Juki 1541 or Cowboy 3200

[afdfirefighter]

Good morning. I am about to purchase a sewing machine to start up my leather business. I had originally planned to start cheap (Janome 3200hd) but have since decided if I want to start with a good product I need to sew with one. I will be doing single layer 10oz leather straps for fire department radio straps, chin straps, etc. I am hoping to get opinions on one of these two machines. My Mom has been sewing for years (has very expensive quilting machines) and she thinks the Juki will be more user friendly for me due to the flat top vs the rounded on the Cowboy. Both are walking foot with variable speed servo motors. Can anyone give me some positives and negatives of each and help move me in a direction? Thank you in advance. 

[shoepatcher]

The one thing you forgot to mention is what weight of thread you be sewing with.  That has a baring on which machine to get.

glenn

[kgg]

I do own a Juki 1541S and it can use up to v138 thread where as the CB3200 has a better range of usable threads sizes v69 to V346. Yes the Juki maybe more user friendly but with a flat table top attachment on the Cowboy 3200 you would get the best of both worlds. I would suggest taking / sending a sample of what you are planning to sew to a dealer and ask for suggestions. If you do go with the Juki get the 1541S not the 1541 and yes you are going to pay extra for the safety feature. The "S" stands for safety clutch and will disengage the hook when to much load is put on the hook drive so you won't damage something or the timing.

kgg

[jimi]

If you add a small table to the cylinder arm, then you basically turn it into a flatbed, but you can not turn the flat bed into a cylinder arm.

[afdfirefighter]

2 hours ago, shoepatcher said:

The one thing you forgot to mention is what weight of thread you be sewing with.  That has a baring on which machine to get.

glenn

This is essentially a decorative stitch but I want it to withstand wear and tear. I am not sure what size I will use yet to be completely honest with you. 

[Wizcrafts]

2 hours ago, afdfirefighter said:

This is essentially a decorative stitch but I want it to withstand wear and tear. I am not sure what size I will use yet to be completely honest with you. 

If you use #138 thread, it has 22 pounds breaking strength and the knots are easily hidden inside 8-10 ounce leather straps. Having #207 on top may make it a little more critical when tensioning the threads to bury the knots and won't add to the strength.

[afdfirefighter]

11 minutes ago, Wizcrafts said:

If you use #138 thread, it has 22 pounds breaking strength and the knots are easily hidden inside 8-10 ounce leather straps. Having #207 on top may make it a little more critical when tensioning the threads to bury the knots and won't add to the strength.

Is the Juki 1541 capable of using #138 and #207 or is the Cowboy the direction I need to be considering?

[kgg]

The Juki will max out with #138 so if you want to go higher the Cowboy 3200 should be the one to considered.

kgg

[dikman]

Perhaps something to consider - you may intend to make smallish straps (for now) but with the 3200 you will have the option of making heavier gear if the opportunity arises. For leatherwork a cylinder arm is generally considered to be the most versatile design and as has been mentioned a small tabletop can be fitted if needed.

[Wizcrafts]

3 hours ago, afdfirefighter said:

Is the Juki 1541 capable of using #138 and #207 or is the Cowboy the direction I need to be considering?

You should be looking into the Juki LU-1508NH, which does sew with #207 thread, on top and in the bobbin.