To date, I've managed to sew all my gear with a 30yo Janome domestic sewing machine, which maxes out at 18g leather pointed needles, and about 40g thread, however, I'm now interested in sewing leather, and the 18g needle is not big enough for 20g thread, and I can't adjust the top tension high enough to pull the "loop" into the middle of the seam....
So, just thinking.....I know you can get 24g and maybe 26g needles for industrial machines, but what industrial machines do others use? What features are useful beyond fwd/bkwd. Should I look second hand? Etc etc. Or should I just deal with it, and continue hand stitching? What features of an industrial machine make it better for sewing lighter fabrics like sleeping bag materials etc, as I have no problem with my current domestic machine for these. SimonM, Underclingmike , Moondog - what are you using, and why?
A