Buying a sewing machine. I have it narrowed down to Juki and Sailrite. Looking for opinions.

[Coldautumndays]

Hello everyone! I am going to buy a sewing machine later this month and I have it narrowed down to the Juki TL-2000Qi and the Sailrite LSZ-1.

Both machines have walking feet but the Juki has regular feet too. The Juki will do a zigzag stitch which I think would be good for making tree straps but is it necessary?

I want to make my own tarps and hammocks and try making a backpack too.

This is the Juki:
Juki 2000Qi

And this is the Sailrite.
Sailrite LSZ-1

I am leaning more toward the Juki but I would like some opinions and feedback. Does anyone have experience with either of these machines?

Thank you so much!

Anne Marie

[jellyfish]

If I’m understanding the Juki model, it does not have speed control. I would want that in any new machine.

[Coldautumndays]

If I’m understanding the Juki model, it does not have speed control. I would want that in any new machine.

Edit. I didn't notice where you said NOT. It does not have built in speed control but after watching some youtube videos you can sew very slowly with this machine with good foot pedal control.

Yes. After watching some youtube videos about it the machine seems to have really good speed control. It's funny that you commented because I just watched your video on making tree straps.

[jellyfish]

Looks like the sailrite does have speed control and will also zig zag.

[ScooterInVegas]

Out of the two listed, I would buy the Juki myself.

I do have a question though. What are you going to sew with your new machine? For ripstop and general outdoor nylon type projects, you could save a lot of money on a cheaper model of Juki. I looked at a lot of sewing machines (including the TL-2000) before buying my mine, and I'm really happy with the Juki HZL-LB5020. It was $299 shipped (amazon). It has the three main functions I wanted, needle down, speed control and zig zag. I've made tarps, quilts, stuff sacks, tree straps and it's worked perfectly.

I'm not trying to discourage you from buying the TL-2000, it's a very nice machine but rather saying a good, lower priced machine will get you excellent results and save you some money.

The TL-2000 does have a knee lift and an automatic thread trimmer though, which is really cool.

[Redoleary]

A number of years ago I went down to Sailrite and looked at their machines, I told them what I wanted to do with it, ie: sew light weight fabrics, and they said that they didn’t recommend that machine for that. You will note that all their propaganda on the machine speaks to its ability to power through heavy stuff... nothing about light stuff.

[Adventures42day]

I was on the same path as you about a year ago. It's the thin lightweight materials we use that you'll want to consider, not so much the less sewn heavy duty stuff. The heavy duty is a consideration, but a sharp needle and slow pace, so as not to mess up the machine timing, and most quality machines will handle the job.
I looked at the Sailrite, but as I dug deeper, the reviews started to get less impressive. I looked at industrial machines. They're expensive and basically do one type of stitch only. On the plus side, my local industrial sewing machine shop is run by a great crew and the sewing tools and thread are much less expensive.
I finally narrowed it down to a Juki or Janome. The Juki came stock with about 12 feet options and a large, flat quilt arm attachment. The Janome didn't. Still a great machine, but those extra parts would have cost a couple hundred to add. Juki has the best industrial background, and brings that into their home machines. Whatever you decide, take several samples of the kinds of materials and thread you'll be using and go into the shop to sew all the different stitches in the shop. Ask about their warranty and service, meet the service guy, if you can. I found a semi local shop that has great customer service and won't charge you $180 just to look at the machine +$ to fix it.
I can't imagine doing these projects without a knee lift, speed control, needle up down control, auto back stitch, and a great machine light. I could do without, but now that I have those options, I've become accustomed to the good life and some of those tight corners I've sewn myself into aren't as bad.
Good luck, the machine is only the beginning. Laying out 12' silpoly panels is a whole other discussion.

[swoody126]

zig-zag is a nice feature and 2 of my machines have that ability

HOWEVER the research results i have found are not in favor of zig-zag for strap strength

here is a chart i find usefull


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Ax...g=w874-h716-no


hope i haven't burst your bubble

sw

[mathineer]

Out of the two listed, I would buy the Juki myself.

I do have a question though. What are you going to sew with your new machine? For ripstop and general outdoor nylon type projects, you could save a lot of money on a cheaper model of Juki. I looked at a lot of sewing machines (including the TL-2000) before buying my mine, and I'm really happy with the Juki HZL-LB5020. It was $299 shipped (amazon). It has the three main functions I wanted, needle down, speed control and zig zag. I've made tarps, quilts, stuff sacks, tree straps and it's worked perfectly.

I'm not trying to discourage you from buying the TL-2000, it's a very nice machine but rather saying a good, lower priced machine will get you excellent results and save you some money.

The TL-2000 does have a knee lift and an automatic thread trimmer though, which is really cool.

The HZL-5020 looks like a really sweet machine for the price. I have a Singer 4423 which has plenty of power, and I've gotten to where I can sew fairly well with it, but having speed control and up/down needle control would be extremely helpful. I've found ways to work around not having those features, but they're kludgey. I find that normal, zig-zag, and buttonhole are the only features I use.

mathineer

[johnspenn]

What is a "knee-lift" and what advantage does it provide? (Very ignorant, sorry for the hijack and thanks for your patience!)