Reliable Barracuda 200ZW Craftsman Kit Zig-Zag Sewing Machine

if you are looking for a turn key heavy upholstery machine, out of the box, the Barracuda isnt it... but dont give up on it yet. . the basic machine is identical in every way to the REX RX-607Z... the only difference, as shown here are the included accessories... otherwise its the same machine, same color, same basic screwdriver/oil kit, same sewing sample and thread color under the presser foot, but only with a different brand name label on it...but then, it is also the same machine as the sailrite machine, EXCEPT the sailrite has painted theirs a different color and had some minor changes done to it and those changes patented, so its more expensive and slightly better tuned but the fit and finish is nearly identical....there are other "brands" that use this same basic machine model also, but I can only talk about the ones I have direct experience with.the first problem is, these machines should NOT be offered without the large, heavy drive wheel, because without the oversized wheel, the machines are under powered and surge too much while sewing and when trying to start a run.. it starts hard, then runs on too fast and is very difficult to control.The heavy wheel gears it down, AND the momentum of the heavy wheel dampens the surging when trying to start a run, as well as carrying the machine thru a hard spot in the material without slowing it down... it runs on fairly steady and can even be slowed way down without the needle being stopped when punching thru a hard spot...does the machine work without the heavy wheel?... yes, it will sew but its not pleasant to use if one is used to a smooth running machine with power...After attempting to sew a bimini cover with my new "stock" barracuda, I had to stop and order the heavy drive wheel for it. after waiting for it to arrive, which took longer than it did for the machine to arrive, I found that after installing it, which is simple in itself, I had to do some work on the idler pulley because the new longer belt wouldnt stay on.. after some grinding and filing on the machine frame and a bit of bending of the pulley mount bracket to get it to line up properly, it works fine now....then, the foot plate (under the presser foot surrounding the feed dogs) stands proud of the machine deck, and its edge is square cut, so when buttons or seams pass over it at the wrong angle, they catch on it momentarily... so i took the plate off and ground the metal down until it had a nice bevel on it, then repolished it and installed it.... much smoother without any obstructions.Then, EVEN THOUGH THE MACHINE WAS SUPPOSEDLY "TEST" SEWN, when I got it with the test swatch under the presser foot, the tension knob would NOT release the tension on the thread when the presser foot was lifted. this was due to the internal lever being about 1/4" from contacting the release button on the rear of the tension knob, so I had to bend it with pliers to get it to work properly.... this should have NEVER passed any of the quality control inspectors, especially the one from reliable corporation..(side note;... it seems as if everyone who purchases one of these machines is impressed because it has been test sewn with the stitched swatch still under the presser foot, but this is normal for these machines, and no matter the brand name of it, its always the same color swatch and the same color thread used in all of them.... nothing too special about that, except that it causes one to wonder if all the different brands of machines originate from the same factory)..there were a number of other little things that needed tweaking to tune the machine to my standards, that you may or may not even notice when someone else is using one of these machines, but Im one who has used all three of the machines ive mentioned here as well as consew and pfaff machines, and I know what quality is, what it isnt, and what it takes to improve poor quality to make it acceptable.and the last thing is is, dont let the heavy duty carry handle fool you.... it is attached to the top plate of the machine very securely, BUT the top plate of the machine is only a thin cast aluminum or pot metal piece, that is secured to the main frame by 1 short little #6 screw at one end of the plate, and a short #8 screw at the other end of the plate... its nowhere near enough for a dependable attachment for this amount of weight. handle it gently.the good news is, without any adjustments or tuning, these machines do sew a nice looking run, both straight and zigzag, with different stitch lengths, and I think this Barracuda I have will hold up well for many years as a medium duty machine (except for maybe the idler pulley bushing when using the large heavy drive wheel, but replacements are affordable and available. keep it lubed well)....the biggest downside to the machines built on this model is the overall ease of use, but the heavy drive wheel fixes this problem and is the reason I say the machines should NOT be offered in any configuration except with the drive wheel on it and adjusted and tuned correctly so the customer is happy upon opening the box.when one is trying to spend as little as possible on a new machine, they may purchase one of these only to find how poorly they perform with the original wheel... and so they return it... then, they buy the other brand and find its not too much different, but somewhat more refined. so they decide to purchase the heavy wheel for it, and then they find they love it and talk it up and recommend it to friends.... this is one of the ways sailrite has gotten free advertising and such a following, when their machine is not that much better..( but good after-sales support helps too, which sailrite has no equal).if the heavy wheel was sold with the budget machine to begin with, the customer could have been happy with out the hassle of spending more money and changing brands....if you are handy with tools, you could easily do the same as ive done with mine and put the machine in a bit higher class than even the sailrite machine is....but it will never have the resale value as the sailrite machine does, because the advertising has put that machine in a higher class, even though they are nearly identical.... sailrite only has a 2yr warrenty, whereas barracuda has a 3 year warrenty.... take your pick. (im not sure why, if sailrite believes their machine to be better, why they dont match warranties)knowing now what I do, I would purchase (and recommend) either the rex machine, or the sailrite, because the cheaper budget machine will save you enough money to purchase the heavy drive wheel, and do any other work you feel is necessary and still be under the price of the barracuda, and with the sailrite, you are buying a brand name that if you ever decide to sell it, will bring a premium price on the used market....both machines sew very well, and personally, I care very little about resale or "brand" names, and because im handy with tools, I would go with the REX everytime....

I bought one last week. Its different than my others and it took a little help to make it work like I wanted but I am very happy with the machine and I love that it is portable. I sometimes work at the job site and it travels with me. It should have been named Beast as it will take on anything.Love itPaula

I purchased a brand new Reliable Barracuda 200ZW and the Cuda Big Wheel upgrade for it.I attempted to install the Cuda Big Wheel upgrade immediately.The instructions are simple enough and being a retired engineer I figured this should be pretty straight forward.All went well up to the point of installing the new longer belt.It was very loose and tightening it ment moving the idler adjustment bracket.Again, should be stright forward adjustment.However, the adjustment bracket was warped / bent.Instead of discribing all the pain involved, I will describe each flaw with the parts I encountered.a: The Cuda Big Wheel is thicker then the stock gray wheel with prevents re-installing the Clamp Motion washer as described in the instructions.b: The Cuda Big Wheel does NOT have a raised edge like the original wheel to keep the belt from walking off the sprockets.c: The adjustment bracker is as if it was not designed properly for this machine. It is a very poor fit which causes it to bend and worp when thghtening it down. This is appearant as received from the factory with the stock wheel. I removed the bracket and straightened it back to what should be a normal shape and this had to add washers to it in order to maintain a straight belt alignment.d: To add insult to injury, the optional Cuda Cover Case will NOT fit on the machine with the black handle attached to the Cuda Big Wheel.E: The belt walking issue is resolved by contacting support and the need to send you a different reduction pulley that has retailers on it to keep the belts in place.After spending several hours working on the fit of the Cuda Big Wheel, Sending videos, Pictures and descriptions of the issues I was dealing with, my wife says. Just send it back. So we did.The picture of the belt sprocket is what is needed, but not included with the machine.

Purchasing the Reliable 200 ZW was a big mistake. It looks similar to the Sailrite machine and it was definitely a good deal cheaper. What a disappointment when it arrived. Cheaply constructed, certainly not worth the price tag. I decided to return the Reliable and purchase a real heavy duty sewing machine. Reliable has had the return for over three weeks I am still waiting for the refund. Customer service was not a positive experience, which is not something you want to discover after spending $700 on a sewing machine. Go for the real deal.