Eliza loves to sew. She sews clothes of different fabrics. This includes upholstery, light duty fabric, leather, etc. All is good. But, often the sewing machine gets halted unnecessarily, freaking her out. She also doesn’t have the liberty to control the speed of the machine, and the machine dies out within 12-14 months. Eliza is tired of the regular upgrade her machine demands, and wants a suitable and reliable machine that sews like butter.
Do you resonate with Eliza? Probably, you do. That’s why you are here.
If you are someone who’s looking for a sewing machine that will last 3, 5 or for that matter even a decade, you are at the right place. You no more need to worry about the sewing disruptions.
Read this complete Juki ddl 8700 review and make your decision. ( This is what made Eliza make her perfect decision – whether this is the ideal machine for her? You can too)
The Juki ddl 8700 is a single-needle straight stitch machine, best used for sewing light-weight to medium-weight fabric. This doesn’t mean you can’t sew heavy-weight fabrics. You can.
It’s best known for its durability and quality sewing.
Apart from light and medium-weight fabrics, you can easily sew denim, canvas, upholstery fabric, fashion leathers, etc.
Prominent Physical Properties of Juki ddl 8700 sewing machine
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The sewing machine is solid and sustainable when it comes to the physical properties.
The length, breadth and width is as follows – 48 * 28 * 48 (inches).
Many people get confused with weight. The shipping weight is mentioned as 125 pound, but don’t let it fool you. The machine itself weighs around 28 pounds. You will definitely need some help to move this machine around though.
The power of the machine is 110V, and so it can be easily plugged in and out into a standard wall outlet.
The servo motor is the major feature of the machine. It’s quick and quiet – saving you from annoying noise.
You can adjust the speed of the motor manually. If there’s a light fabric you want to sew on, probably the slow speed will work very well. Once you have perfected using the machine, you will be-friend it.
The presser foot lift is 1.5 inches.
Also, there’s a reverse lever. You will find the reverse lever for stitch adjusting (from 0.5 to 5 mm) on the right side of the machine.
Let’s walk-through the Juki ddl 8700 industrial sewing machine’s distinct hallmarks:
Fast paced sewing machine
The machine comes with a unique 5500 stitches per minute feature. So, if you’re looking for a quick sewing, you don’t have to look beyond this machine. It’s designed to offer you a perfect straight stitch process, faster than most of the machines. This makes it ideal for people who are working professionals, and need to sew fast. Also, small business owners who do stitching of garments, and other varied fabric related work. Even if you are doing small stitching work for your daily household work, this machine will help you.
Auto-lubrication
Often, machine maintenance is a tough task, and time-consuming too. But, with Juki ddl 8700, you don’t have to worry. The machine has an auto-lubrication system that will make the maintenance of this machine, a swift and hassle-free process. You don’t have to disassemble the machine parts every time you are faced with maintenance issues. This saves you time and money too.
Accessories you get it with
With the Juki ddl 8700, you are also provided with a fully assembled unit. You just have to start the sewing process.
Along with the complete assembled unit, you also get a motor, table, machine head, stand, sewing light, storage drawer, bottle of oil, and every other essential component that will help you to sew better.
Servo motor
The machine comes with a servo motor which is strong and reliable. The motor is quiet and you don’t have to worry about the irritating noise. So, this is a great machine for residential areas, if you are working from home
There’s also a speed control equipment placed on the servo motor. This gives you the liberty to pace the sewing as per your preference.
You can position your fabric and control the speed by controlling the foot pedal in a better approach.
Fabrics the Juki sewing machine ddl 8700 can handle
The guidelines strictly advise you to sew light and medium-weight fabrics only. However, you can also sew heavy-weight fabrics, albeit not to much extent.
You can sew on leather, canvas, and other heavy materials without any problems.
For daily use, this is the perfect fit, as it provides an uninterrupted sewing procedure.
Being a straight stitch machine, it does not have any alternative to zigzag and any other different stitch style.
Advantages of the Juki ddl 8700 machine
– It offers great stability due to its large size. You just have to use it repeatedly, and once you are used to it, it will provide you a comfortable experience.
– It comes with a detailed manual guide. This teaches you about the different aspects of the machines and how you can use it better. Also, it gives you maintenance tips to prolong its lifespan.
– You can sew different varieties of fabrics. You just have to do the proper setting of needles and feet. When done correctly, you can sew the fabric smoothly, without any restrictions.
– If you will use the machine for the daily purpose or for that matter in a factory, it provides a sound environment, free of disturbing noise.
– It’s ideal for apparels and interior fabrics.
– It’s fast, reliable and offers great flexibility.
– The Juki ddl 8700 is a cost-effective machine. Compared to its peers with the same features, it’s a powerful machine. If you are someone who uses sewing machines regularly, this machine is fairly priced. When you take into account the diverse fabrics you can sew on, stitching speed, controllable speed, consistency, reliability and other important factors, the Juki ddl 8700 industrial sewing machine is the best placed solution in this price bracket.
– The sewing machine provides enough space – 11 inches – so that you are not obstructed while working. This advantage makes it possible for you to take projects that are space consuming.
– It has a knee lifter at the bottom of the machine. With this, you can raise or lower your presser foot, without the use of your already busy hands. This makes the job fast and swift.
