Pfaff 463 straight talk

[firefly]

I appreciate that there's been some discussion of this machine before, but as it related to its possible use for auto upholstery I thought I'd check to see if anyone can add further to that earlier discussion.

Very basically, I have an offer of a Pfaff 463, at a very good price, and I'm very tempted. But I'm unsure if it would be a wise decision, despite the attractive price-tag.

Previous discussion stated that a walking foot was an absolute must, and that the 463 was limited, and frustrating.

I expect to have a light work load, slowly building over a period of time, and working with general upholstery fabric, and I'd appreciate it if I could get any advice on this matter.

Is the 463 simply not worth the hassle? Should I hold out for something else? Any feedback or advice would be great! FF.

[Gregg @ Keystone Sewing]

firefly,

Pfaff 463 is a very well made heavy duty high speed single needle designed for sewing very fine threads and materials up to denim with a V69 thread.  Think of your dry cleaner, alteration shop, or tailor.  Light to medium drapery work.

For canvas and upholstery, this is not the machine you want.  Parts, if you need them, can be very pricey, too.

[sofadoc]

Gregg: That's what I thought, but I was a little surprised when I watched this video of a 463 sewing 2 layers of leather with relative ease:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T2ppg2Ks-w

As  you may remember, I acquired a Juki DDL-555 for light sewing. I assume that it's basically the same class machine as the Pfaff 463, but I think that my Juki would have a much tougher time with 2 layers of leather.

Are the 2 models comparable?

BTW firefly PM'ed a few of us last week about our opinion. By now, he probably already has the machine. But he really didn't give much for it, so if it doesn't work out for him it's no huge loss.

[Eaglewis]

The leather used in the youtube video is split leather, very thin. I wouldn't base my decision on the video, as I believe a regular home machine (with the right setup, needle and thread) could do the same job.

[gene]

With welt cord you can be sewing through 4 layers of leather/vinyl.

I have an upholster shop studio, and I started with a straight stitch machine that was NOT a walking foot. I have survived, but if I had to do it all over again, I would absolutely get a walking foot. It would have reduced my learning curve a lot!!! I love having both a walking foot and my original NOT a walking foot machine.

gene