Drinking The Koolaid & Joining The Sailrite Cult | Sewing Machine Review

You always read horror stories about people who join cults.  

They become enraptured by the teachings of some charismatic guy, who usually has an unkempt beard down to his waist, flowers in his hair and a Mercedes parked in the driveway. His eyes pierce into the depths of their souls and they believe whatever he has to say without question. Then, before you know it, they've sold all of their worldly goods and turned over their bank accounts to their new guru. They've drunk the Koolaid, so to speak. 

When we first started thinking about getting a portable, industrial sewing machine for boat projects, I did some initial research and the one name that came up time and time again was Sailrite. The reviews were glowing, people raved about their machines and how much money they've saved using them and I was strongly encouraged to fork over hundreds and hundreds of dollars and embrace Sailrite ownership.

It was starting to feel a little bit like all the Sailrite owners had been drinking way too much Koolaid. 

I couldn't find anyone who would say a bad word about Sailrites. Had there been some brainwashing going on? Surely these were rational folks who wouldn't mindlessly fork over $700 plus for a sewing machine? 

Oh, wait, these are boat owners that we're talking about. I'm not sure anyone sane buys a boat unless sanity is defined as spending all of your time and money constantly fixing things and buying new stuff for it. Expensive stuff I might add. Like a sewing machine.

I was starting to get sorely tempted to buy one of those shiny, blue machines. After all, the promise of having my life transformed by things made out of Sunbrella fabric was intoxicating. But I put my credit card away and decided to do some more research before drinking much more of the Koolaid and joining the Sailrite cult. 

I actually didn't find it all that easy to find a ready comparison of Sailrite and other "look alike" machines.

Maybe you've had the same problem too. I thought I would share what I found out in the off chance that it might be helpful to anyone else out there thinking of investing in an industrial sewing machine. For the rest of you, you might want to tune out and read something more entertaining - like the time I sent someone porn accidentally when I was researching sewing machines. So utterly embarrassing. 

We were in the market for a portable, industrial sewing machine with a walking foot that could do zig-zag.

One of the things I realized early on was that you really need to be clear what kind of machine you're looking for. Otherwise, the choices are just too overwhelming and you'll end up buying a toaster instead. These were the things that were important to us:

1 - Zig-Zag Stitch

Some machines just do straight stitch. But if you're thinking about sailmaking or sail repair at some point, then zig-zag is an important feature. Plus it's handy to keep certain types of fabric from fraying.

2 - Industrial Machine

We wanted something that had the oomph to sew through multiple layers of heavy fabric so that we could tackle serious canvas work. You can do a lot of boat projects on a home sewing machine (and they're a lot cheaper), but they don't always have the power to tackle the kind of sewing projects that we have on our list.

3 - Walking Foot

I actually didn't have a clue what a walking foot was, but everyone told me that this was a must-have feature. Turns out they were right. The presser foot works with a feed dog underneath to pull material through the machine. When you're working with multiple layers of fabric, especially heavy materials, if you don't have a walking foot, the bottom layers can slip. And then your stitching looks horrible and in your frustration you end up eating way too many chocolate chip cookies.

4 - Portability

There are other industrial machines out there, but they're heavy and some have motors which attach under the table. Once they're set up, they're not really designed to be moved about easily. Because we live on our boat, we needed a machine that was portable which we can bring out when we need it and put it away when we're done. 

So with those features in mind, we checked out Sailrite and some other comparable machines. 

So here's the scoop on what I found out. I'm sure I'll have some things wrong and have missed out on key points, so please let me know if there are any additions or corrections I should make so that other folks looking to buy a sewing machine can benefit. It would be especially useful to hear from folks that own machines other than Sailrites. Also, please note that all prices are in USD and were as of August 2015. If you look around, you might be able to find better deals.

Let's start with the Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1. We drank the Koolaid and ended up getting one of these.

