Thanks for all the videos hope you and your loved ones have an amazing time over the holidays and new year

The real question is "Is the Sailrite machine worth THAT much more?" Are the sewing experience, reliability and results that different? Can you tell the difference in the stitches in the end product? If you can afford a Sailrite machine, perhaps you should compare that to Juki, Consew or Pfaff, perhaps Yamata, machines.

I've had several machines from all major brands and they have all broken down after moderate use within 2 years. I got a sailrite about a year ago and I just know it's going to last me a lifetime. There is nothing it can't sew through and it was designed in a way that will never go out of date.

Jason. I have been watching your videos for years. I have seen your opinion evolve during that time concerning the Sailrite machines. You did not wake up one day and say, I feel this way. An evolution. If I was going to buy a portable walking foot machine, I would buy the Sailrite with the Worker B motor. No questions asked. I mainly work with leather. (I still need to see more demos on sewing leather to be absolutely convinced) I do not do enough leather work to justify a new machine. (yet) But, if there comes a time when I need the extra speed and quality, then I will pull the trigger on the Sailrite. Your opinion means a lot to me. As a hands on 'sewer', that is why I regard your opinions as very valid. Thank you for your honesty. Thank you for your time.

I owned a Consew CP206RL. The case was crap. The instuctions looked like a copy of a copy. There is absolutely no help from Consew with the function of the machine. Owning a CLSP machine made me learn the basics of sewing machine function and repair. Between the owning a CLSP and KZfaq I was able to get it tuned and functioning properly. After 2 years I sold it and purchased a used Sailrite LZ recently. The Worker B motor is light years ahead of the standard motor, forward reverse knob function, and case are worth the cost. Plus, if I have a problem I can call Sailrite and get the problem resolved and they have the parts to repair it.

Well said Jason! Sailrite as a company is fantastic. Their service & support for the products they sell are unparalleled by anyone else in the USA for sewing projects. I am extremely happy with my LSZ machine, hot knife, staplers and snap tool, etc. just need the worker bee motor now. Keep up the good work. Thank you!

I just picked up a used knock off. It was sold under the Tuff Sew brand. I am apparently the third owner at this point. The man sold his boat and didn't need it anymore. It had served repairing sails on two other boats so I knew it was up to snuff for my needs. I am not going to use it for sailing but for building back pack sort of things. I did try to find a used sailrite but there just wasn't anything around. This was the only machine of this build type available. I paid 250 for it and I am happy with the performance so far. If I find myself using it more than I imagined I will upgrade to the real deal. Until then, I am thinking of painting it because that blue on the sailrite machines really has my eye. I am considering adding a cheap servo motor to it, similar to the one you had added to one of your machines or get the sailrite workerB motor to keep it portable (on the fence which way to go). All sailrite parts fit on it so I can invest in upgrade parts and they will all transfer over when I get a new shinny sailrite of my own. I've enjoyed your youtube work.

My Thompson is still running. It appears to have high quality machining and assembly.

Hi I agree with you about 90%. I do have a Tuffsew with a 9" bed that I have used for a few years. The machine you displayed is junk, and does not reflect on the current production of these so called clones. I never had an issue with my Tuffsew. Nothing ever broke or came out of adjustment. I even sewn a plastic C channel to rubberized canvas for the m923 military truck. So in saying if you put the original motor and hand wheel back on your LS1 that they originally came with, paint the machines the same color, have a person who is not familiarize with either machine, could not tell a difference if they would spend a day sewing on these two machines. I think your opinion would be a little diffferent if you used the current production models. These machines can stand toe to toe to the LZ1 and LS1. Now are the sailrite's a better machine? No doubt, but for an entry level machine for people who are on a budgit , they won't be disappointed with these machines. Sewing machines are made to sew fabric and both do that very well. One looks better on the inside but it doesn't sew better than the other. I don't have a sailrite but sewn on an LS1 and I can't tell the difference as far as performance. Again a very good video as all of your videos are.

Honestly, Sailrite stands behind their hardware. If it breaks they will support their warranty. That's more than worth the extra $. Any company willing to actually back their hard use hardware is the real deal. You don't last as long as they have if you put out junk.

