Leather Sewing Machine, Cobbler Sewing Machine, Manual Shoe Sewing Machine

Having looked at many of the previous reviews, I was fully expecting a machine requiring some detail overhaul before working properly, but was pleasantly surprised to receive one that worked pretty much perfectly right out of the box. It arrived packaged nicely with no apparent damage, but being as skeptical of the overall quality as I was, found myself sort of a chuckling when I noticed a small “QC Pass” sticker placed near the needle actuator assembly – figuring it was just a gimmick to suggest the machine had been thoroughly tested at some point regardless of what the consumer might actually receive. But there was also a small piece of scrap leather still under the presser foot with several rows of what looked like decent stitches, so I figured who knows, guess we’ll find out soon enough. And as I’ve already stated, other than cleaning off some of the protective oil coating and installing the drive plate, I was able to start sewing almost immediately. Not sure if I just got lucky, or they possibly took some of the negative reviews to heart, and began to actually inspect and adjust each machine as required, but regardless of what reality might be going forward for others, thought I should at least report my own experience. As already mentioned by others, a guy by the name of Harrison Hightower has put together some wonderful YouTube videos on this machine covering everything from basic set-up & sewing tips, to complete machine overhaul. Needless to say, extremely helpful if you decide to take the plunge.

Set up was easy and machine was ready to go. Qualityand value for the money seems great. I use to sew patches on hats. Very functional and so easy to sew on. Threading bobbin can be a little tricky.

I don't know how I got so unlucky, but if I had a dollar for every sharp edge that frays and cuts my thread, I could probably buy a second one of these machines. I guess other people get lucky, but the one I got is a bigger mess than it's worth. Oh, and it's dangerous. A lot of edges that you wouldn't expect are sharp enough to shave with, and it's going to be a couple weeks before some of my fingers heal. So, there's that. Maybe from another seller, they're okay. Maybe. The one I got is on a whole other level of bad finish. I'm 2 full days deep into finishing this junk, and I'm now finding that the spring in the bobbin is basically a razor blade as well. I also had to use vise grips to remove my presser foot because they tightened the screws so tight that they came stripped. That seems to be the case on a lot of the screws and bolts. And they're all ridiculously soft metal. Finally, despite the obscene level of grease that came caked on this machine, it's also about 15-25% rust. But, hey, I can sew a 2 inch line in some leather before the thread gets too frayed by the bobbin spring. Avoid this thing.

Do not buy this instead of a singer or Brother if you want to use if for a NORMAL type sewing machine. For 100 or so dollars this is a good deal for sewing leather and "stuff". This is not an all in one machine. I did not pay attention to the bottom bobbin case when I went to put thread on BECARFUL!!! with this system it is very easy to get the timing of the bottom bobbin off. I also filed the bottom bobbin case around the "bottom on the edge to round the edge a bit. This will help the top thread slip by or around the lower bobbin case (the one filed). Playing around I can sew upholstery weight cloth to the cutout, side-panel of a plastic coffee can. I gave it 5 stars because, it works like its supposed to, it is a really good deal for the money, and it is built like a tiger tank.

gift for brother , he likes it but had to make a stand to put it on say the stand that came with it is to low and doesn't support it.

Bit of a pain to get dialed in as there's more to the machine than instructions include but if you look up Harrison Hightower on YouTube, he has a lot of great tips and tutorials on the machine that really helped me get this thing rolling. Can't say anything bad about this. Just be warned it's not perfect out of the box. You have spend a few hours filing some things down and dialing a few settings in but for the price, it's worth it compared to buying a $600-$3,000 machine. Good buy Added a few brass washers in between the arms and the machine to smoothen up the roll as well as added LEDs as it's hard to see when working with dark leathers. Some of the bobbins it came with had rough edges that would catch in the shuttle causing the bottom thread to keep breaking. Tried everything and eventually noticed it was the bobbin itself so if you come across the same problem, check the perimeter of your bobbin and sand it down

worked as it should, still learning, nothing that i dont like

For the price it's very good. I took away one star because of the stand. The stand is to cheap and flimsy. Plan on making your own stand. I used 3/4 inch thick plywood. 1 foot by 2 feet as the base. I cut up 3 pieces of 1x6 pine board, 6 Inches long. With wood glue I stacked all three pieces on top of each other. Drilled two holes for the mounting bolts. Bolts were 1/4-20. The bolts were 3.5 to 4 inches long. I used washers on top for proper adjustment for bolt length. The nuts on the bottom were for prong tee nut.