Where to buy banner sewing machine?

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Or should we even fool with it?
Brands to look for?
Anyone got one?

 

[SignManiac]

Have a used Juki machine here we paid about $500.00 for. Got it off a buddy who manufactures skydiving harness/containers. It's an industrial machine and hasn't given us any trouble.

 

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I guess the question is..am I just looking for an industrial sewing machine of any kind or is there something specific I should look for..

 

[WildWestDesigns]

I guess the question is..am I just looking for an industrial sewing machine of any kind or is there something specific I should look for..

Any of your commercial machines should do the job. There is nothing special about the stitching that's specific to this type of job.

Some would suggest getting a dual needle, you can actually use what is called a twin needle in a single needle unit, the bobbin would just alternate between each needle.

Be careful when looking at Juki machines, there are actually two companies out there named Juki. If I recall correctly Juki Co is the one that you would want to get for industrial use. Juki LTD is for the home market. Now, don't get me wrong, they do put out some built stuff that will last better then some of your more traditional home machines, but they are home machines none the less. I have an overlock machine that is about as old as I am and it handles my low run patch run (or if I need all machines on deck, I'll bring it out) and it's made by Juki LTD.

Juki LTD was started by former Juki Co employees that believed Juki should also get in the home market. At least that was the rumor for the new company.

 

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Thanks guys!...ima looking

Some nice antiques on ebay, probably good as new

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

Stick with a Lockstitch type machine, we have a chainstitch which works but its not as secure as a Lockstitch... we will soon upgrade.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Stick with a Lockstitch type machine, we have a chainstitch which works but its not as secure as a Lockstitch... we will soon upgrade.

That must be one of the older sewing machines if it's a sewing machine doing a chain stitch. Unless you have one that was used to sew up feed bags or seed bags (Overlock machines will do the same thing). But those are designed to be easily undone.

 

[petesign]

We have a double needle chainstitch Singer 300w. I'd say it's the second worst purchase we ever made (right after the daige laminator) Actually, maybe it's worse. At least we got by with the daige.

We bought ours refurbished and it has broken down at least 10 times requiring someone to come look at it. The only person around here who can fix it is a 87 year old man who used to work on them back in the day when there were still a lot of textiles made around here. I would love to send it back to the company we bought it from. Maybe all singer 300w's arent a colossal cluster***, but this one is. Buy a juki, get a nice one, and never look back.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

Ours is a Consew 3302P its was made in the early 2000's for bag strapping... We bought it cause it was a killer deal and couldn't pass it up, now we want to upgrade to a sturdier stitch.

 

[GAC05]

If you don't know much about sewing and need good support after the sale these guys have been very good to us:
http://www.sailrite.com/

wayne k
guam usa

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Ours is a Consew 3302P its was made in the early 2000's for bag strapping... We bought it cause it was a killer deal and couldn't pass it up, now we want to upgrade to a sturdier stitch.

What about attachments?

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

It has the Puller, Table, and Bobbin Stand with 3 new tensioners

 

[WildWestDesigns]

It has the Puller, Table, and Bobbin Stand with 3 new tensioners

I knew it had the pulley as that is the "P" in the model number.

Your biggest thing is that even Consew says that it can do seams if you have the correct attachment. Although a generic seam stitch is not a hem, but the difference between the two isn't so much the stitch, but what is done on the fabric before it's stitched together.

I think though the proper attachment is what you are missing, however, I would say need to get something with a lock stitch. A chain stitch by it's very nature is designed to be undone easier. Like I said, that's why it's used with feed/seed bags that I get for the farm.

To the OP: I forgot to mention, look for something with dual feed or at the very least a walking foot. While a walking foot isn't as good as dual feed, it's better then not having anything at all. Commercial Pfaff machines for sure should have the dual feed as they had the patent on that til they let it lapse a couple of years ago. I know in the home market more and more machines are coming out with dual feeds now, but commercial is slow to change as quickly (my commercial embroidery machines just now managed to have CF/USB card slots instead of the small floppy disk slots).

 

[Matt-Tastic]

Dual needles and lock stitch is your best bet. Unless you want to go threadless, in which case the Miller Weldmasters are awesome. i've seen them in action both in customer shops and at shows, and they are great.

Regardless, look for used commercial sewing machines if that is what you are after. I've got a customer that uses monofilament fishing line in an old singer that runs like a top!

 

[Fastsigns2041]

Look for a model that has a spool feed for the bottom instead of bobbins. We used to have a lock-stitch machine that used giant spools on top and tiny bobbins on the bottom, which meant constantly running out of thread/monofilament and wasting time changing them every 50 feet or so.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Look for a model that has a spool feed for the bottom instead of bobbins. We used to have a lock-stitch machine that used giant spools on top and tiny bobbins on the bottom, which meant constantly running out of thread/monofilament and wasting time changing them every 50 feet or so.

Your thinking of a serger (overlock machine) if I'm understanding your description.

If you do that, I would think it would be best to make sure you get the ones without cutters or at least to where you can disengage the cutter.