OK What is it going to cost me?

[SVanderkolff]

What will it cost me for a leather sewing machine that work all the time every time. I have a Tippmann Boss which is tempermental. I never have been able to get it to work on every stich every time I use it. I only make sheaths when I have to so maybe 30 a year and I have neither the time nor the inclination to spend a bunch of time fine tuning the Tippmann everytime I have to use it. Now from what I have heard if you are mechanically inclined and know how to talk to machines then these are wonderful companions but for those of us who are the "turn it on and it better work" type, maybe not so great. SO back to my question, what do you recommend for a leather sewing amchine that will work evey time all the time.
Thanks
Steve

 

[rayban]

I have a Cowboy 3500 (441 clone) ..have had it two years now and all I've had to do with it is oil it religiously, and make some tension adjustments as I change leather thicknesses...but there are things that can go haywire on em....I've broken needles, had knots in the thread, skipped stitches because of bad leather......my dog usually leaves the shop when such things happen because he doesn't care for the tone of my voice ......and I have my dealer/friend/mechanic/customer service man on my speed dial, and he answers my calls, so that helps too.
But for one that works perfectly all the time, every time.......I don't know if they've made that one yet.

 

[leatherman]

Rayban said it very well, there's no machine out there that is totally reliable. There's simply too many moving parts.

The Tippman is the simplest machine out, fewer parts means less to go wrong and less to adjust. The one we owned had very few issues and was a breeze to adjust. Our current Artisan is still getting tuned in after months.

The Tippman is also very fickle about making sure you use a full stroke on the handle, it will goof every time if you dont. Thread tension is also critical, and that is on every machine.

 

[Skystorm]

I use my hands, They work every single time. I just use the Tippmann to punch the holes. By the time I get the thing setup to sew, change thread, adjust the tension give it a test run I could have already sewed the sheath by hand.

 

[Rick Lowe]

I got my Tippmann last May and have done over 150 sheaths and just as many rifle related products since then. Was a little dicey getting tension right and you sure do have to bring that stroke all the way up every time. It finally developed some issues that tech support couldn't correct by phone and had to ship back to the factory last Monday. Just received an email from Tippmann saying it has been shipped back and will have it this coming Monday. Yeah, it hasn't worked every single stroke, but it's on the third pound spool of thread and my fingers have never felt better. Gotta say you can't ask for better customer service than what is provided by Tippmann.