I own four industrial machines; a Juki DDL-8700, Juki DU-1181n, Chikon CK-8BL a SunStar cylinder-arm machine that could be the twin of the one in the background of Jason's intro, and I have a Sailrite LSZ with all the doo-dads, including the WorkerB motor kit that is still waiting to be installed. And a mid-70s Sears Kenmore free-arm. All of them get exercised regularly, and, every once in a while, they actually generate a return on my investment. The LSZ is a great machine for what it is intended to do. It is not meant to do the same work, at the same speed, nor for as long as a machine such as a Fabricator, a 206 RB, or a 1541. Nor are any of those machines capable of a zig-zag stitch, and they are not in any imaginable sense portable. To attempt to compare their respective abilities is a disservice to the machine and to Sailrite. Thanks to Jason for another good video, best wishes to you and yours, YMMV YVR

Great video. In my endless search for my first heavy duty machine, a lot of these knockoffs pop up. No thanks! LSZ-1, fabricator or Juki 1541s are my top 3 contenders. Really like the channel!

I would have loved to see you compare the Thompson zigzag you purchased from me with the Sailrite. I think that would have been a more apples to apples comparison. It was a good quality machine that served me well. I didn't have a need for a portable machine and for less than the sailrite I purchased a Juki 1541 with table. I do agree that sailrite provides a service to the sewing community through support and how-to videos, but it comes at a premium if you purchase any of their products. Smart marketing on their part.

Thanks for the video. My blue Sailrite arrives Monday!!

so I don’t have a need for zig zag stitching that I can think of. so I’m trying to decide between the ls1 and Lz1. the needle offset feature is what i am curious about. do you use it very often? is it work getting?

Your right! Their customer service is why I buy their stuff! I own a boat and I just like to repair my own canvas. So I bought their machine. When I call they tell me what to buy and what to do! And it’s been working out perfectly. I get a kick out of these people that buy the knock offs and try to adapt Sailrite parts on them ! 😂🤣 this one guy bought the big balance wheel and had to use a giant pair of channel locks to tighten the thumb screw to get it to sew!! 😂😅

How often do you use zig zag stich? I was thinking I probably don't need the LZS because I can't imagine a lot of instances where I would zig zag with a heave machine like that.

I bought a Yamata version and sold it because it was junk then I bought a new REX and it was no better. Sold the REX and purchased my LSZ1. What a difference in operation, fit, finish, and Parts availability! No question in my mind the Sailrite is the better machine. A little pricey but worth the extra cost. Any other high quality sewing machine will cost much more than the big box store brands.

I now have the WorkerB motor installed on my LSZ w/Monster wheel. After a lifetime of fixing other people's stuff for money I think Sailrite did an absolutely excellent job on designing and (honestly) packaging the WorkerB upgrade. They include all the new bits you're going to need, I didn't re-use anything other than the primary belt. Decent quality power cord. My only gripe, and not limited to Sailrite, is the vertical adjustment of the final drive belt tension. I substituted appropriate hex capscrews for the motor/controller mount, way easier to install and service. But considering the fairly serious currency exchange (currently $1 USD = $1.28 Cdn) rate I'm still glad I purchased the WorkerB upgrade. And it does do really slow stitching. YVR

I own a Sailrite Fabricator, and I love it...I've sewn edgeing on 1/4 inch plywood (with the proper #21 needle and it handled it quite well) I had purchased an Omega walking foot prior and it is terrible when compared with the Fabricator. If I could go back I would have purchased a Sailrite portable, but I cant so im stuck with this boat anchor. .

A friend is giving me an Alphasew, which I’m pretty sure is the comparison machine. It has a very cheap feel but it’s awesome I what it can do so I’m happy to accept it.

Great video, if I can I will go sailrite as portable would be really handy and in any case I have no room at home for a full size machine. However, Will it handle marine vinyl for a reupholstery project , that j can’t work out yet from reviews.

I wish you could do a comparison between the Juki 1541 and the Sailrite Fabricator!

After 10:47 worth of conversation, I decided I was not getting the comparison I had hoped to get. Only then did I see your comment of this being essentially a lecture, not something I really want or need!

That's true, what you're saying about the clone machine. Is a act of a large cheaper? Just like one of your other. Describe us pointed out if you took the super b motor off and put the original wheel on. I think both of those machines would be tied. You're looking at the casting. But not with the actual rod's go through sure polished the casting. Don't mean anything that's what the Baron are doing inside the machine. But once again $,121500 on machine for a clone. Sewing machine between 4 and 500 dollars. A huge difference for basically the same machine. How about those apples? Take the work of the motor off the cell right and then try it. You'll find it will be the same. You said yourself, it works fine, try.