Drawbacks of the Juki ddl 8700 sewing machine
– While the sewing machine can sew leather and other heavy fabrics, you should not be dependent on this machine for regular heavy-weight fabric sewing.
– It offers only straight stitching as it is made for the same specific purpose.
– The biggest disadvantage of the Juki ddl 8700 sewing machine is its weight. You need two adults to place it at the location you prefer. It will take effort to set it up at your place.
– Due to the large weight, it requires large space to fit it in. With 48 inches in size, it isn’t portable. So, you are devoid of carrying it every now and then.
– Also, if you are someone who doesn’t use the machine frequently, the cost can be high for you. But, this shouldn’t be an issue if you’re a regular user.
Who is this machine ideal for?
The machine is ideal for manufacturer’s who are in the service of producing garments, such as jackets, undergarments, dress shorts, trousers, jeans, skirts, shirts, among others.
Even if you are someone who needs a machine for regular house needs, this will prove beneficial to you. This is also an ideal machine for fashion designers, tailors, or anyone working from home doing a sewing business.
Students can also buy this Juki ddl 8700 and learn the art of sewing using this simple and convenient machine.
Before we give our final view, here are some commonly asked questions regarding the Juki ddl 8700 industrial sewing machine.
Frequently Asked questions –
Does this machine sew well on heavy fabrics such as leather and canvas?
According to the manufacturing guidelines, this machine is designed for light to medium fabrics. However, you can easily sew heavy fabrics such as vinyl, upholstery fabrics, leather, and other heavy materials. Just make sure, you use the proper presser feet and needles suitable for the heavy fabrics.
Do I require a special thread to sew on this machine?
No, you don’t require any special thread. You can use any standard thread for your sewing purpose. You can use the regular cone thread from the fabric store. Don’t use threads of low quality, as it breaks constantly during high speeds. A regular standard thread is enough to sew without any problem.
Can I make a buttonhole using this machine?
Buttonhole stitching is a complex process for this sewing machine. Juki ddl 8700 is ideal only for straight stitching. With this machine, you can’t make a button hole.
Does this sewing machine come with a table?
Yes, the machine comes with a complete assembled set that includes a table too. The table, servo motor and the machine comes in three different cartoon sets to make your job easier.
Will I be able to control the speed as per my preference?
Yes, you can change the speed and control it, that too without harming the motor. Easily adjust the motor speed by using the built-in adjustable motor speed control knob.
Does the machine come with dedicated feet for zipper, cording, walking, free motion?
The Juki ddl 8700 comes with a standard straight stitch foot only. There’s no individual special feet for the zipper, coding, free motion and other dedicated stitching purposes. If you want the distinct feet for the required purpose, you will have to buy it from your nearby industrial sewing supply stores.
What are the supplies this machine comes up with?
The Juki ddl 8700 comes with additional accessories that includes Bobbin winder, couple of bobbins, extra needles, machine oil, tools, knee lifter, sewing drawer, thread stand, etc. You should buy some more bobbins and needles for efficient use.
Is the machine pre-installed/assembled or do I have to do it?
You don’t have to worry about the assembling of the machine. Both the machine and servo motor are pre-installed. You just have to place it on your desired location and start sewing. Make sure you get all your accessories, so it becomes easy to start sewing right from the start.
Will the Juki ddl 8700 mahine do reverse and can it change stitch length?
Yes, the machine has the required feature. The reverse layer is on the right of the machine and you can change the stitch length by turning the knob above the reverse handle. You can change the stitch length from one to five, one being the smallest and five, the biggest stitch length.
Is this machine a compound walking foot?
The sewing machine is a plain lockstitch machine with drop feed only. It’s not a compound walking foot, but it’s very well built to tackle hard jobs like the walking foot. You can purchase the walking foot from your nearby sewing shop, if you need one.
Can the table be put on the wheels?
If you wish so, you can easily do it. It requires a bit of work though. Any person with this work experience can do the job. It just requires 4 castors, 2 planks of wood, and 4 heavy duty screws (bolt and nut). But, you have to remember this – Once you put the table on the wheels, the foot pedal will be much higher off the ground. This may cause you inconvenience and make it difficult to operate the sewing machine. So, it’s a matter of choice for you. If you are comfortable with the foot pedal a bit higher off the ground than usual, you can put the table on the wheels.
So now that we have covered the FAQs, here’s our final verdict – whether you should buy or not?
Our final view
The Juki ddl 8700 is a perfect fit for a small designer, business owner and for people who sew consistently.
The machine will be your long term sewing partner due to its easy to use and reliable features.
Whether you’re a beginner or a sewing veteran, you will be able to sew without any disruptions.
The heavy weight shouldn’t be an hindrance for you, as it’s a one time issue. You just have to set it up and start sewing. It’s a solid, accurate and dependable sewing machine.
A detailed user manual guide will definitely help you to learn the nitty-gritty of the machine. Once you are well versed with the ins and outs of the machine, it becomes an easy job to do the regular sewing.
It completely depends on your requirements and preferences.
If you’re like Eliza, you should definitely go for it and as it will offer quick, easy and hassle-free sewing .
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