[nromano1212]

Hey guys, Im thinking of purchasing a SFW single head machine. Im not sure how much they are but Im thinking around $11,000 or so? Im just starting my research. What do you think about this product. I know everyone will tell me to sub my work out until I have a steady flow of business but I somewhat will. I will atleast make enough to make the payments on it each month for sure so it seems foolish to not just buy it now and own the machine. Anyways, does anyone have other opinions for a start up machine? Currently I just do screen printing. I just purchased a heat press and Epson 1400 the other day. Just trying to push forward with my business...Thanks in advance, Nick

 

[lizziemaxine]

Training and tech support are very important. Be sure that you have plenty of both before spending the money on any machine.
SWF, from what I have heard, is a good machine. Just make sure you have support from the dealer.

 

[Flint54]

First off which 15 needle single head machine are you thinking of purchasing? 1) 1501C, 2) 1501T, 3) U1501

1) Are you even thinking of using it in off site locations such as special events or will all your work be done within your shop space. This is a very important consideration!

2) Also how are the floors in your work space? This is another consideration to take into account.

3) How much space do you have to position your machine, thread storage, hoop storage, hooping station, work table, packing/folding table etc.

How close is your nearest Training Center, the nearest Tech.?

SWF quite possibly has the largest market presence in the US as far as # of machines. I would consider them for my own shop mainly due to price. If I had my full choice I would go with Tajima as that is what I work with daily, a TFMX-C1501,TFMX-IIC1502 & TFMX-IIC1504. This is a fixed shop and all the machines are "Beam" Machines- i.e. (all heads are mounted on a fixed central beam, this is a very heavy duty machine due to its heavy frame it is also extremely rigid.

If you may even be considering off site use or need a machine with a light footprint consider the 1501C, if your floors are not very level or you do not have any plans for moving the machine around you work place and want the heaviest duty get the U1501 and if you have very strong level floors and may be moving the machine around your work space the 1501T.

 

[nromano1212]

I was looking at the swf/e-1501c. I do not even actually have a shop yet but I decided to keep at the pace im going and see where it takes me. Im earning a weeks pay plus still have a job. I would like to eventually open up a shop but decided to buy this and pay most of it off before I have to deal with rent ect...It might not be the conventional way of doing things but it works for me. Right now this is all out of my home and I have pleanty of space with stong level floors. I will not be attending trade shows or things like that. This will be a stationary machine...thanks, Nick

 

[Flint54]

IMO, if it were myself with your situation I would go with the 1501C in the SWF, also look at the Factory Re-conditioned. This will be a bit lighter machine and in the future you could use it in a mobile situation, these can be a real money maker if done right. Also Tajima has the NEO Plus you may want to look at.

One thing for sure is that I would be sure to have the business if I were to lease or finance, If you can an outright purchase relieves you of obligations as you outright own the machine.

 

[imeccentric]

Nick,
SWF has a strong following and has become better over the years. They are also the cheapest machine(price wise). I just purchased a Barudan for just a few grand more and think it's worth the price difference. It's my fourth machine, so I've worked with several. Embroidery has a learning curve, digitizing has an even steeper learning curve, and you need LOTS of extras other than the machine itself. The startup packages they offer include the basics and are a good starting point, but the real value comes in the support and training. I too, run a shop out of my home and never have down time. Even some of the shops with store fronts sub their work out to me because few jobs are the same. Best suggestion would be go to a trade show and actually see them working and compare stitch quality. There IS a difference in brands between ease of operation, speed, and stitch quality. My Barudan is the newest model(I've been told there are only about 35 of them around), and I am very impressed. Probably the easiest machine to work with I've ever seen. SWF has great support groups in yahoo though, and for someone starting out , that is a strong plus. It's a big purchase, if you can, have them demonstrated in person and ask lots of questions.