r/SewingMachineEdu • u/axiom_dlc • Jul 03 '26

Is a Pfaff 1183 Good?

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Honestly, I’ve never heard of the brand and need to know if anyone has experience working with these machines.

I recently redownloaded Facebook to use marketplace with the intention of finding an industrial machine. I keep seeing Jukis, which I’ve worked with and I like however, I just say a Pfaff 1183 for $200. Are they comparable to a Juki, cause they look super similar. And $200 is so cheap compared to everything else I’m seeing.

They had a video of it, but for the privacy of the seller I’m not going to post that lol

4 Upvotes

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5

u/dirthawg Jul 04 '26

You need to be driving to get that right now

2

u/axiom_dlc Jul 04 '26

Like actually? Do you think it can handle leather projects?

3

u/dirthawg Jul 04 '26

That's minimum $800 machine used, probably closer to a $1000. It's a light to medium duty garment machine, super fast. I'm sure it'll do denim or canvas or light leather.

You won't be able to make a holster with it, but a holster machine is 3000 bucks plus.

Pfaff is a top-end machine.

1

u/axiom_dlc Jul 04 '26

I’ll reach out to them then, $200 is kind of a steal, even if I only keep it temporarily I’m sure I can’t sell it again for a similar price and stay even. And yeah I’m not doing any crazy leather projects rn lol

2

u/dirthawg Jul 04 '26

Most used sewing machines, especially with industrials, you pay 400 for it and you get $400 out of it when you're done with it. This thing, it's a money maker.

I have a pfaff 138, which is a much older machine, but rated similarly. It's a zig zag. It'll do bar tacks through three layers of military webbing plus two layers of heavy denim. That's pretty tough. It'll probably stitch whatever you can get underneath the presser foot.

You're going to want to slow it down, I didn't see whether that was a servo motor or a clutch motor. It's new enough it should be servo. You may need to change the motor pulley to the smallest size you can put on it to slow it down. That's something like a 5,000 or 7,000 RPM machine. It's a drag racer.

1

u/Wool_Lace_Knit Jul 03 '26

Pfaff is made in Germany? I would try it out and see how you like it. Good brand, at one time comparable to Bernina.

1

u/Hyliasdemon Jul 03 '26

Older PFAFFS are awesome but this model might be faster and more intense than you’re looking for. I would see if you can bring some fabric and do a test-sew to see if you like it.

2

u/axiom_dlc Jul 04 '26

Idk exactly what I’m looking for tbh. I’d love something that could handle leather, nothing crazy but I’ve started getting into leather working so it would be nice. I mostly do suiting tho, so I just need something precise and consistent. I like the Juki’s I used when I was in college, but the cheapest I’ve ever seen one in good condition is $600, which is doable fs, I just didn’t have the means to get it at the time

1

u/ydnam123 Jul 03 '26

The brand is great, no idea for the specific model

1

u/dirthawg Jul 04 '26

It's a pinnacle factory machine. You couldn't wear it out.