• Sailrite sells two Ultrafeed machines - the LS-1 (the red machine) which is a straight stitch only machine and the LSZ-1 (the blue machine) which also does zig-zag.
• You can buy the Ultrafeed LSZ-1 direct from Sailrite. They're based out of Indiana, USA.
• We paid $699 for a Basic Package (plus shipping). There are two other more expensive packages you can get, both of which include a carrying case (which you can buy separately for $159). Please note that the details below of what's included only relate to the Basic Package.
• Used machines don't seem to come up very often and when they do, they get snapped up right away. Apparently, Ultrafeeds go on sale in October at the time of the Annapolis Boat Show. I'm not sure what kind of discount you can get, but if you're not in a hurry, it might be worth waiting until then to buy one. 
• Wooden base included (larger than the one that comes with the carrying case).  
• Comes with foot control, thread stand, bobbins, needles, sewing machine oil, tool kit, manual and instructional DVD. 
• Machine has an EZ set stitch length plate (new feature that comes standard with all 2015 models), Posi-Pin clutch system and a Power Plus balance wheel. I think Sailrite would say that these are features that differentiate them from look alike models.
• The presser foot has an integrated welting tunnel for making piping and the needle position can be adjusted for sewing zippers. No extra feet required.   
• Weight - 48.6 lbs / 22 kgs (including wooden base)
• Machines are individually tested - Sailrite includes samples that they've tested on your machine.
• 2 year warranty
• Sailrite's website has lots of instructional and project videos. They also have a DIY Advice blog. 
• If you need another copy of manual, you'll have to buy one for $19.95.
• Have a strong reputation for customer service and support.  
• Sailrite claims that they've improved the casting of the machine and make the components from a higher grade of metal than you'll find in look alike machines.
• You can read a review of the Ultrafeed LSZ-1 from Wooden Boat and Sailrite has a video explaining why they believe their machines are superior to look alikes. You can read more about the history of Sailrite here.        

For $100 less, we could have gotten a Reliable Barracuda. 

•  You can buy a Reliable Barracuda 2000U-33 for $599 from Defender or direct from Reliable (based out of Toronto, Canada). If you're going to buy a Barracuda, check out shipping costs - Reliable offers free shipping to Canada and the continental US. Defender will charge you.
• I've seen "scratch and dent" machines for $499 on Defender.
• Extension table and handle included. The handle attaches to the top of the machine and it looks like the extension table slots around the front of the machine. You can buy a carrying case separately for $179.
• Comes with foot control, thread stand, bobbins, needles, screwdriver and manual.
• Weight - 42 lbs / 19 kgs (I believe this includes the extension table)  
• Machines are individually tested.
• 3 year warranty - they claim that this is the best in the business and that appears to be the case.
• Defender's website has four instructional videos.
• You can download a free copy of the manual from Defender. 

It was a toss-up between the Reliable Barracuda and the Sailrite LSZ-1.

Despite everyone raving about Sailrites, the idea of saving $100 on a comparable sewing machine was something to seriously consider. In the end, we leaned towards Sailrite for three reasons:

1 - Resale Value

Everyone knows about Sailrites and folks are always looking for used machines. If we ever want to sell ours on, we figured we would get better resale value from selling a Sailrite LSZ-1 than a Reliable Barracuda. I can't say for sure that this would be the case, but my hunch is more people know about Sailrite than Reliable.

2 - Additional Features

The 2015 Sailrite LSZ-1 model comes with the EZ set stitch length plate which allows you to switch between forward and reverse more readily and lock in your desired stitch length. The Reliable Barracuda comes with the older stitch adjustment control (which looks to be the same as found on earlier Sailrites). 

Plus, you get a little bit more stuff with a Sailrite machine - a more complete tool kit, sewing machine oil and a DVD.

By the way, I'm not sure how the other two features that Sailrite flag up, the Posi-Pin clutching system and Power Plus balance wheel, compare to the systems used in the Reliable Barracuda. If anyone has any insight into this, can you let me know? 

