Do you own an Industrial Machine?
 

I am considering purchasing an industrial machine. If you have one , which brand and how do you like it? If you had to so it again would you? Also, I am addicted to my 1/4 inch foot... so can you get other feet for your machine?

I had one for a few months before passing it on. They really are only good at sewing thru thickness of fabric.

I don't own one, but a previous job entailed sewing on one. It was a Juki, and I loved it. It sewed very fast, and had a knee lift, which I loved. They will sew on anything, heavy or lightweight. We sewed mainly on Marimekko (sp) fabric, which is 100% cotton.

When I had my Upholstery shop I used a Pfaff 545 with a walking foot. The walking foot is different than the one we use on a home sewing machine. It consists of two separate feet. I had it converted to use Singer feet because of the cost of the feet. Pfaff feet were like $50 and up for the different feet I needed for work. As it was Singer was sometimes 75% less in price.
I had to use several different sized welt (cording or piping) feet, a double welt foot was a must have. Then my walking foot set up, a regular flat foot for everyday sewing, and several more I don't recall what they were.
Having one in its own table and the heavy duty motor mounted underneath is ideal. Make sure the table is solid and level and no signs of warping.

I have seen several industrial machines on Craigslist so they are out there. Take several different types of fabrics with you, nothing to thin to the machine will just eat it up. If you have a piece of leather bring that and double it up or even triple layer it. It should go through the leather with little resistance, I loved that in my machine.

Most important is watch your finger placement. These machines runs faster than our home sewers. And it is VERY easy to run over a few digits before you know it.

what do you what to accomplish with it? They come in all sorts of configurations. I have a boot patcher, a hemstitcher and a blind hemmer. Then I've go another that is just straight stitch - full speed ahead and that's it.

I'm considering getting a buttonholer, just because they are fun to watch. I was considering a chain stitch embroidery machine, but it sold before I could get there (400 miles away). There are some neat super long arm ones out there too, I know one person used them to quilt upholstery fabric before putting it on furniture.

The folks I know that have/use them use both Juki and Singer. Juki has a knee control; Singer is foot pedal. Both are quick. These folks are mostly sewing rip-stop nylon in either two thicknesses or french felled seams. Sometimes a combination of rip-stop and webbing. And then there are the instances they are sewing heavy canvas and/or vinyl or a combination of those two materials.

I have two U20 machines. One for 40 years the other a little less. They are my only machines and do zigzag and straight stitch only. One is set up one way the other the other way. I burned out the first motor 40 years ago and had it replaced with a larger one, the newer machine came with a larger motor and a knee lift which I NEED for the satin stitch. I service them myself.

My goal is to have a machine that can run at the faster speeds, and use a 1/4 inch foot. Having the ability to use other special feet would be a big plus. The longer throat is also a big plus.

The Juki 98 Q will accomplish what you want, if you only do straight stitching. I have used mine to sew many layers when making quilted purses. I was able to buy a set of 25 feet on ebay for it. It is a true workhorse. Great for just piecing also.
I've had mine for many years and never have had any problems. I think it must be a terrific machine because you never see a used on for sale. BTW, 3 of my friends got one and love them as much as I do. One of those friends had a true industrial machine and sold it because it really wasn't good for quilting.

I had one for about a year but found I didn't use it like I thought I would. Since it took up so much room, I sold it.