[UNEEKONE]

I am new to this site (which is a freakin' gold mine!) and I need help picking the right sewing machine! I recently picked up a Pfaff 230 Automatic and had it serviced. It works great, sews through 4 layers of vinyl with ease, has reverse, but only has a max stitch length of around 3mm. I am looking for a machine with at least twice that amount, reverse, table mounted with a knee lifter, walking foot, etc. etc. I plan to sell the Pfaff to finance some of the new machine which I hope to be less than $500. I've read as many articles on here as I could find over my lunch break the last few days and found a few with good info. But I am still not certain which machine I should buy... I am considering a Consew 225, Mitsubishi LU2-420, and a Juki LU-563. Any insight on any of these machines from the experts in the crowd would be awesome!

[DanTwoLakes]

Check out the search feature on this site, and you will find this thread: CLICK HERE

[UNEEKONE]

I did use the search feature... I also read through all of those threads as well. Lots of talk about the Consews and a bit about the Jukis. Not much about the Mitsubishi's except for one thread that was not fond of them. Should I just bite the bullet and pick up a Juki LU-563? I just bought this mint sewing table with a clutch motor off Craigslist for only $20! Now I just need to get the right machine...

[Coodeville]

Originally Posted by UNEEKONE

I did use the search feature... I also read through all of those threads as well. Lots of talk about the Consews and a bit about the Jukis. Not much about the Mitsubishi's except for one thread that was not fond of them. Should I just bite the bullet and pick up a Juki LU-563? I just bought this mint sewing table with a clutch motor off Craigslist for only $20! Now I just need to get the right machine...

Don't forget the Singer 111W's - I just got one and love it. Get rid of the clutch motor. I just saw CONSEW servo motors on eBay at a great price.

[DanTwoLakes]

Most of the machines you're talking about, including the Consew 225 and 226, Juki LU 563, and Mitsubishi LU2-400 and LU2-410 are clones of the original workhorse Singer 111W. There are at least 20 clones out there, all of them will work well for you. The Mitsubishi LU2-420 is a double needle machine, and I would not recommend it for what you want to do.

Coodeville is right about the servo motor. A beginning sewer will learn to sew ten times faster than trying to learn with a machine with a clutch motor.

[UNEEKONE]

Any thoughts on old verse new Pfaff 1245s? Did they really screw it up with the new model or is that just someone's opinion?

[DanTwoLakes]

Pfaff is a great German company, and their 1245 is what I learned on. I'm not familiar with the newer ones, but the older ones were state of the art. Parts are common and easy to find, but more expensive than the other sewing machines. If you can find an older one for a reasonable price, jump on it. If you find one in good working order for less than $1000 complete with motor and table, that would be a bargain.

[UNEEKONE]

Okay, so I finally found a good deal on a Juki 563N. I picked it up a week or so ago for only $500. It came with the table, spool rack, light and it has a clutch motor. I've been practicing with it just a little bit and have found it to be very easy to control. I can sew stitch by stitch without having to worry about controlling the machine. I've read time and time again that the clutch motor should be replaced with a servo motor but I'm having a hard time seeing why I should do this. Is there something that I am missing regarding how the servo motor will help me be a better sewer? Some insight would be much appreciated (especially since I already have a Consew 3/4hp Servo motor sitting in my garage waiting to be installed, but I am thinking that I'll not use it now...).

[DanTwoLakes]

You got a great deal on your machine. The sell new for $1800. You don't have to change to a servo motor. Your Juki would be a lot easier to learn on because it has a max speed of 2500 stitches per minute, whereas a lot of industrial machines, including mine, have a max speed of 3500 stitches per minute. Your machine also may have had a smaller pulley put on the clutch motor to slow it down even more. If you can operate the clutch motor with no problems, keep it.

I suggest changing to a servo because some new sewers are so overwhelmed at the speed of the industrial machine that they get discouraged and then give up on trying to learn to sew. The servo lets you turn the speed down to next to nothing until you're comfortable with the speed of the machine. I like the servo because my machines are on all day long and I hate the sound of the clutch motors running and the electricity they waste. The servos are only on and drawing electricity when the foot pedal is pushed.

BTW, a 1/2 H.P. servo would have been plenty. I have a heavy duty long arm Singer 144 W 204 that runs just fine with a 1/2 H.P. servo.

[Coodeville]

Originally Posted by UNEEKONE

Okay, so I finally found a good deal on a Juki 563N. I picked it up a week or so ago for only $500. It came with the table, spool rack, light and it has a clutch motor. I've been practicing with it just a little bit and have found it to be very easy to control. I can sew stitch by stitch without having to worry about controlling the machine. I've read time and time again that the clutch motor should be replaced with a servo motor but I'm having a hard time seeing why I should do this. Is there something that I am missing regarding how the servo motor will help me be a better sewer? Some insight would be much appreciated (especially since I already have a Consew 3/4hp Servo motor sitting in my garage waiting to be installed, but I am thinking that I'll not use it now...).

You did get a great price. I got my Singer 111W153 for 400 but I would have paid 100 morefor a model with reverse