I had an exact copy of the sailrite lz1, as well as the a real sailrite lz1, and the difference is in the tolerances and the motor. The knock off would sew but missed stitches and was very difficult to control the speed on it, it was all or nothing speedwise. I upgraded it with a bunch och parts from sailrite and that made it better but if you can, get a sailrite, makes the sewing process much more enjoyable

A better comparison would be to compare both machines with the monster wheel installed. The fit and finish of the Sailrite is definitely better, but the basic Chinese machine works much better with the monster wheel attached. However, over time this will probably overstress weaker internal metal components.

Sailrite didn't invent this design sewing machine either, they (along with help from Chinese manufacturers) all copied a prior design. Sailrite did make some unique improvements and provides unmatched customer service and support as well as a large and professionally produced library of instructional sewing projects.

Hi Jason, I got 11 minutes in and had to switch off. Sailrite took an existing design made in China and rebranded it. When it turned out to be short on promise they upgraded it. It has been incremental up to the current version with the WorkerB motor set-up. The standard original Chinese product is what you have there to compare which is much the same as the early offerings from Sailrite. It is pot-luck as to whether you get a good one or not even from Sailrite.

-look at the pinned parts: shuttle driver, and theres a litle elbow that is attatched to that shaft downtheline. it holds timing but.. i dont like it. (e, i can replace aparts from sailrite) -many setscrews on non sailrites are flathead, prone to stripping -electronic pedals are absolute crap. carbon pile is all that works for brushed motors. rheostat pedals can be nice though those exist too -the finish is more attractive than colored machines because when people are creating they want a bland surrond that doesnt meddle with the work at hand. -you can buy from sail rite the stich plate. and it has no spring which is an improvement from the springed level sailrite uses because its reverse handsfree -yeah the tensioner is a fine monolithic eco style tensioner. it doesnt disasemble and maybe it would never break. i replaced mine but if i replaced mine again i would source not one from sailrite but rather like a metal.. even more legit one,, like from consew :/ -the setscrews on the non-sailrites are really not great and require a proper screwdriver and proper tourque. -i have a 9". its in a portable case. it feeds the same. that table you bought from them is chinese junk. the feed and feet(there is 2.5 seperat feet sets),, the whole buisness going on down there ranks below a dropfeed. the completly unique feed design (ok, bernina and others have their own walking foots too) isnt worth all the money sailrite asks for. the machine Is Only choice for like compact moreso heavy duty home sew style of thing. but even then the user is gonna be wanting a dropfeed with medium duty needplate+feeddog... and a 20U is a very good middle of the road. the sailrite is like 1300$. my machine was 600+150(worth of sailrite goodies). im not gonna support them at that $tune$ good vid Jason. you should look inside the industrial dropfeed machines sold on walmart and ebay that cost like 400$-600$(:/) i bet the insides of those look pretty gnar. thats probably why they only go to like 3000 rpm (my consew 7360 does 5500rpm). oh dude, i got a neddle positioner/servomotor setup.. its great. handles much like juki's industrial NPS servomotor($$$). not the same watts obviously but same great control. im working on some awesome backpack designs and when i get my next prototype ill send a vid.

Keep up the good work!

I have the generic 9" with the big wheel and it works well for me. My understanding watching the portable hd machines over the years, the Tompson is a fork in the evolution of generic hd machine. 3d printers are much the same way. You just add 3rd party parts to the generic machine to match your needs or buy a high end unit with all the stuff ready to go. The big wheel Sailrite sells fits the generic units.

clone machine looks like a way to recycle Qc rejected parts. like pratt&witney did with their jet engines, out of tolerance but matched parts works as well as perfect parts.

Bought an Barracuda 200ZW from unReliable and really regret it. Have only had problems with the machine and the company does not care after you bought the machine. The biggest problem is the play in the needle shaft, the play is so large that the needle tip can play 2 mm, which results in missed stitches and that it crashes into the hook. Will order needelbar and needelbar support from Sailrite and see if I can fix the main problem. And it is not possible to adjust the hook timing as it sits with a pin through the shaft. Really want to get the machine started as it sews very well the few times it has worked. When I get the machine in order, I will make a video on the machine and all the modifications required to make it working so people know what they are paying for. If you are going to buy a similar machine, check out Sailrite, also check used if you can not afford to buy a new one.

Like your videos , I myself have a reliable barracuda , I agree that the quality of the parts in it are deffinetly rough & not polished , but the machine seems solid & works greats , I see you have a Yamata machine in the background , do you know that company also sells a clone of the SailRite!!

"I will show you why I think this is a piece of junk" is all I needed to hear.

I have an Ultrafeed. Great machine, but Sailrite is an awesome company for support, project material, and information. Very happy with my purchase.

