Sailrite Heavy-Duty Ultrafeed® LSZ-1 BASIC Walking Foot Sewing Machine

This is a great workhorse "semi-portable" industrial machine for someone who needs the features of an industrial machine but does want to invest a lot in a machine and/or has space issues. I bought the "blue" version, which is $100 more but allows you to zigzag.The machine has a carrying case option, which makes it portable, but at 46 compact and beefy pounds, portability of the machine is questionable for me. Which brings me to another reason why I purchased this machine - size. I knew that if It was so large that it had to be relegated to a space other than my sewing room I would be less likely to use it. So I chose the Sailrite in part for its compact size. It occupies the same space as a standard home machine and fits nicely in its permanent space in my sewing room. It is not a super fast machine, but its plenty fast for use as a home machine. One drawback to its size is that it does have a narrow throat size, which means that navigating bulky fabric through the machine could be cumbersome, but thus far it has not been an issue. I have been able to get around this issue by either flipping my fabric so that the bulk of the fabric is to the left of the needle or rolling and clipping excess fabric to reduce its bulkiness. While I bought this machine off of Amazon, the Sailrite website carries this (and other) machines at a similar price point, along with a full complement of fabric, notions, and machine accessories. The machine comes with four metal bobbins. Buy a few extra (they are cheap) and pre-wind several bobbins full so that you don't have to rewind and re-thread in the middle of a project. Their website also has an amazing library of on-line instructional videos to make just about anything imaginable using an industrial machine. I can't say enough about the machine or the Sailrite family.

I've been using a Singer for a while but had too many broken needles & unable to sew into thicker fabrics. I ordered this one because it is industrial grade & has great reviews. Only problem I have here is that unlike my Singer, perfect sewing results takes multiple trial & error because you really have to get the tension right. The product has no modern features and it seems harder to sew (especially if you're used to a cutting edge sewing machine). You also cannot really control the speed (it's especially difficult to do back stitching). I feel like I'm trasported 50 years back before the advent of modern technology. I bought my Singer for half the price of this one, too. If only Singer has a product than is industrial strength; I would have not bought this. I toyed with this product a few times but got frustrated with it. I read all troubleshooting instructions over and over but this product is just not smooth sailing. It’s Sail Wrong.

Been waiting to really be able to seriously evaluate it because it is my basic tool in my leatherwork. Works very well and does sew through many layers as shown in the maker company's video, (done six layers of leather cranking by hand, I do not yet own the monster wheel). The major drawback I have encountered with the sailrite might seem minor, but is major to me. The teeth which are sturdy and strong do leave some well delineated marks on the leather which leaves my work badly scarred and not very beautiful.I am afraid of trying it to sew thinner materials like sheer or silk. I have tried to reduce the tension or traction between the upper and lower teeth to stop marring my products but have only succeeded to a small extent. I have the upper tensioner at least threads. Anybody out there who can help? Will post again when I know how to correct the issue. Hopeful for a solution..........Hopeful Jehosephat........

While touted as the best machine for canvas and sail building and repair, I can't recommend it. I am a retired Home Economics professor, so I know sewing. The Sailrite at 48 lbs, is a dinosaur that is way overpriced. It doesn't sew through multiple layers of canvas, nylon braid or zipper tape any better than my 22 lb Viking. The touted walking foot is fixed on the left of the needle, so is useless when sewing g zippers, cording, etc. The zig zag stitch isn't wide enough to be effective on Sunbrella. The slide plate for inserting the bobbin is so small--less than the width of a dollar bill, that it isn't possible to insert or remove the bobbin without lifting the 48 lb machine!. There aren't sufficient thread guides to manage the thread as it comes off a cone, and the needle thread guide is round and flush with the needle take up, so it is impossible to see, and thread, and the thread jumps out of it as you are sewing. The attachments that are available, such as the binder, are "universal" so there are a lot of adjustments that need to be made with a short (less than 4") Phillips screwdriver, which isn't supplied. This same attachment fits my 70+ year old Singer featherweight, so if you can find one for the Singer , it would be less cumbersome. If you need repair parts, be prepared to pay plenty. The tension spring, which I have never broken on any of my other machines is $5.95 plus $5.98 shipping from Sailrite. I bought two springs on Ebay --with shipping, for $5.90--and modified one by cutting some off to fit my Sailrite. I've seen the demo at the Baltimore Boat show, but don't be impressed. I've used this machine for several projects, and I end up reverting to my home sewing machine, because this machine is a piece of junk. There is lots of room for improvement for threading, bobbin winding, and installation, tension adjustment, walking foot and other ease of use features as well as getting rid of the bulk of this machine. Even the light is a separate attachment that must be purchased, and it doesn't shine in the right place The foot and needle bar are black, so it is difficult to see to thread. Most machines have a white area behind the needle for the express purpose of threading ease.