Seiko STW-8B

[aden]

Hello everyone!

I have read through a lot of the fantastic informational posts here on the forum and now understand the differences and uses for different sewing machines. So first, thanks for that.

I am looking to purchase a sewing machine as a gift. I have found the Seiko STW-8B for £400 and was wondering whether that was a good price? It is in perfect working condition with no rust or fading.

The current problem is that I’m not clued up on decent current prices for these things and I hope someone out there can shed some light on the situation

 

Thanks!

Edited August 11, 2018 by aden

[brmax]

Thats a nice gift!

im thinking thats roughly 500$ US and thats a respectable asking price. As always its more important in the question with the local need and or popularity with a given product. 

So the brand to me is premium, with that clear. First is what benefits does the unit have, that is newer or are key to my actual use. 

With that, I could mean and do a newer type motor ( servo ). If particularly the work will be intricate leather work then a reducing speed; pulley system is a requirement. These if split can be 200$ US each. 

A thirty year veteran, sewing fabricator, will change out the old clutch motors to servo eventually and only say one thing, why didnt I do this earlier. Either of these items mentioned need a discussion in their own right  

For a seriously better discussion, some photos would benefit your questions to and from others, that are all helpful and  glad to talk machines. 

 

Good day 

Floyd

[aden]

Thank you very much for your response!

After my reading I am aware that a servo or speed reducer will probably be needed. But the person I am buying it for has wanted one for ages and I am sure they will be very happy to have something they can build on with their own modifications

I will attach some photos of the unit as you suggested. Based on my research I believe this is a walking foot compound feed and very similar to the Singer 211, Consew 226 and Juki 563?

It will predominantly used for upholstery but will probably get used for a number of other things as well.

 

Edited August 11, 2018 by aden

[aden]

[Wizcrafts]

From your photos it is obvious that this machine is set-up for upholstery sewing at higher speeds. It has a 2850 rpm motor and about a 3:4 pulley ratio. It will definitely get long seams sewn in almost no time! As for sewing slowly, that depends on the new owner being able to feather the clutch, or replace the motor with a servo motor.

[aden]

4 hours ago, Wizcrafts said:

From your photos it is obvious that this machine is set-up for upholstery sewing at higher speeds. It has a 2850 rpm motor and about a 3:4 pulley ratio. It will definitely get long seams sewn in almost no time! As for sewing slowly, that depends on the new owner being able to feather the clutch, or replace the motor with a servo motor.

Thanks for the great informative reply, Wiz! That is exactly what I was hoping to hear

In your opinion, is £400 (~$510) a decent price for this or should I be looking at a cheaper price?

[Uwe]

Looks like the machine is in very nice condition, actually. Price seems reasonable, but obviously it varies across the globe. I've paid less for machines, but then I spent better part of a week making them work. This must be the Seiko model that was sold under the Consew brand as a 226 model here in the US. Parts are cheap and everywhere. These are great starter machines and they're reliable workhorses at the same time.

The motor may be on the fast side, but the motor pulley itself looks just about as small as they come. If the clutch works well, it may not be a bad starting point for upholstery. The best way to find out is to just try it out. Swapping out the motor with a modern servo motor is relatively simple and you can spend as little or as much on a servo motor as you like. 

[DonInReno]

Something that can catch people by surprise is how common it is for commercial machines to be repainted - if that’s the original paint it’s probably in very good condition.  Most repaint jobs are very obvious while others need a closer look.  At least some small chips in the original paint are sure to show through a new topcoat even if it’s been carefully sanded.  Even if it’s been repainted the machine may be in fantastic shape.

Also look closely along the thread path - if that’s the original paint I’d expect little wear on the thread take up and thread guides. 

Any first walking foot machine is a great gift worn or not!

 

 

[dikman]

If it hasn't been repainted then it's in remarkably good condition. Probably the best thing is to get the owner to do a couple of longish runs on it and listen for any odd noises and make sure the stitches are nice and even. Price-wise it's Au$870, which is pretty good here (I paid a LOT less for mine, but I was lucky!). One possible way to look for wear is to remove the two thread tension discs and look for wear lines where the thread has worn a path in the metal. Of course, if they've been replaced then this won't apply, but it's pretty unusual to have to replace these unless it's had very heavy usage.

I'm very happy with my Seiko, they're great machines and as mentioned feet, bobbins etc shouldn't be hard to find.

[aden]

This is all incredibly useful information. Thanks a lot to all who have responded so far!

[aden]

Quick update; I found another machine that according to the description has some tension issues. Is this relatively easy to fix? I would imagine it’s just a case of replacing the tension assembly?

[Uwe]

Sometimes apparent tensions issues are easy to fix, sometimes they're just the tip of the iceberg of a machine's real problems. I don't recommend gifting a machine with known issues. 

Try to keep this topic focused on the Seiko. It's okay to start a new topic with questions not related to this machine. We have quite enough runaway my-personal-journey-of-considering-a-dozen-machines type topics. 

 

[aden]

It is the same type of machine, a Seiko STW-8B, just from a different seller. So I feel like it is still within the topic?

I appreciate the reply though, thanks. 

[Uwe]

 

3 minutes ago, aden said:

It is the same type of machine, a Seiko STW-8B, just from a different seller.

That's helpful info, and yes, obviously within topic.

My recommendation is to get BOTH machines. Give the good one as a gift and use the second head to learn sewing machine maintenance on. Being able to fix the gifted machine when it has issues will be the true gift that keeps on giving.

[dikman]

If the recipient only wants a machine that they can just use and not worry about too much then I wouldn't consider giving the second one. It could be a simple problem, but then I'd have to ask why hasn't the seller fixed it. Unless you know something about industrial machines then buying one with an advertised problem could be an expensive mistake. If the price is right and you're prepared to spend time on it then it could be a good deal. Buying the two, as Uwe suggested, isn't a bad idea as you'd then have a working one to compare the non-working one with.

Edited August 12, 2018 by dikman

[aden]

Thank you all for your thoughts on this. I don't think I will go for the one with issues, I would have fixed it before gifting but it sounds like it is not as simple as it seems.

However, I do like to understand machines and do maintenance on things like this. I found out that the problem with the faulty one is that "the thread loops underneath and tangles then the thread breaks or jams." What does this sound like could be the problem?

EDIT: I now know that this is called "birdnesting" or similar and that it can be a number of different things.

Edited August 12, 2018 by aden

[Uwe]

The bird's nesting may be due to operator error. On these vertical axis hook machines you have to hold both threads for the first few stitches, otherwise the loose thread may get pulled into the works and create a bird's nest underneath, even on a perfectly adjusted machine.

[Handstitched]

G'Day,

Thats not a bad price. perhaps a little quick, but you can change the pulley on the motor if need be. 

From my own experience,  they are a  really good machine. ( mine is an older  twin needle using a single needle) , and  theres not a ' huge' amount of difference between the two.  400 pounds is roughly $700  Australian, so yep, I'd buy it  

http://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/81806-sewing-machine-reliability/

hope this helps, 

HS 

 

Edited August 13, 2018 by Handstitched

[aden]

53 minutes ago, Handstitched said:

G'Day,

Thats not a bad price. perhaps a little quick, but you can change the pulley on the motor if need be. 

From my own experience,  they are a  really good machine. ( mine is an older  twin needle using a single needle) , and  theres not a ' huge' amount of difference between the two.  400 pounds is roughly $700  Australian, so yep, I'd buy it  

http://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/81806-sewing-machine-reliability/

hope this helps, 

HS 

 

I did see that post you made and the work looks brilliant! Thanks for the thoughts on this