Consew CP206RL Portable Walking Foot Machine

This machine is a beast. Out of the box, it was very tight. Had to take off the covers, oil it, run for 8 minutes (with varying speed), let it sit for an hour, repeat (oil each time) apx 8 times before it started to loosen up. I was able to put an 8 tooth gear on the motor (stock is 11) and that allows it to move nice and slow. After one rather complicated auto seat (bench, buckets, center console) it is thoroughly broken in and runs very well. Be aware that there are no 'set-it-and-forget-it' protections on this.. you have to adjust presser foot tension and thread tension with changes to material and thickness. I used DEX 90 thread with the included needles with good results. It's not fancy, it's not easy.. just a strong, simple work horse. Overall, I am very happy with it.

The pulleys from the the motor to the wheel do not line up very good so the belts are always binding to one side causing a lot of extra drag on the motor. The whole unit seemed like it was put together without oil. The stitch length and direction lever could not be moved without tipping the whole machine over. When it runs, the whole machine seems like it is working way to hard and very rough. The first time I used it, the motor got very hot and started smoking. The walking foot is very rough on fabric and not smooth in it's action at all. There are a bunch of fixes online you can do to these machines to fix these problems but I feel like I should be able to pull a brand new machine out of the box and have it work at least moderately well. At first I thought I could work with this machine by oiling and getting it broken in but have since decided that it is worse than the thrift store older machines I have which just work.

For the money this machine is a good value and fills an important niche between domestic and full-sized industrial sewing machines. I like it because it reliably feeds the thin leather I use for wallet and bag making, it uses industrial sized needles and thread, and it doesn't require a huge table or a messy oil pan. Regarding the leather I'm sewing, I have found that 3 layers of 2-3 oz veg is about max capacity for this machine.I would recommend this unit primarily for people who already know how to generally work on sewing machines. Right out of the box mine needed adjustments to the walking/presser feet height, the walking foot front to back movement range, and the needle bar height. I also had to polish the bottom of the walking foot because the teeth are sharper than necessary and will tear up materials with a smooth top surface. Of course, these machines need to be completely lubricated before their first use as well.Overall I'm satisfied and would buy again. Just be prepared to do some tuning to get the most out of this machine.

just what i wanted, quick and speedy service

I got this as an entry level leather machine to learn on before plunging into more expensive models. As is, this is does NOT do acceptable job of sewing leather. It runs too fast and the teeth MAR the leather. I had to make the following modifications: 1) Put a Monster II fly wheel (from Sailrite) on it. This works very well to slow machine and increase torque. Not sure if it will burn out the small motor more quickly though. Only down side is that I can no longer use the bobbin winder due to the need to tighten the hex screws to prevent wheel spinning on shaft. 2) I had to grind down the teeth of the feed dogs and upper feet to nubs and then put a layer of epoxy over them. Works great with only slight marks visible on the leather now and it still feeds well. Oh, and finding accessories (like zipper feet) online is impossible. This is a clone of a SailRite machine, but the SailRite feet don't fit (according to SailRite). However, I contacted Consew directly about this and they sent me zipper feet ($25 each). So, this will sew leather acceptably after making the above modifications. I am sure I will upgrade to a better machine later... probably a cylinder bed machine... which is something I learned by using this flatbed machine to learn on.

A third party seller. No phone number or email to contact them. Dont recommend. I bought a Consew CP206RL. The price was good and the shipping was fast. The item was double boxed and looked new. Once I opened the item the Styrofoam was broke up. I didn't think of it at first, since coming from China. I noticed metal circle glued on the back. I know that's for a aftermarket magnetic light. I know that doesn't come it from the factory. I notice sticker adhesive on the handle and other parts of the machine. The petal was repacked and missing a rubber piece. The shuttle slide was missing. I attempted to contact seller with no avail. I contacted Consew. They said to contact seller. I used Amazon service center. They helped me for about 30 minutes and was very helpful but only can recommend returning the machine. This thing is very heavy. Not going to waste time repacking it and driving 45 minutes to return for a 20 dollar part. After the machine is oiled and warmed up it works as intended with no issues. I recommend spend a few extra dollars some where else commany that includes a case in your order. Going to order the part and no use this company again.