juki dnu-1541 vs 1181n upholstery

[Smithi]

Hi everyone. 

I'm a newbie here from Norway, and thank you for accepting me to the forum.

I have a question which i'm sure you guys can help with me, as the deeper I investigate, then the more confused I get of which machine to buy.

I am going to be learning to stitch car upholstery which would consist of a variety of materials such as Alcantara, vinyl, some leather, cloth, tweed, attachment foam etc. You get the idea

However I am quite restricted to the machine brand in this country, and so far Juki is the best bet for me. I would require a walking foot machine, but I have so far narrowed it down to 2 options.

juki du-1181n servo (top and bottom feed mechanism)

or 

juki dnu-1541 servo.

Budget wise, it would mean that I either buy a brand new juki 1181, or I buy a used juki 1541.

Apart from the budget, the real question would be, which is the most appropriate machine for my usage. I'd rather buy once and cry once, rather then regretting a bad purchase.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

[kgg]

Hi Smithi, welcome to the forum. I have both the Juki DU-1181N as well as the Juki DNU-1541S. The 1181N is a much lighter machine then the 1541S. Personally I would find a 1541S not a 1541 where the "S" destination refers to it having a safety clutch. Better still would be a 1508. To a youtube search for Juki 1541 vs 1181 and Juki 1541 vs 1508. Just my opinion.

kgg

[Smithi]

19 minutes ago, kgg said:

Hi Smithi, welcome to the forum. I have both the Juki DU-1181N as well as the Juki DNU-1541S. The 1181N is a much lighter machine then the 1541S. Personally I would find a 1541S not a 1541 where the "S" destination refers to it having a safety clutch. Better still would be a 1508. To a youtube search for Juki 1541 vs 1181 and Juki 1541 vs 1508. Just my opinion.

kgg

Thank you for the welcome and I appreciate the feedback. Unfortunately the 1508 is not available in Norway as I would have to import it. That would cost much more due to customs & delivery costs etc. 

However out of the 2 mentioned, you would recommend the 1541s over the 1181n?

I was just a little concerned that the 1541 would not be appropriate for a little thinner materials, but then again the 1181 not suitable for the heavier leather materials. I am trying to find a balance. I have tried neither machine, but at the same time I would like to future proof my work by buying the better machine.

[kgg]

In my opinion it is all going to depend on what and how thick as well as the thread size you are planning on using. The main reason I got the 1181N was that for the 1541S to do lighter stuff I was spending 15 to 30 minutes dumbing it down if I didn't it would have a tendency to tear stuff up. Then I would have to spend about the same time resetting the 1541S. If you are going to be doing mostly  (90 percent) heavy / thick stuff go with the 1541S or larger otherwise get the 1181N. Eventually you should get a second machine. Whatever you decide, if it is possible, try a sample of what you are planning on sewing on both machines see which one works best. There are couple of good video's showing how the 1541S does on thin stuff you should at.

kgg

[ButtonLady]

I have the 1541 (not "S") from when I was sewing slipcovers.  It was a new model back then; the safety clutch was not yet available.  I used 8 -12 ounce cotton (canvas and twill) almost exclusively (not sure if that would be considered "lighter stuff").

Never had a problem with it.  A tension issue turned out to be an overly tight bobbin —easily fixed.  If I were still using it, I'd probably switch out the loud clutch motor for a servo.

[ButtonLady]

1 hour ago, kgg said:

In my opinion it is all going to depend on what and how thick as well as the thread size you are planning on using.

Oops, forgot to mention I used T30 to T69 thread in my Juki 1541.  It preferred bonded poly, but handled nylon much better after I loosened the bobbin tension.

[Wizcrafts]

My two cents worth of opinion is that the dual feed machine (with teeth) will produce a more consistent stitch length. I have mostly compound feed walking foot machines and it doesn't take much force to drag the stitch length up or down from the preset length. Sometimes I use this to my advantage to cheat and get exactly into a corner, or complete going all the way around a project and matching holes. With a dual feed machine, one might have to be more on the money with the stitch length because these machines may not let the material slip under the feet.

It has been a couple years since I sewed on a National dual feed walking foot machine, but that was my experience with it. The material didn't move until I was actually sewing and the feed was very positive. I couldn't cheat the stitch length by pulling material on it.

Finally, a dual feed walking foot machine relies upon the teeth on the feet and feed dog. This is not an issue when sewing vinyl, cloth, or chrome tan leather and suede, all of which forget tooth marks. But, it will be an issue if you sew veg-tan leather which remembers tooth marks.

[kgg]

6 hours ago, ButtonLady said:

Oops, forgot to mention I used T30 to T69 thread in my Juki 1541.  It preferred bonded poly, but handled nylon much better after I loosened the bobbin tension.