Is the EZ set stitch length plate and the extra stuff worth an extra $100? Probably not. But that brings us to our last reason for going with a Sailrite. 

3 - Customer Service & Support

You can't put a dollar value on customer service and support, but if you have any problems with your machine, then you want to know that the folks that sold it to you will be there to help you out. Everyone talks glowingly about Sailrite's after-purchase service and support. And, I have to be honest, this kind of swayed me.

Both companies have decent warranties (2 years for Sailrite and 3 years for Reliable) and are based in North America, but Reliable makes lots of other products other than sewing machines (like irons and steam cleaners). I'm not sure that they have the same focus on support for DIY sewers that Sailrite has. I could be wrong - please tell me if you've experienced something different.

I've only had one experience so far with Sailrite when something went wrong. When I got my machine, one of the set screws that attaches the machine to the base wasn't included. I contacted them, they responded quickly and they got another one out to me in a couple of days. Of course, I would have much rather preferred that the set screw hadn't been missing.

(By the way, if you order a Sailrite, some assembly is required. It never occurred to me that this would be the case. It was all really simple and the directions were clear. But if you think you're going to whip it out of the box and start sewing right away, be prepared to attach and screw in a few things first.)

Of course, while the customer support and service is just for folks who buy Sailrite machines and other Sailrite products, the instructional/project videos are something everyone can access and would be a handy resource no matter what machine you end up getting. And from what I understand, the parts between the Sailrite LSZ-1 and the Reliable Barracuda are interchangeable, so if you want to upgrade your Barracuda or get accessories, you could go through Sailrite.


But before we drank the rest of our Sailrite Koolaid, we also looked at cheaper look-alikes.

Supposedly, many of the portable, industrial sewing machines with walking feet are all fashioned from the same base machine originally made by Thompson. Sailrite claims to have made patented enhancements and changes to the base machine, which are reflected in their price tag. I'm not sure how Reliable compares in terms of comparable enhancements and changes given the fact that the Barracuda is one of the more expensive look alike machines.

However, if you're looking to save some money, then you might want to check out some of these other alternatives to Sailrite and Reliable. I know people always say that you'll get your money back that you spent on a Sailrite in no time if you do a few projects. But you would get your money back even faster if you bought a cheaper machine.

We gave serious consideration to buying one of these - especially given the significant cost savings. In the end, we ruled them out because I suspect we drank a little too much Koolaid.

1 - Rex 607Z

• Sold by Sewman and the Sewing Machine Outlet for $375.
• I think these are made in China.
• Looks similar to the Reliable Barracuda, but without the extension table.
• Review on You Tube where you can see the Rex 607Z in action. 
• Comes with foot control, thread stand, bobbins, needles and manual.
• I didn't see any warranty information on Sewman's or the Sewing Machine Outlet's websites. Sewman tells you to email if you want to know more about the machine. I couldn't be bothered.

2 -   Consew CP146R

• Sold by Sewman and National Sew for $460.
• Built in China by Yamata.
• Looks similar to the Reliable Barracuda, but without the extension table.
• Has a handle on top of the machine.
• Comes with foot control, bobbins, needles, screwdriver and manual. 
• 1 year factory warranty.

3 - Tuffsew Zigzag

• Sold by Tuffsew for $499.
• Tuffsew is based in California, think the machines are made in China.
• Looks similar to the Reliable Barracuda, but without the extension table.
• Comes with foot control, bobbins, needles, sewing machine oil, two screwdrivers, seam-ripper, accessory box and two extra feet (zipper/cording and hem).
• Each machine is tuned before shipped.
• 90 day commercial labor and 1 year parts warranty. 

So there you go, a long-winded account of the research I did and the sewing machine options we looked at before we to joined the Sailrite cult! Hopefully, it is of some help to folks out there.

Do you own one of these machines - if so, what's been your experience? Are you thinking about getting a sewing machine for boat projects - if so, what machine are you thinking of getting? And, more importantly, what should we name our sewing machine?

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