Video is a little old. Should I upgrade? Doing 500 to 1000 d cordura projects

On the subject of fit and finish. Why does sailrite machines only have a stick on label on the front? I’m seeing the “knockoff ” machines also have the basic stick on label. Just look at singer, juki, pfaff etc. makes me wonder who’s the knockoff ?

it all comes down to the machining, if you can get a knock off and do the proper poiishing, fitting and adjustments then it all ends up in the allure of buying name brand. However Im sure there are levels of quality within the same factory and they market them pricewise as such. I would not doubt there is only one or two factories in China in which sailrites and the other knock off comes from...it just depends on what you as a middle man sewing machine seller wants to pay for. Yea that needle plate jutting upward..... you will see more sailrites for sale on marketplace because someone had an idea of making money with them and it didnt work out, so they want to get some of thier money back out of it, but with a cheaper knockoff they are not hard pressed to resale it

I bought the sailrite but in New Zealand it's expensive to get it over to here, good machine. The machine is a tool as all tools they needs to do the job required of them or they are worthless

the barracuda is almost the same price, only a couple hundred bucks less

Thank you for the video. However, the price difference between the "original" Sailrite and "affordable version" is about 10 (ten!) times for me (including overseas shipping). I'm sure the original Sailrite is better in any way, But I cannot justify such a huge price difference to myself.

I got one of this China made knock-off walking foot, it work. But their workmanship is rough, sigh.....budget is playing devil. Oh man, I almost forgot you got long beard.

Good video I really appreciate it. Wish it came out a few weeks ago, though probably wouldn't have changed my decision. I just got a cheap Chinese one delivered last week. Really wanted a sailrite but they're not available in my country. Yeah they can send one here but the Chinese machine was not much more than what the sailrite's shipping alone would have cost. I wish I could have gotten the sailrite really but just couldn't justify the huge difference in price, not to start out with at least. I do like your comment towards the end about the cheap machine maybe leading to a future purchase of a sailrite. I think in my situation this might be the case. At the moment I just wanted a machine to make a few backpacks and bags for the family. If I like making those types of things then I'll probably get a sailrite in the future. I mean, I didn't start off with a nice vehicle or the one I really wanted either(rightfully so), but over time and experience that changed. Good video, thanks.

Damn! I just ordered one of those cheapies, too.Oh well.

I bought a consew cp206rl in 2016ish I cannot even say it worked, 3” into the very first test stitch the needle bar connecting rod broke, very very poor casting of a part that should have been machined steel, . I bought from zameir or something like that in l.a. and they got me a replacement pretty quick. The machine was later relegated to only making piping as the walking foot mechanism is a terrible design with low hanging parts that interfere, something I see on the sailrite as well, plus just the way it feeds I did not like it . Speed control was not smooth and the screws it was put together with were incredibly soft and many had to be replaced. I ended up buying a consew 226 that was far better and now use a consew 206 r 2 , couldn’t ask for a better machine especially with a servo motor with needle position sensor. I’ll take one of those sieko consews over anything else

I don't really get why Sailrite cloning Thompson in China is somehow more ethical (?) than anyone else cloning Thompson..? Or why Consew (Seiko?) cloning Singer is different to Juki or Durkopp doing it..?

Howdy from Western Colorado!

Disappointed that this is a beauty contest video. No comparason on functionality? I just got my Sailrite LSZ-1, stitching is great but my friends on Facebook kept asking if it is an antique.

Thanks for sharing your opinion! I agree that just making kick offs is a poor ethical choice. And if they will knock off others products what other non- ethical behaviors are they engaging in? It kind of reminds me when President Clinton was being impeached his many people said integrity doesn't matter. It matters a LOT! And look where we are as a nation when voters starting thinking integrity wasn't important! If a person or business doesn't have integrity how can a person trust anything they say? Sorry for getting on soap box. Great video. Thanks for sharing.

You use a lot of i dont know but what i do know it works but nothing like the sailrite. If you are a one time user then its the way to go.Its not for every day uses once it breaks its garbage sorry

You absolutely get what you pay for. Good vid.

It's China, they have no issues with violating patent rights.

I have the "reliable" barracuda, branded model. It's absolutely the same as sailrite. Your argument about fit and finish, is not picky frankly. I don't know what models were genuinely licensed or even who actually owns the patents, but the "reliable" model is identical and the machine tolerances are the same. Before buying my unit in watched videos like this and decided to take the risk and I'm glad I did. Sailrite has done really cool innovations but it's definitely not worth the 1300 dollar price increase and you can buy sonogram those innovations and attach them to your lower cost unit. Mine is made in Taiwan. I think most are. Basically, they're all made in Asia lol. Also, it came with a clutch and step down wheel. When you tighten the belt you get a really controllable unit. Meanwhile Sailrite try to sell you a larger wheel that does the same thing are tightening the belt. I'm all for supporting American manufacturing. This is made is Asia. They all are.

