Portable Leather Sewing Machine

[NewfoundlandLaw]

Hey All

 

I am looking for a Portable (non table mounted) sewing machine that can handle light to light-medium duty tasks such as wallets, handbags, etc.  (Mainly 2-4oz Leather maximum.) I already have a Cobra Class 4 for heavier tasks, and I want something that is light enough to store out of the way when I'm not using it.  (My leather room is small and can't fit another large pedestal mounted unit.)

 

I've looked at the TechSew 611 Pro Portable Walking Foot Machine and it seems like a nice unit. (Plus it is available in Canada which is a big plus.)

 

Here is a link to the TechSew 611 Pro:

 

https://www.techsew.com/machinery/industrial-sewing-machines/portable-walking-foot/techsew-611-pro-portable-walking-foot-straight-stitch-zigzag-sewing-machine.html

 

Does anyone have any experience with the TechSew 611 Pro? Alternatively, what machines do you recommend?

Edited November 20, 2019 by NewfoundlandLaw

[chrisash]

Its a copy of the sailrite machine, the sailrite has had a lot of modifications to the original design and although probably far more expensive seems to be the better machine look at sailrite.com

 

[kgg]

If you wish to purchase a portable sewing machine in Canada I think you have three basic options:

1. Reliable Barracuda ( https://reliablecorporation.ca/products/barracuda-200zw-portable-walking-foot-zig-zag-sewing-machine  ) at ~ $650 CAD

2. Techsew 611 ( https://www.techsew.com/machinery/industrial-sewing-machines/portable-walking-foot/techsew-611-pro-portable-walking-foot-straight-stitch-zigzag-sewing-machine.html ) at ~$720 CAD

3. Omega WF22ZMW ( https://walking-foot.com/product/omega-wf22zzmw/ ) at ~$475 CAD

All appear to be of the same design and features just different names on them. The questions I would check are warranty, if the holes in the bed are tapped for allowing accessories like swing-away binders /folders to be attached and what the max thread can be used. You may find that on any of these machines you are going to probably have too smooth out the presser foot so it doesn't mar your leather.

kgg

[kgg]

As a note I do have experience with the reliable barracuda and the Sailrite. I found the Barracuda to be a nice capable little machine and if you put the Barracuda alongside the Sailrite with your eyes closed I think would be hard pressed to tell the difference.

kgg

[Woolies]

2 hours ago, kgg said:

As a note I do have experience with the reliable barracuda and the Sailrite. I found the Barracuda to be a nice capable little machine and if you put the Barracuda alongside the Sailrite with your eyes closed I think would be hard pressed to tell the difference.

kgg

Thanks kgg! You are a wealth of knowledge and I'm thankful for the Canadian info too! 

[NewfoundlandLaw]

3 hours ago, kgg said:

If you wish to purchase a portable sewing machine in Canada I think you have three basic options:

1. Reliable Barracuda ( https://reliablecorporation.ca/products/barracuda-200zw-portable-walking-foot-zig-zag-sewing-machine  ) at ~ $650 CAD

2. Techsew 611 ( https://www.techsew.com/machinery/industrial-sewing-machines/portable-walking-foot/techsew-611-pro-portable-walking-foot-straight-stitch-zigzag-sewing-machine.html ) at ~$720 CAD

3. Omega WF22ZMW ( https://walking-foot.com/product/omega-wf22zzmw/ ) at ~$475 CAD

All appear to be of the same design and features just different names on them. The questions I would check are warranty, if the holes in the bed are tapped for allowing accessories like swing-away binders /folders to be attached and what the max thread can be used. You may find that on any of these machines you are going to probably have too smooth out the presser foot so it doesn't mar your leather.

kgg

Thanks for the rundown!

 

I am leaning towards the TechSew as a) I've used their machines before and they seem well made; and b) The 611 Pro comes with some nice upgrades like the heavy wheel with hand crank. (A big plus for a noob like me as it allows me to go very very slow.)

 

When you say "smooth out the presser foot" do you mean sand/polish it to a smooth finish?  

