Glenn Ashmore wrote:
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.

This weekend I had a visitor to the boat shed who was in the sewing
machine repair business and he invited me over to his shop for the
rare opportunity to get a look at 4 different portable and 2
industrial walking foot zigzag machines side by side.

The industrials were a Juki and a Consew. Both were BIG, over $1,200
and down right dangerous for a beginner.. Put a piece of Sunbrella
in the Juki and pressed the foot treadle. Scared the hell out of me.
Damned thing like to have ate my arm!

The portables were an old Thompson, a Sailrite LSZ-1, a Reliable
2000U33 and a Mini-Brute. From the general look I couldn't tell the
difference other than the Mini-Brute was 2" longer under the arm and
the Sailrite had the monster wheel installed. All four were al lot
easier to control and at least to my untrained eye sewed 6 layers of
Sunbrella equally well but the Sailrite ran a little easier at low
speed. We took the Monster Wheel off the Sailrite and put on each of
the others in turn and they improved to about the same low speed
performance.

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.

As one who has spent a lifetime in the sewing industry, I can sympathise
with your fear of heavy industrial machines. Our operators could control
these monsters at speeds of up to 6500 stitches-per-minute (yes, that's more
than 100 stitches-per-second!) But this was their liveliehood, and it ain't
yours!

However, all industrial machines have clutch motors, and some have
"stopright" motors with electronic clutches that can run the machine so
slowly that you can actually watch the needle going through the fabric in
slow motion! I would suggest that you have been misled, and the dealer was
trying to sell you a pup.

A stopright-fitted machine has one advantage in that it will always stop
dead with the needle either at the exact bottom of the stroke (in the
fabric), allowing you to turn the fabric using the needle as a fulcrum, or
by back-heeling it will do a half-revolution AND trim the two threads at the
same time, (no scissors required).

Naturally this is a tremendous advantage to a skilled operator who can run
the machine at or near it's maximum speed, but less so for an amateur sewing
enthusiast to whom accuracy demands a slower speed.

The key to good industrial sewing machines is the motor, not the machine.
Almost all the machines are made to very high standards, but many of the
older ones are sold second-hand with crappy single-phase motors, hence the
virtual impossibilty of running them at "idling" speeds. If you can find one
with an electronic clutch motor you can run it so slow you will fall asleep
watching it.

I confess to knowing little about "domestic" machines, except to look for
one where the hook and base (thats the revolving spool case beneath the
needle plate), is configured the same as on an industrial machine, the
spoolcase looks much the same as on an industrial machine, and is vertical,
i.e. perpendicular to the bottom shaft, and not horizontal (facing upwards).
This configuration is vital when sewing several plies of heavy fabric.

Many lightweight domestic machines are simply too fragile for heavy usage,
no matter what the makers claim. From your descriptions, it would seem to me
that the Sailrite or the Mini-Brute would be your best bet. The ability to
take different sizes of needle (thickness) would be one facility that would
sway me, as thicker fabrics definitey need thicker needles. Also watch out
for the availablity of ballpoint needles when sewing knitted or lightweight
fabrics (e.g. spinnaker fabrics) which can be prone to needle damage if
treated roughly.

Many RTW racing sailboats carry sewing machines to carry out sail repairs en
route. You could ask around and try to find some guy who has crewed on one
of these machines and ask what make, type etc they use, and how good they
are.

Ziog-zag machines are a different matter. No industrial operator would use a
zig-zag machine that was not a "dedicated" zig-zag, i.e. it will NOT do
straight-line sewing, however, recent advances in technology have brought us
quite reliable and versatile domestic machines which can do both zig-zag and
straight without any tendency to mis-stitch, so long as you use them slowly.

I saw a beautifull domestic overlock machine yesterday in a store in
Glasgow. This was a 3-thread overlocker, domestic weight admittedly, but
very well constructed, for £120 brand new! Such a machine in industrial
weight configuration would cost thousands. So we are moving in the right
direction, and your wife would find such a machine far more useful than the
domestic lockstitch machine she has bought which claims to do everything!
(Not much uise for making berth cushions, unless you are a perfectionist and
want them to look as good inside as outside!).

I wish you luck in your search. If industrial machines scare you, or you
have no room for these, then a compromise machine which is well constructed
and could be classed as a "heavy domestic machine" is your best bet.

Dennis.