Do You Have a Consew Machine?
 

I'm looking at a Consew 206RB-5 Walking Foot Industrial Sewing Machine to buy. They are not cheap, but I've been needing an industrial sewing machine for some time and I think I'm going to bite the bullet and get one. Does anyone out there have experience with Consew machines? Thanks.

I have one--bought from my son who bought it used to do car upholstery. I'm not sure how old it is, but is a 206RB. Does straight stitch only, forward/reverse, walking foot. Think it uses a #19 needle--don't find those at Joanne's! They do take a bit to get used to as very powerful, so when you push down the foot pedal, it can take off on you. The other thing I learned is that to get the presser foot up, by stepping barely on the foot pedal it disengages the clutch on the motor and makes it easier to lift that presser foot lever. They will sew through anything--leather, multiple layers of denim, etc. I haven't used to quilt on it but have seen it done by a company in Stover MO where they had an overhead track system and "frame" clamps for the quilt that they then did edge to edge designs on the Consew machines--it was mesmerizing but think the learning curve would be steep!
I have used for upholstery and bag projects.

Other nice thing about it is that it's easy to maintain as all mechanical except the electrical motor which is placed where it would be easy to replace if it quit.

Jordan's of Oregon uses a Consew CN 2230-R It's max stitch rate is 5000. Way too fast for me. It is a light to medium weight and doesn't have the walking foot. I have considered buying one because I like the narrow feed dogs. Both my Brother's have the wider feed dogs and often I have issues with only one side of the feed dogs on the fabric. At least that is what I am blaming my curvy seams on. lol

My husband has a Thompson Mini-Walker industrial walking foot machine and I cannot sew on it. Those little feet coming marching at me throws off any attention I can pay to keeping the seam straight right out the window. He sews all kinds of upholstery and stuff with his and does a beautiful job. I have never had anything I needed to sew that was heavy enough that I had to use it.

I don't know anything about the Consew you are looking at. However, reading the description on Amazon it sounds like it's for heavier fabrics - not quilting cotton weight. I sew with leather and have an industrial Juki machine for that purpose. I make purses and stuff like out of leather with it. It does NOT sew lightweight cotton. The thread you use is too heavy and the fabric bunches up. I would try to find out more about this machine before purchasing it.
I also have a Juki 150 QVP which is an "in-between" machine (in my head)...between a domestic machine and an industrial. This machine will sew heavier fabrics, at 2500 stitches per minute. A beast! But it does not have a walking foot so doesn't do well on leather and vinyl.
What do you want to sew with this new machine? Are you looking to sew heavier fabrics or just have a faster running machine?

Thanks everyone...great input and advice. I am looking to sew leather, thick blankets and heavy canvas on this machine. I have a lot of projects that require a lot more oomph than my domestic machines can provide. I had some extra cash come my way yesterday, so I went ahead and purchased i. It should arrive in about a week, or possibly two. I'm very excited to set it up and start using it. Now, where the heck am I going to put it? I hope that it can break down for storage when not in use.

That suspended frame sounds crazy!

I used Consew machines in a couple of former jobs I've had. They are great. Dependable and strong enough to sew thru your arm... quickly. The servo motor is noisy, and runs all the time, not just when you put your foot on the pedal. It's a bit of an adjustment from using a domestic machine.

I think you have the motors backward in your head. (said with a smile...not trying to be snarky). The CLUTCH motors run all the time and are noisy. The SERVO motor runs when you push in the pedal and are quiet.

It sounds like I'd better take a few days to practice on it, before I tackle any big projects. I'm super excited about getting it. It should arrive in about 1 week.

Does anyone know if the table folds down easily for storage?

I'm a little confused by some of the comments. Isn't that what Donna Jordan uses? If it is, she makes a lot of quilts on it with cotton fabrics. Somebody??? :)

I'm pretty sure that you can use it on cotton quilts too. I plan to do the machine quilting with it.