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| Juki:TL 98Q (Sewing Machine) | | Viewed 940 time(s) | 3 more reviews for this machine | Review rated Helpful by 1 people Very Helpful by 10 people | | Reviewed by: | SandyinMO | 
 | About SandyinMO | | MO USA | | Member since: 7/14/06 | | Reviews written: 27 | | Sewing skills:Advanced | | Favored by: 1 people | | sewing machines reviewed: 1 | | Bio: more... |
| | Posted on: | 5/29/09 9:14 AM | | Approx price paid: | $599 | | Had this machine for: | 3 weeks | | Recommended? | Yes |  | Features
- Needle Threader
- Needle Up/Down Setting
- Adjustable Presser Foot Pressure
| | What SandyinMO likes about this machine I found this machine on Ebay. They claimed it had only been used a couple of times. It is in very good condition with only a couple of scratches. I was the only one that bid on it. I must have gotten lucky.
I joined the Yahoo group for the Juki TL98Q and someone else had recently got one and she claimed she had been watching for almost a year before she found one.
I like to sew fast. This machine does 1500 SPM. I didn't really know how fast that was. I sewed on an industrial machine once years ago and I thought maybe it would be like that, but it isn't. It isn't so fast that I can't control it. I don't find it hard to adjust the speed with the foot control. Some other similar machines have a speed adjustment on the machine, but the Juki doesn't.
The ONLY stitch this machine does is a straight stitch. It does it very well, and did I mention that it's fast?
I like to quilt. This machine has a larger throat area - just over 8 1/2" x 6". My other sewing machine is just barely 7 1/2" x 4 1/2". That extra bit of room makes it much easier to get the quilt thru the machine.
I just finished making a twin size quilt (72 x 99). http://www.friendsofpr.com/SandyMO/TileQuilt.JPG I sewed the blocks unbelievably fast, then I quilted it entirely with free-motion. It worked much better than my regular SM. You drop the feed dogs with a lever on the front, set the stitch length to 0 and reduce the presser foot pressure. It came with 2 different free motion feet. One is 1/4" to the outside of the ring and the other is 1/5". Once I got back in practice, it was very easy to go wherever I wanted. The only time I had to stop and crank by hand was when I came to a thick intersection. I broke 2 needles by trying to sew through them.
It comes with an extension table that adds 10 1/2" to the left of the machine and 4" to the front. I have it setting on a table. If you could put it in a table that has a hole to place it in to get a larger flat surface it would even be better.
Before the machine arrived I cut out a peasant blouse and skirt so I would have something ready to sew when it came. I whipped them out in record time. A narrow hem foot came with the machine. I decided to try it out for the hems and it worked beautifully. I had never gotten the hang of it before. Maybe the foot is higher quality than my old one. It takes a high shank foot and I'm thinking about ordering a zipper foot assortment from Sharpsewing on Ebay.
Another unique feature is the automatic thread cutter. You can either activate it with a button on the foot control or on the front of the machine. The foot pedal and cutter button are both mounted in a heavy platform that doesn't move around.
The needle threader is easy to use once you figure out the sequence. When the machine first came I could not get it to work. I finally figured out that the hook that is supposed to go thru the eye wasn't. I pulled the mechanism off the machine and was able to bend the hook back into position with my seam ripper. I replaced it and it works fine now.
It uses regular home sewing machine needles. That's another plus. I ordered bobbins from the internet. They aren't too hard to find, but shop for the best prices. What SandyinMO does not like about this machine I haven't found anything I don't like yet. Just take the time to stop after every few bobbins and clean out the lint. I use a Q-tip to swab out under the throat plate. Most of the time you can do this from the bobbin area, but occasionally take off the throat plate to get even more.
It is recommended to oil the machine after every 8 hours of use.
Remember that if you do garment sewing, you will still need another sewing machine for buttonholes and any zigzag stitching. | *LOGIN to add a comment to this review *Only registered members can post comments to the reviews. Membership is free. if you are not a member, please Sign-up now! |
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| Reader Comments | | Mufffet | 5/29/09 | Excellent review of this machine. Thanks for all the information! | | * * * | | Nancy Rhodes | 5/29/09 | I swear my next machine will have thread cutters... and hopefully no circuit boards -- probably an incompatible desire... so this could be it! Any idea how much it weighs? I should just check the Juki website for that...
Great snag... you are lukcy! | | * * * | | poorpigling | 5/29/09 | LOL..You are lucky as I almost bid on it myself..good buy and good review and I am so glad a fellow PR member snagged it.. | | * * * | | Lil Flo | 6/2/09 | I've had this machine a little over a year and just love it. My local SM dealer ordered it brand new for $699. It does do a beautiful straight stitch. I made a small quilt in no time on it. I don't know how this machine is not more popular. I did buy a Janome Platinum for the decorative stitches which I never use, but thought would be good to have just in case. Plus this baby weighs alot, so taking it to a class would be a real task. My Janome platinum weighs about 12 lbs., so I thought it would be good for quick projects and classes. I have never used it, as I just love my Juki. | | * * * | | JY | 6/25/09 | Lots of info. Thanks. | | * * * | | RickE | 7/2/09 | As a sewing machine tech I'd like to say "What a pleasure these machines are to service. I have serviced many and cannot imagine anything going wrong with them unless they get so dirty inside they aren't able to function. These are easy to maintain yourself. If I were a quilter this is the machine I would want." | | * * * | | jilly cooper | 7/29/09 | very informative review, I learnt so much. I can't believe the cost in Australia is over $2000.... | | * * * |
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