Cheap Chinese sewing machine question

[Wdiaz03]

Hi all. I'm new to leather working. I was looking to get a cheap chinese machine. I noticed Amazon has one for $120 with aluminum body. Is there a benefit to getting the cast iron body vs aluminum? Will there be flex etc to consider? Thanks.

[dikman]

$120?? Can you provide a link so we know which machine you are referring to?

And what do you want to sew?

[Wizcrafts]

5 hours ago, Wdiaz03 said:

Hi all. I'm new to leather working. I was looking to get a cheap chinese machine. I noticed Amazon has one for $120 with aluminum body. Is there a benefit to getting the cast iron body vs aluminum? Will there be flex etc to consider? Thanks.

Neither, if you are really serious about sewing leather. Otherwise, if this is just a personal hobby, with no immediate plans for professional use, aluminum expands faster with small temperature changes than iron or steel. Iron will be more stable, although much heavier. Any alterations/improvements you make to get it to sew will probably hold longer in a more solid frame.

[Wdiaz03]

https://www.amazon.com/Cobbler-Machine-Leather-Mending-Shipping/dp/B08Q34KZLD/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=cobbler+sewing+machine&qid=1613366072&sr=8-9

this is the type of machine, its  purely as a hobby , more for functional items than aesthetics. For knife sheaths, etc

[Arturomex]

You might want to read through this:  https://leatherworker.net/forum/topic/93398-amazon-shoe-patcher-machine-frustrations/

I'd be inclined to save my money.

Regards,

Arturo

 

[Aven]

A variable speed drill press and small drill bits will probably serve you better than that sewing machine.  You will have to hand sew it after you drill out the holes, but it will do the job, and you will be able to use the drill press to sand and burnish the edges afterwards.  You have to be gentle, but once you get the hang of drilling the holes out, it goes fast enough.  I think I got my variable drill press from MicroMark, but that was like ten years ago. What I like about it is the small foot print and the variable speed, that comes in handy.  I wonder if a router speed control unit would do the same thing.

[kgg]

10 hours ago, Wdiaz03 said:

its  purely as a hobby , more for functional items than aesthetics. For knife sheaths, etc

I have never seen any of those machines that were made out of aluminum, typically they are made out of cast iron. These little machines can and often times require a lot of cleaning and tinkering to get them to function. Will they sew? Yes, but the frustration level is often not worth the effort. They can get you out of a bind but once again they can be very frustrating. The fit and finish on these machines is to say the least poor at best. The amount of thread the bobbin can hold is very same less then a old domestic Singer. I do have one but it is mainly for tinkering with. If you just want functional for some items you maybe better off using copper rivets and burrs. (Drill/punch holes, insert rivet through put burr on, cut rivet shaft to right length with cutting pliers and use a hammer to flatten rivet shaft over the burr.) If you want to sew thick items sheaths/holsters and want to use arm power the one arm bandits from Cowboy (Outlaw), Tippman (Boss) or Weaver ( Master Tools Cub) would be much better options. You maybe able to get one on the used market.

kgg

[chrisash]

Horses for courses, if you want first class stitches then buy a first class machine, if your happy to fiddle then they say you can make a acceptable stich with the $120 machines and even convert to electric motor

If you do not have much money to spend then they are the answer, just like a lot of people will only buy the most expensive tools on a belief they are better than others

The other option is old second hand industrial machines on eBay and the like where you can pickup singer 111w type machines for only slightly more than the $120 if you are in no ruch

[Wizcrafts]

I've read a bunch of reviews from people who bought these Chinese street cobbler patchers. Some were happy out of the box. Others were happy after fixing or modifying their machines from defects out of the box. Still others complained of missing parts, or not being able to get the machine to sew. I suspect the missing parts buyers got machines that were returned from unhappy customers and were just repackaged and shipped out as is.

Some of the sellers offer to take back unwanted machines, within a short timeframe. Others have no return policy at all. It appears none I saw offered any assistance after the sale. Finally, the machines that actually included instructions had them in poorly translated "Chinglish." Some buyers reported they didn't get any instructions.

All of the machines I looked at, despite color differences, were built exactly the same. The prices vary 2:1 for the same machine from different resellers.

It appears that after buying a Chinese patcher that doesn't work right, buyers are coming here for assistance. This is their only source of possible assistance since the sellers and builders don't offer support. After dealing with real leather sewing machine problems for so many years, we now are helping poor souls fix a new spate of crap machines from the Orient. At least the Chinese brands supporting this forum build high quality machines and have representatives in the USA, Canada and down under. And, unlike the street cobbler machine makers, they have English speaking Chinese representatives who can actually be contacted from here.

To the (potential) Amazon/eBay Chinese cobbler patch machine buyers coming here for help or opinions; set your sights higher. Contact our advertising dealers to see what new or used working condition patch machines they have for sale. I have spoken to all of our advertisers and they are helpful people doing business properly. I have bought new and used machines from several dealers on here and have never ever been left in the lurch.

[Wdiaz03]

Thanks all for the replies and suggestions, I pulled the trigger on an aluminum version from ebay. $114 shipped. I obviously have little expectations, sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised with some of the Chinese stuff for the use I give them. Example the Harbor Freight $10 angle grinder. So it's not a Makita but it has been working for a few years now for what I needed it to do. oR their mig welder for that matter,   So I'm hoping this will be the same. Nothing fancy just being able to do some ugly but functional work.