TeresaA

I'm looking at true industrial sewing machines, the non-portable ones with separate machine head and motor. I'm particularly looking at the Jukis DDL-8700, DDL5550 and DDL-9000 series. I already have an all-mechanical longarm quilter, so I'm well-versed in what industrial machines are like.

I've been watching Jordan Fabrics videos on You Tube, wherein Donna uses a Juki true industrial (an 8700? and also a Consew industrial) and I just really appreciate the power that these machines have. There is nothing like it on the domestic market, even in the semi-industrials. I have "test driven" one briefly, a DDL-9000C. With the newer servo motors, they are quiet and quite easy to control. I could go a bazillion miles per hour or take just one stitch every few seconds. So wonderful.

I searched this board to see if I could find mentions of these machines. And I did find a few. I saw that some people actually free motion quilt with these machines. I've seen some video on You Tube of people doing so, but I'm still a tiny bit skeptical.

So I guess my questions are directed to people who have experience with Juki "true" industrial machines.

What do you like about them? What do you dislike? Do you FMQ on them? If so, how did you set them up? The dealer recommended removing the feed dogs, putting on a darning plate (one with no feed dog slots), raising the presser foot height and of course, adding a TL-class high-shank quilting foot. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to try it out so I had no way of knowing for sure that it would work....so is it that easy? Do you like FMQing on these machines? What FMQ feet do you use? What else do I need to know?

I know that Juki has come out with a sewing and quilting machine based on the 9000C, but they've added very few features over the 9000C and have applied an extra $2000 to the MSRP over the base 9000C. I'd rather make one of the lesser machines work for my use rather than pay that premium. The dealer is confident that I can do so. Anyway...

Thanks for information/experience with these machines.

Gay

I don't have a Juki machine, but did have an older Bernina industrial, and sold it last year because the motor noise drove me nuts. My thoughts for quilting are - I don't think I would like to remove the feed dogs - how complicated is that & then to replace them for normal sewing. All I needed to do was set the stitch length on 0, and using the knee-lifter to hold the foot a little above the work instead of adjusting the pressure of the foot. Some who use domestic machines tape a piece of plastic (with a hole) over the feed dogs if they make sewing difficult. If I found a 'quiet' ind. machine I would buy it, just for the speed.

TeresaA

@Gay

Thank you very much for your insights! They are very helpful. Your tip of raising the presser foot slightly with the knee lifter is really interesting. I saw someone doing that when sewing decorative trims onto a wedding dress. She would sew straight for a second and then raise the presser foot with her knee and free motion the larger bits of the trim onto the dress, then back to straight stitching for the narrower parts.

I'm guessing that you had a clutch motor in your machine. Those make noise all the time, even when not sewing. The servo motors are more like domestic machine motors, don't run constantly and are very quiet. A modern Juki industrial is very quiet, easy to control and really robust.

Removing feed dogs is a matter of removing the stitching plate and un-screwing one screw. I haven't done it, but have seen many videos of it being done. Then when replacing the plate, you might as well put in a darning plate. But it would take two minutes. Then I would add a quilting foot and raise the presser foot pressure. Raising the presser foot pressure is something you probably have to do even with the Juki semi-industrials.

Macybaby

I got to sew on a new model Juki industrial at a recent quilt show. It's got a lot of electronics, and after having them go out after only 2 years on my domestic Juki, I'm not real thrilled with the warrenty - but they may have something different on the industrial. I still really like the Juki, but my DH really likes the Brother industrials. The Juki I tried had a servo motor.

I was super impressed with how slow it could go. Any industrial can sew your fingers off, but very few can also do the slow part. I've done factory sewing in the past so I'm use to sewing on them.

TeresaA

Most of them have servo motors now, which means they can pretty much all go slowly. And they have speed control, just like the semi-industrials via a rather inconvenient dial on the motor...

The warranty on the new computerized industrial Juki is ONLY 6 months! The dealer told me that they were made with more robust electronics to which I say ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

This hour, I'm thinking I'm steering more toward getting an all-mechanical industrial with just a synchronizer to facilitate needle-down. Probably in an hour, I'll have changed my mind, ha-ha.

Brothers are excellent machines. People rave about them, all the way from the bottom to the top of the line.

So which domestic Juki do you have? Hopefully, not one that I've considered....

Macybaby

I have the Juki 2010. it's sold as almost completely mechanical. So to have the thread cutter, needle stop down, and speed control I need to spend another $400 on a $1000 machine.

the good part, I learned how to disable the electronics (which were causing the machine to do strange things), so now I have a fully mechanical machine. It works just fine, I have to manually turn the wheel if I want the needle up, and manually cut the threads. At least the needle threader and knee lift are mechanical to start so I still have that! The bobbin winder still works too, I was worried that might be tied in with the electronics but it appears not to be.

To be honest, had I had the option of paying $600 for it to be fully mechanical machine, I'd have opted for that. I was very upset when the machine started acting up because it was very difficult to use with it malfunctioning.

if you take the top off, there is an electrical connection that plugs into the top. when that is not connected, it disables the electronics.

TeresaA

I was reading brochures on the TL-2010-class machines and they kept using the phrase "just like a true industrial". And I thought to myself, so why don't I just get a true industrial? The machine I'm looking at will likely be a Juki DDL-8700 with a servo motor. It will cost somewhere in the range of $900 shipped. No electronics AT ALL. If the motor goes out, it's $150ish to replace and you just unbolt the old and add the new. Easy peasey. I do think I would miss the needle down, so I'll likely get a synchronizer, a special motor with an extra attachment, which is a little bit of electronics, but can be easily detached if it doesn't work.

Thank you for the input. I'm disappointed that your 2010 failed so quickly. My Pfaff 7550 has been going strong for years, but I live with the gremlin of fear that its motherboard will eventually go out. So far, so good. But part of the reason for getting the new one is to save the Pfaff for decorative stitches and use the new workhorse for other things.

toverly

The thread cutter/needle up and down has a motherboard in the Juki 2010Q. I just paid 100.00 to have it replaced.

Macybaby

Toverly - seriously? I was going to have to send mine to Juki and was told I'd pay shipping both ways, and the board would be about $350 for them to replace. Mine was taking 3-4 slow stitches when you stopped, when you hit the needle up/down and when you hit the thread cutter. The speed control still worked like it should.


My old machine went 30 years with none of the electronics going out, and I've got a 15 year old Pfaff and everything still works fine.

TeresaA

I have a circa 1995 Pfaff 7550 and it works like a dream too. I just wanted more throat space and some speed. At this point, it's DDL-8700 for the win and I'm never going back to computerized machines --ha-ha.