Oh man, did that feel weird or what!?!?
For the second time in my life, I pulled the trigger and bought myself a brand spankin’ new sewing machine. Not any old machine, but a Sailrite Leatherwork sewing machine.
If you’re familiar with the Sailrite line of machines, you’ll know that the LS-1 and LSZ-1 are beefy, walking foot class 15 machines in the same basic form factor as a vintage Singer. Instead of 15X1 needles, they are set up to use 135X16 and 17, but use a standard class 15 “1 o’clock” bobbin case. The bobbin case pretty much limits them to a maximum of V-92 thread, but that’s perfectly fine with me.
I was originally considering a Juki DU 1181N, and they are great machines, but went with the Sailrite for several reasons, not the least of is actual factory support for parts if required. Another factor was footprint; our sewing room serves also as my home office space, and the full sized industrial tables required for the 1181N is just too large for our available space. The width under the arm is less for the Sailrite than the Juki, but that’s not a big deal either, so the smaller size should work out just fine. Last, but not least; the servo motor on the Sailrite is geared down for greater power and slower speed, which is something I can 100% get behind. I don’t want, nor need a high speed machine, but the additional power from the gear reduction will be a welcome feature.
In the end, the price tag was about the same as the Juki, maybe just a little less. The Leatherwork is set up initially as a leather machine (duh) so I spent a tidy sum of money on the other available feed dogs and walking feet. I could have just bought an LS-1, but then I’d have had to buy a table to use it with a servo motor, so this turned out to be the best deal. I’ll post more about it when it arrives and we get a few projects under our belt.
Stay tuned…
PS – The first brand new machine I bought was a Toyota Super Jeans J-34. While I don’t use it, I keep it around to remind me that I dislike lightweight, plastic sewing machines…