Uwe said: I'm not aware of any flatbed machine that is designed to cover thread sizes 69-277 well, or at all, without major adjustment gymnastics or premature parts failure. One approach is to simply ignore the specs, install a 200Nm/#25 needle and some size 207 or 277 thread and put the pedal to the metal. One tarp shop I'm working with has apparently been doing just that for decades using various single and double needle Consew 339 machines - nobody ever told them "you can't do that!" Your Cobra 4 comes close, though - it will cover size range 92-277 (and higher.) [Shameless self-promotion alert!] A decent flatbed attachment like my UT441 is a good occasional or long-term solution in my (decidedly biased) opinion. It's plenty big for wallets and belts and installs in about a minute or two. I'm also working on a small, modular flatbed (or huge flat-top throat plate, depending on how you look at it) for folks who just need a small-ish flat work surface for wallets etc., or have a short-arm 441 class machine (e.g. Cowboy CB-3200.) The UTP441-66 will measure about 6"x6", but currently exists only in my CAD program: [End of shameless self-promotion] Nothing wrong with self promotion. You gotta stay in front people or they forget about you. Plus, we love seeing that beautiful flat top. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
art23 Report post Posted March 9, 2018 Thanx everyone. I'm narrowing it down to a p1206rb ,206rb5 or p1225rb I need to do more homework on these. It seems like the p1206rb might be the better choice just because of the higher foot clearence 16mm and the larger needle bar stroke 37mm. What i didn't like was the max stitch length of 3.6. And the p1225rb is 13mm presser foot clearence and 36mm n.b.s , 2.8 spi....on the 206rb5 14mm of p.f.c 33mm n.b.s and the really good maybe not necessary 2 1/2 spi dont know if this is accurate info got it of consew.com awwwww!!!!!! I wonder if all of them have mstyle bobbins maybe one is bigger than the mstyle who knows the research continues thanx allot everyone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Colt W Knight Report post Posted March 9, 2018 I have a Consew 206rb-1 and it will sew anything less than 3/8" with #138 thread without any problems. Does great on light and medium leather. It starts struggling if I have to cram material under the presser foot or when I try to do longer stitch lengths. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
R8R Report post Posted March 9, 2018 13 hours ago, art23 said: Thanx everyone. I'm narrowing it down to a p1206rb ,206rb5 or p1225rb Can I ask why you are narrowing it only to a few Consew machines with minimal thread capacity? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
art23 Report post Posted March 15, 2018 Thanx everyone...R8R I keep on doing more thinking and I would be satisfied having a max of 207 thread on this next machine. I do have a cobra 4 which is super on 207 and higher, never has it failed me, even with 69 thread on 2 pieces of 2-3 oz leather. I just hate having to go back and forward rethreading machines. Anyways I've gone to different sewing machine stores and on one I saw the p1225rb and in another I saw the p1541s. And I just really like both of them but ultimately I narrowed it down to 206rb5 or p1225rb. Thanx a lot guys for the info. This site is awesome with all you great guys..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
