BIGHEADLEATHER Report post Posted October 19, 2020 Hello all, I have been a long time lurker of this forum and it has been incredibly helpful and the information here is top notch. To preface my situation I am a beginner with sewing machines but I have recently been fortunate enough to be in a position to purchase a leather sewing machine. I am currently a hobbyist with a full time job looking to ramp up production. Hand sewing is taking up too much of my time so it's time to upgrade. I am in the process of choosing between the Cowboy CB227r and the Cobra Class 26 machine for my production needs. I will be using them to make wallets, purses, totes, and other light to medium weight goods (occasional waxed canvas and vinyl). I'm trying to talk myself into spending the extra money to get the Cobra but they seem to be an identical machine. The specs of the machines seem to be fairly identical so I'm having trouble deciding on the best option. Cobra seems to have much more information online then Cowboy does. Also, the accessories for Cobra seem wider (flatbed attachment, drop down adjustable roller guide). This will be my first machine and while I'm fairly handy I like having online support. I can't find many credible websites and tutorials for Cowboy and Cobra just seems like they have a higher level of information available. I feel like I'm nitpicking but I don't want to get into a situation where I regret not putting in the extra money for the right machine. Any help would be awesome. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wizcrafts Report post Posted October 20, 2020 I own a second hand Techsew 2700 (deprecated). It is identical to the Cowboy CB227R. These compound feed walking foot machines use a standard G size Singer bobbin which is often referred to as 1x capacity. They are best limited to a maximum thread size of #138 (22 pounds test), which works best with a #22 or #23 needle (depending on the density of the material). The maximum thickness they can sew is 3/8 inch if properly adjusted. My machine seems happier running #69 or #92 thread. The smallest thread I have run on it is #33 bonded nylon. The reverse function is part of the spring loaded stitch length lever. You have to pull and hold the lever down to back stitch. The holes will line up as long as you hold the lever all the way to its stop. When you let go the lever springs up into forward sewing mode. The cylinder arm is about 2.5" diameter, or so, (I'm not in the shop as I type this) and easily gets inside bags, cuffs and sleeves. The bobbins drop in from the top on the right side of the needle, under a sliding cover plate. My machine came with an optional table top attachment. The Cowboy has a similar table attachment and also can also have a drop down edge guide installed at an additional cost. But, I found a work around. There are spring loaded edge guide feet for sale with spacings from 1/8 to 5/16 inch from the guide to the needle. Problem solved! One final note is to make sure you get a mechanical dial controlled servo motor with the machine. Mine originally shipped with a push button controlled servo that started with a jolt at about 200 RPM. I replaced it with a Family Sew servo that starts at zero and increases smoothly to whatever maximum speed I set on the rotary dial. The motor is foot controlled. There is also a foot lifter for the feet that gives more lift than the hand lifter on the back of the head. IHTH Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
