Sewing machine for shoe making

[Marialyce]

Hi  I've been making shoes by hand for a few years and am ready for a sewing machine.  I need one that will take 138 thread but am also reading that the speed of a machine can be an issue.  I am new to the whole sewing machine thing other than my home machine that I use on fabric.  Any advice regarding what to look for will be greatly appreciated.  I'm hoping to find a used machine that won't break the bank

[Wizcrafts]

2 hours ago, Marialyce said:

Hi  I've been making shoes by hand for a few years and am ready for a sewing machine.  I need one that will take 138 thread but am also reading that the speed of a machine can be an issue.  I am new to the whole sewing machine thing other than my home machine that I use on fabric.  Any advice regarding what to look for will be greatly appreciated.  I'm hoping to find a used machine that won't break the bank

Your question is too open ended. You haven't posted a sample of the type of shoes you make that you want to start sewing on a machine. I can tell you that there are some specialized sewing machines that are used to produce shoes that aren't used in general leather work - and vice versa. Once we see some photos of your shoes we can offer our opinions about sewing machines that will speed things up.