jacko13 Report post Posted January 18, 2022 Good day I'm starting in the leather sewing world. I have a Singer 99 and pushing the limits of the machine plus it doesn't handle well at slow speeds which is making it hard to learn. My intention: Find a machine that will work with light to medium weight leathers and heavy denim I'm looking to sew various types of bags, purses, stuff with zippers, retail goods type of work with different leather types. Detailed / slow / precision type of work. No plans on anything heavy like veg tan. Would like a machine that is easy to control and has good mobility for different types of forms. There appears to be a lot of machines on used market in the larger area I live however the challenge is I don't live close to simply pop over and see them in action. I have three machines in my crosshair and none of them have much in the way of detail when I google them. Hoping someone on here could give me perspective on these machines. All three have been in use for small business applications and I, as far as I know, are all in working order, at least in principal. Singer 138W101 - older post machine. appears to be in good shape. asking price $1k - fair to good condition. Techsew Ga51 - couldn't find anything on google for this one. asking price $2k - appears to be in good condition ADLER long post machine - no idea the model on this one. Very long post on this one with what appears to be a smallish motor. asking price $2,800 - appears to be in fair condition Juki 1341 - this is is a refurbished unit from a dealer who has spotty online reviews. Appears to be in good shape but with refurbs you never know what mods have been done to get the machine in working order. asking $1500 If anyone could give me their thoughts / advice, which to avoid, which to look harder at, vs price vs what I'm looking for I would be hugely appreciative. Thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MtlBiker Report post Posted January 18, 2022 @jacko13 - Welcome to the forum (from a fellow Canadian)! I'm a relative newcomer to sewing but I already have 3 industrial machines. I'm sure others here will give you more comprehensive suggestions but I think you'll find here is not one single machine that would do for very task. Most people seem to start off with a good flatbed machine and for many that may be all they ever need. But for bags and purses, it might be nice to also have a cylinder arm machine. And some cylinder arm machines include or have available a flat bed attachement. I don't think a post bed machine should be your first choice. From your list, I'd be tempted to go with the Juki 1342. You say spotty dealer, but the machine might be a good one and might come with a warranty. Juki is sort of like the gold standard and parts and maintenance advice would be easy to come by. What's your budget? You might consider a brand new clone machine. You might try calling Chris at Japan Sewing in Toronto at 905-764-0100. But first you should figure out what type of machine would be most suited to what you want to make. I'd suggest that a good cylinder arm machine would be your best choice. Good luck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrmCa Report post Posted January 18, 2022 Who's the dealer for Juki? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chrisash Report post Posted January 18, 2022 If you type the machine model into the search bar, you are more than likely to find a heap of results. also there is a post on here that is a fantastic guide to start your search with Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