Edited November 20, 2019 by NewfoundlandLaw

[kgg]

These machines are not the quality you would expect from a Juki so the presser foot can be a bit aggressive with rough/sharp machining. This can lead to hooking, marring or leaving impressions with some materials. So you may have to also play with the amount of tension on the presser foot as well as sand, fill in between teeth or tape over the bottom of the presser foot. The trick is to going to be finding that sweet spot of getting the right amount of downward pressure without damage to the materials surface yet enough to move multi layers of material along.

The foot pedal and motor on all the portable sewing machines that I have used act like what you would expect from a domestic sewing machine not that of a servo motor driven machine. The tiny foot speed control pedal is going be a lot more sensitive too downward foot pressure and can be less forgiving. You may have to make a little angled platform to sit the pedal on so you get a more comfortable operating foot position to prevent foot twitch.

If you decide on a portable sewing machine keep it well oiled.

kgg

[NewfoundlandLaw]

5 hours ago, kgg said:

These machines are not the quality you would expect from a Juki so the presser foot can be a bit aggressive with rough/sharp machining. This can lead to hooking, marring or leaving impressions with some materials. So you may have to also play with the amount of tension on the presser foot as well as sand, fill in between teeth or tape over the bottom of the presser foot. The trick is to going to be finding that sweet spot of getting the right amount of downward pressure without damage to the materials surface yet enough to move multi layers of material along.

The foot pedal and motor on all the portable sewing machines that I have used act like what you would expect from a domestic sewing machine not that of a servo motor driven machine. The tiny foot speed control pedal is going be a lot more sensitive too downward foot pressure and can be less forgiving. You may have to make a little angled platform to sit the pedal on so you get a more comfortable operating foot position to prevent foot twitch.

If you decide on a portable sewing machine keep it well oiled.

kgg

I was actually thinking about buying the Leather/Delicate Foot from Sailrite to swap onto the TechSew 611 Pro. From what I've read they should fit, and Sailrite's Leather/Delicate foot seems to work really well. 
 

In the meantime however, I think I can get the TechSew foot to work. I am a knife and pen maker in my spare time and have access to a lot of metal working tools.  (My own garage is as equipped as most mid-scale machine shops.)  I am actually interested in getting a few feet and changing their shape/profile/texture on my milling machine to see what works best. When I do, I'll post my experiments here. 
 

Thanks again for your help. Sewing machines are new to me but this place is a wealth of knowledge!

[kgg]

The Sailrite Leather/Delicate Foot looks a lot more refined and probably work fine. I look forward to seeing your mods on the feet.

kgg

[Wizcrafts]

Portable walking foot machine owners need to be aware that these machines are dual feed from the feed dogs and outside/rear foot. There is no needle feed. A totally smooth presser foot won't help feed hard or sticky top grain leather. How much this affects any given project will vary with the actual cut of leather, thickness, needle and thread size, plus the amount of foot pressure applied to the stack.

Sailrite, Morse and their clones are really meant to sew marine and outdoor vinyl (e.g., ATV and motorcycle seats, seat cushions, boat and truck bed covers, etc.). Hence the teeth on the feet.

[KristinT]

I'm new to leather crafting, however I wanted to give my experience with the Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1.  I wanted to make a canvas slipcover but with limited space I could not buy an industrial sewing machine so I opted for the Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1.  My first project was a sunbrella bimini top for our boat and I was so happy with it's performance.  Then I moved on to waxed canvas tote bags but the feed dogs really marked up the waxed canvas so I purchased the Leather foot for the Sailrite machine and it helped a little.  My next project was to make a leather tote bag so I went to Tandy and picked up their 3-4 oz Utility Side to start out with.  The leather foot did not markup the leather across the front of the bag and the lower feed dogs were against the inside rough side of the leather and on the inside of the bag.  However the lower feed dogs are very sharp so I do not think I'll be able to sew outside seams as successfully.  I can do some test runs and post pictures for you if you want, just let me know.

Although the Ultrafeed LSZ-1 is an awesome portable machine; however if you have the space and are going to invest in a machine to sew leather, a walking foot machine made specifically for leather might be the better choice. 

Regards, Kristin