Ooops me to I forgot to mention I use V69, V92 and V138 in both the Juki 1541S and 1181N. Both machines came sewn off with V138 threaded top / bobbin out of the box even through the 1181N is only rated to V92. I figure I could push the top thread to V207 but keeping V138 in the bobbin without too much problem in the 1541S.

kgg

[Smithi]

6 hours ago, Wizcrafts said:

My two cents worth of opinion is that the dual feed machine (with teeth) will produce a more consistent stitch length. I have mostly compound feed walking foot machines and it doesn't take much force to drag the stitch length up or down from the preset length. Sometimes I use this to my advantage to cheat and get exactly into a corner, or complete going all the way around a project and matching holes. With a dual feed machine, one might have to be more on the money with the stitch length because these machines may not let the material slip under the feet.

It has been a couple years since I sewed on a National dual feed walking foot machine, but that was my experience with it. The material didn't move until I was actually sewing and the feed was very positive. I couldn't cheat the stitch length by pulling material on it.

Finally, a dual feed walking foot machine relies upon the teeth on the feet and feed dog. This is not an issue when sewing vinyl, cloth, or chrome tan leather and suede, all of which forget tooth marks. But, it will be an issue if you sew veg-tan leather which remembers tooth marks.

Thanks for the information. That makes a lot of sense and it's a great tip about the dragging the stitch to our benefit. Tooth marks was also a concern when I was doing research. But as you say, it really depends on the material.  Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

[Smithi]

9 hours ago, kgg said:

In my opinion it is all going to depend on what and how thick as well as the thread size you are planning on using. The main reason I got the 1181N was that for the 1541S to do lighter stuff I was spending 15 to 30 minutes dumbing it down if I didn't it would have a tendency to tear stuff up. Then I would have to spend about the same time resetting the 1541S. If you are going to be doing mostly  (90 percent) heavy / thick stuff go with the 1541S or larger otherwise get the 1181N. Eventually you should get a second machine. Whatever you decide, if it is possible, try a sample of what you are planning on sewing on both machines see which one works best. There are couple of good video's showing how the 1541S does on thin stuff you should at.

kgg

Great information, as I can understand that having eventually having 2 machines would be ideal. However, as a starting point I will only be depending on 1 of the 2.

I don't know why but, I am leaning more towards the 1541s as I believe that I may be able to take on projects with thicker and denser materials if required. From your experience, is there anything the 1541s can't do which the 1181n can? Or the opposite?

Obviously, I will have to take the adjustment of the machine into factor according to the material.

[kgg]

My experience is that the 1541S does not like things less then 3mm thick as the feeding is a little too aggressive while on the same amount of material the 1181n happily sews along. The 1541S excels at the mid level of thick stuff while the 1181N excels at the light to mid weight stuff. My 1181n is basically setup for lighter stuff and binding / cording. The pressor foot on the 1181N has a much smaller profile with the feed dog nowhere near as aggressive. The 1181N reminds me more of the feel and sound of a really nice old domestic Singer humming along, just with better capabilities.

kgg

[SewDeanna]

Hi Smithi! I'm so glad you asked this in the forum because, oddly enough, I had narrowed it down to these two as well. I'm curious which one you ended up getting and how you are liking it? Did you "buy once and cry once?" LOL

-Deanna

[CowboyBob]

4 hours ago, SewDeanna said:

Hi Smithi! I'm so glad you asked this in the forum because, oddly enough, I had narrowed it down to these two as well. I'm curious which one you ended up getting and how you are liking it? Did you "buy once and cry once?" LOL

-Deanna

I never recommend a 1181 for leather as the upper outside foot has teeth (which can ground off) BUT it also has feed dogs that need to grip the leather to pull it through.The 1541S has smooth bottom feet on it & the feed dog has teeth BUT they can be ground off since it's a needle-feed & it won't affect the stitch length like it would if you ground them on the 1181.

[ljk]

I would recommend a compound feed (triple feed) with a clutch.  Doing auto upholstery you will run into work that will need piping (welting).  The center moving foot on the compound feed machine will cinch (press down) on the piping.  This is specially important when sewing  the piping (welt) to the upper and lower material.  Most of these machines have a adjustment for the the lifting height of the feet, reducing lifting make sewing thin materials easier.  If you buy a machine without a clutch make sure you make you mark hook and shaft so you can reset if you have a thread jam.  A slightly used machine might be a better choice (non factory) because the hook and the race have smoothed with each other. A servo with needle position is a good choice.  You can adjust needle position to reduce. thread jams (adjust in slightly descending position).  The thread release should be adjusted at the top of the lift this reduces tension problems when lifting foot going around corners or heavy seams.  Avoid factory machines they sell for a reason/   Good Luck