On Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:56:49 -0700, "Capt. JG"
wrote:
"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in message
...
I apologize in advance for the "Skip length" post but I thought this might
be useful.
I have been considering a machine to make things like cockpit cushions,
interior upholstery, Bimini and maybe even a Stackpak. I had been
constantly advised not to waste my time on a portable but look for a
"cheap" industrial. Well, there ain't no "cheap" industrials around here.
Even if there were it wouldn't fit in the boat and the list of other
things needing the next $1,000+ out of the boat kitty is long.
snipped
We then turned the machines over to look at the guts. Again it was almost
impossible to find any difference. All 4 have all metal parts. No
plastic in the works. The Sailrite did have a couple of cranks that looked
a little better machined but not by much. All 4 were tight with virtually
no play. The Thompson, Sailrite and Reliable were made in Taiwan and I
would swear they came off the same line using the same molds. The
Mini-Brute is made in China and there is a bit more roughness in the
castings but nothing that would effect performance that I could tell.
All of them have 1/10th HP motors geared way down to sew 800-900
stitches/minute which is plenty fast for my fingers. The Monster Wheel
will gear down all of them even slower and gives a lot more punching
power.
The Sailrite sells for $970 with the monster wheel but it also comes with
a wood case and $100 worth of good training and maintenance videos on CDs.
The Reliable sells for $500 with a plastic case. Add a monster wheel and
the Sailrite videos and you are close to $720.
The Mini-Brute sells for $600 with no case but has 2" more work room under
the arm. Add the Monster Wheel and CDs and you are at $800.
I don't think the Thompson zigzag is made anymore.
One down side of all of them is that they use hard to find presser feet.
Zipper and welt foot sets cost $60-$65 each and you need both to do any
decent cushions. Industrial presser feet are half that. The Reliable
comes with a 3/16" welt foot and the Mini-Brute comes with a 1/4" welt
foot. To sew 2 layers of Sunbrella over 5/32" welt cord you really need a
1/4" welt foot so score $60 to the Mini-Brute. Zipper feet are a
different matter. Cushions need zippers to avoid a lot of hand sewing and
you really need a zipper foot to get close to the teeth.
I am leaning toward the Mini-Brute even if it is made in China because I
can see that extra 2" will come in handy.
--
Glenn Ashmore
I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com
I had the same idea, but couldn't find anything used that seemed worth
buying. I ended up going to a sewing machine store, and I bought a Janome,
Sewist 521. I watched the salesperson sew five really think pieces without
any problem. I paid under $200 for it, and it came with a nice warranty. It
may not be perfect, but it sure is useful. There was a short learning curve,
wherein I went through a couple of needles, mostly because I tried to go too
fast. I did some zippers on Sunbrella right the first time I tried. Not sure
if this helps any...
I have a Zig Zag Brother similar to the model previously sold by
SailRite that I bought as a bare machine in Singapore. I installed a
motor and built a box for it and have been using it for nearly ten
years. It is an older version of the ZZ 567, line. the accessories can
be purchased at any commercial sewing machine place. I have sewed a
complete mainsail with it. the only place that it can't quite hack it
is on the corner reinforcing. I can't sew the last six inches of the
corner patches.
The prices you are quoting for both the machine and the parts seem, to
me, to be unusually high. Are you being quoted these numbers from a
commercial shop or from Sailrite? If from SailRite you should be aware
that their prices ARE high.
Bruce-in-Bangkok
(correct email address for reply)