I'm back again. I just wanted to say I have a Thompson s own machine. So why not buy the workabee moda? And put it on the Thompson machine quality machine. Sale right? Park bought the property to build their machine. Don't dare wish you. How much different is it from the Thompson? Why spend $1500 when you had 2 tops? In machine you have owned and you sell them. They're not clones.

Great subject matter. It's a shame that even Consew jumped on this band wagon. I have a 206RB-5 that is China-made and it's great, but it's only a clone of itself as they were previously made in Japan. Sad that Consew also makes or made a clone of the Sailrite. Things quite different in China, they think that it's somehow a flattering compliment to clone your stuff. Sometimes a different crew of workers comes in at some evening hour and they might spend the wee hours on the same tooling or machinery turning out the clones, but the castings likely are the sub-par culprit here, plus no care on concern for the fit and finish. Mr. Grant holds patents on his castings.

I might watch this, but the title is "Is The Sailrite Ultrafeed Better Than The Look-A-Likes?" Two seconds in is "Why I think the Ultrafeed is the best.." Takes some of the wind out of it I'd say.

It really starts at 12:03.

When all machines are copies or ripoffs and they all are produced in china it’s hard to defend a price point of 10x the cheaper alternative…

I watched this video and I have some issues with your presentation of the problem. You can't compare a product that you found randomly at Goodwill to a newer product that you already had new out of the box experience with. You did zero maintenance on the Goodwill product. When you were jacking around with the arm on the old one you can tell it probably hadn't been lubricated in a decade. Also, the control arm adjustment feature can be easily 3D printed. If you didn't disassemble the two and actually measure the parts inside the sewing machine you would literally have no way to tell if they were the same. It doesn't even matter if the castings were grey market. This is pretty misleading. Also the paint did not matter at all in this comparison. The paint isn't doing any heavy lifting here. Someone would some time could re-powder-coated it whatever color they wanted. Unless Sailrite is completely disassembling and re-machining the key parts of the new machines once they get to the US then adjustments are all that could reasonably be done. It wouldn't be worth the time to disassemble and replace parts between the china build and the arrival in the US. There are a ton of clones out there. If someone really wanted to they could disassemble the clone and replace each part with a custom CNCd part to get the machine into spec. You could literally design each piece in cad and then send it to a service to be machined. If people are willing to spend the time restoring old Singers then there is nothing stopping anyone here either. I don't like the fact that the 2nd hand market for Sailrites is hamstrung by willful ignorance when it comes to shipping a used unit. We have people out here shipping more expensive and heavier equipment for cheaper than what people are claiming is beyond possible. I actually sent Sailrite an email to try and find out about how to ship a 2nd hand unit from another owner and I received a delayed response and a lame response about not having extra boxes and not having a detailed shipping process documented in the case someone wanted to ship theirs to them for repair. Just reading through old forum posts about all of this makes it seems like hipsters have controlled the narrative about clones for too long. Even the Sailrite is a clone. You can buy an industrial machine for much cheaper than a new Sailrite. Many of which have been perfected over the course of millions of units sold. This is 2024 and prices are way too high to even think about trying to iphone a sewing machine. Especially with the amount of people that buy them and abandon them every year.

Probably all these machines come from the same manufacturer

U sold me on the rex for the thousand dollars difference

Im buying a Barracuda 200zw. I tried to watch your video review but had to stop. You are claiming to compare two machines but every other sentence out of your mouth is “I dont know”. You apparently havent even used the machine to see how it performs. If you’re going to trash mouth someone’s product then at least be honest and do an adequate comparison. Not state every two sentences that you dont know. If you dont know then dont.

30 minutes to say "You get what you pay for".

First here!

Sale me you sailrite

Paint don't make it go, kid.

The first machine is manufactured in china

also sailrite is piece of junk vs Juki Du-1181n

Link to official Pantents including inheritance of the Thompson from Sailsite: patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/c8/53/91/3d671496db354d/US6499415.pdf

the Chinese factory will label them any way you prefer

Why on earth would you "shy away" from guns? It is not the gun, it is the idiot that is using it for bad. Same goes for a knife or a car. I could go on, but I wont. I think I have made my point. Our Constitution is a great thing. Embrace it. You make great videos, I would think many of your subscribers/viewers are outdoors oriented folks......I think you can see where I am going with this.