Sears/Kenmore 1755

[Logankm]

Post says it sees 16 ounce leather, I would be happy with 10 ounce, that would do almost everything I need. Wondering if anyone has any experience or if the machine would even live up to sellers claim. 
 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/INDUSTRIAL-STRENGTH-HEAVY-DUTY-SEWING-MACHINE-SEWS-LEATHER-UPHOLSTERY-ETC-/224839157095?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0

[Wizcrafts]

4 hours ago, Logankm said:

Post says it sees 16 ounce leather

Further down, in the details, they reveal that the leather was sewn with #69 bonded nylon, probably with either a #16 or 18 needle. If you intend to limit your leather to 10 ounces, and the feed dog teeth get enough grip on the bottom to feed the leather, it should do until you can afford a proper industrial leather sewing machine. Hopefully, you won't burn out its tiny 1.2 amp motor before then. They smoke and smell bad when overloaded by sewing hard temper leather. I know this from my own experience with a very similar Sears Kenmore machine I bought a dozen years ago for peanuts. It blew up trying to sew a leather bikers' vest.

The reality of the situation is that it is purely a domestic sewing machine for household sewing of garments and light weight home accessories. It was not built to stand up to the pounding it would get regularly sewing leather denser than 4 or 5 ounces. You need a real industrial sewing machine, preferably with a compound feed walking foot system to sew medium to hard leather on a regular basis. These machines have motors rated between 1/2 and 3/4 horsepower. The motor on the Kenmore is 1.2 amps at full speed and probably puts out 1/15th hp.

If you need more information, read my sticky article about the type of machine you need to sew leather.

[DrmCa]

I am very skeptical that it can saw 10oz. I own an almost identical machine. It is a very common domestic machine design no different from countless domestic Singers, Brothers etc.

The problem will not even be its punching or pulling capability: it will be the feeding. It simply won't feed 10oz of soft leather. The top spring is not capable of holding that much pressure, and the leather will lift, skipping stitches.

And the price tag... I beg you to pass on it. These machines are worth nearly nothing today. Search for my replies on this forum. I've written about them ad nauseum.

[kgg]

11 hours ago, Logankm said:

or if the machine would even live up to sellers claim

I would be very skeptical as this is a domestic sewing machine designed and made for fabric.

kgg

[chuck123wapati]

i have an old sears kenmore. yea NO! It wont sew leather! and its not worth the money they want for sewing fabric.

If you look at the picture of it sewing 1/4" you can see there is no thread in the machine and the needle holes are already sewn. LOL. They spend far to many words trying to convince you its a good machine. 

Edited February 17, 2022 by chuck123wapati

[Logankm]

Thank you all. The price isn’t so much the issue, I’m only home 4 days a month and it’s just hard to justify spending $2k on a proper machine with that work-life balance. I have a Singer 15-91 so the thinner leather is taken care of and the Chinese shoe patcher that works fine if I want to sew thicker leather, or repair harnesses and such, but it isn’t motorized and I would like to be able to do larger projects a little quicker. Of course hand sewing is an option when I’m on the road (truck driver) but to make something a little larger like a backpack it becomes a challenge to keep everything straight for a large project like that on the lap desk I have in my truck! Much easier to work on my 6 foot work bench at home, but 4 days just isn’t much time to sew a large project by hand.

Is there anything worth getting in the $600-$750 range? That’s the price I don’t feel bad about having something sitting at the house that isn’t used much. I know at about the $1,000 mark there are the sailrite machines and I could possibly bring that with me on the truck even. 

Edited February 17, 2022 by Logankm
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[DrmCa]

2 hours ago, Logankm said:

The price isn’t so much the issue

$2k on a proper machine are money well-spent. You'd get back close to what you pay if you decide to quit. But these $300 is a total waste that you'll never recover.

[kgg]

2 hours ago, Logankm said:

I know at about the $1,000 mark there are the sailrite machines and I could possibly bring that with me on the truck even. 

For the price range:

i) Hand operated you could also look at the one armed bandits (Tippmann Boss and Cowboy Outlaw).

ii) Motor operated maybe the Reliable Barracuda would be an alternative to the Sailrite for about $600 new.

iii) Used Industrial machine.

kgg