Tippmann BOSS

[Boothill Bob]

Howdy pards..
I´m thinking of buy me a BOSS and want to ask you what you think about it. The only negative I can see is that one hand is busy taking care of the machine and at the throat is a bit tight. But I'll just sew belts and holsters with it. Would love to hear your views.
//BhB

[Slowhand Bob]

Bob, my opinion was a bit higher than many guys and if I were doing commercial work, well it beats hand sewing all day long.  The toughest job with it was sewing bullet loops and even that was much faster than hand sewing.  Now for the BUT, I would not recommend it unless you can get a really good deal on a used one as the MSRP for new ones is just to close to that of other machines that are head and shoulders above the BOSS.  The guy I sold mine to is still using it and I never hear him complaining.  That machine was a three digit machine that had a three up front!  Oh here is something interesting I spotted BUT I sure would not recommend it unless you are a collector and know something I do not know.    http://cgi.ebay.com/Antique-Cobblers-Leather-Stitching-Machine-w-66-needles-/170672785207?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27bce40737

[Boothill Bob]

Thanx slowhand.
The only problem for me is that I have to order it from they US, its high customfee on it. I asked of they could ship it
as a "gift", but no
There is hard to get leather machines here in Sweden. I got an Old one, but I have to fix it before I can use it.
Hmmm, want a BOSS

[Ned Buckshot]

I HATED mine!

Never did get the thing to work correctly only had it about two weeks before I sold it off and went back to hand stitching.

Ned

[outrider]

Boothill...In my opinion you would not like this machine...I had mine and it was nothing but a boat anchor....save your maoney and get a good used leather stitcher....suggestion ..go to the Ferdco web site...they have a section on used machines  Ferdco.com

[Slowhand Bob]

Bob, there has been some discussion on here in the past concerning the BOSS, not sure how far back the stuff goes but you might try a search for more in-depth discussion on them.  I had a terrible time with the BOSS and Tippmans Aero-Stitch for a long while and finally gave up and purchased my TORO.  Only after I had the same problems with it and figured them out, thanks to intervention, did I go back and find that I was able to use the two Tippmans without the problems of the past.  Several issues were involved but primarily I was constantly forcing everything with a heavy hand and this was pointed out to me by a seamstress friend of my wife.  One thing all of the companys need to do a better job of is providing more learning material for the many first time buyers, we do not live in an age where most leatherworkers come from an apprentice system any longer.  Weaver was the only outfit that I knew of who had video instruction for their machine and now I think Tippman does also but none the JUKI style machines offers them that I know of.  Not sure what might be found on  U-Tube for the various machines??
http://www.tippmannindustrial.com/Instructionalvideos.php?osCsid=ac6e290de48198c2d6f4cd6bd462b782

[Johnny McCrae]

A friend of mine has a Tippmann Boss. I gave him a Holster to sew for me just to see what it would look like. The appearance of the stitching on the front side was OK but certainly did not look as good as hand stitching. The appearance on the back or opposite side did not look right or decent. You may want to see some samples of what the Tippmann Boss does before you make a decision.

I had taken some pictures and if I can locate them, I'll post em'.

[outrider]

Johnny...I bet you dollar to doughnuts the back of the stitching looked like the bobbin thread was not pulled into the needle hole...that was a common problem

[Johnny McCrae]

Outrider, that is probably what happened. There was an unusual buildup of thread on the back side.

I hope I can find the pictures or samples of the stitching.

[TN Mongo]

Outrider knows how much I hate my Tippman Boss.  I still have it because it is a great hole punch for thick holster welts, but it certainly is not worth the $1400 I paid for it.  I currently have a Cobra 4 power machine which is a copy of the Juki 441 (Outrider has a similar machine, but his was more expensive).  Had I known how much more I would like this power machine, I would have never bought the Tippman.

I have heard that some of the older cast iron Tippmans were good machines, but most people are not fond of the new cast aluminum version.

[LoneRider]

I HATED mine!

Never did get the thing to work correctly only had it about two weeks before I sold it off and went back to hand stitching.

Ned

Yep, Me Too!!

[Boothill Bob]

Hmmm. I've decided not to buy the BOSS .. Can you recommend a good and affordable machine? That does not mean I have to sell my wife and children to be able to afford  
I´ve looked at Ferdco.com and on Cobra 4 power machine, What model on Juki works for my job? Have seen a DDL-555E-5 fir $900 (in Sweden) and a DDL8500 for $950 and DDL 5550n for $900 a DDL 8700 for$1100 All in Sweden... But I dont know what model thats the best.

[TN Mongo]

I was going to buy the Cobra 3 machine, but the owner of the company (Steve) talked me into the Cobra 4.  I am glad I bought the Cobra 4.  It has much more clearance room which makes it very easy to maneuver even large projects.  It would not be difficult at all to sew a saddle on this machine.  The Cobra 4 is a copy of the Juki 441.  In my opinion, it is a great machine for holsters and gun belts.

[Boothill Bob]

Where can I get the cobra 4, and what Price? I have looked here in Sweden but no luck. But I have found
the Juki TSC-441, have to call for price, belive its expencive.

[outrider]

Bob,  all of the machines discussed here(except the Tippman) are copies of the TSC 441...if you can get that machine at a decent price you will have a winner.....also do some research on used equipment.....

[Cliff Fendley]

Contact Steve at Leather Machine Company and see if he will ship a Cobra 4 to Sweden.

[Freedom]

The Artisan is also the exact same machine (just not painted brown)...  http://www.artisansew.com/ I have the 3200 and am real happy with it.

I had an old cast iron Boss for a couple years... sure beat hand sewing and I learned a lot with the little machine..But then it began to fall apart and all the replacement parts were aluminum..I soon relized that the Boss was a total piece of junk!!!

[Boothill Bob]

Contact Steve at Leather Machine Company and see if he will ship a Cobra 4 to Sweden.

Was mailing with Steve today. The shiping only will be $696  , but he could send it as a gift so I dont have to pay custom fee
and taxes for it.... Think thats if I buy a Juki 441 here in Sweden it will be almost the same Price.

[will52100]

I just got a Boss a little while back.  Haven't had much time to work with it, but I did do a sheath in less time than it normally takes me to even drill the holes to hand stitch.  The videos they included with the instructions helped a lot.  Also I've found for whatever thickness your going to sew you need to make a practice run to set the tension up so it pulls the thread evenly front and back side and it looks good.  The first few times I played with it it nearly drove me crazy and I was beginning to think it was junk, but finally figured out how to adjust it, and it's not hard after you figure it out.

Oh, and I got it on sale for 1,100$.  So far it looks like if I take care of it it'll take care of me.  Of course I don't do a lot of leather work, but to me it's the worst part of knife-making.  We'll see how it holds up over time.

[Slowhand Bob]

WOW, this just showed up on Ebay.  Seems very high, I sure would like to meet the second highest bidder. 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220823952943&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT