Last updated on October 17th, 2021 at 02:01 pm
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The Juki DDL-8700 Industrial Sewing Machine is a single-needle lockstitch industrial sewing machine manufactured for use with light-weight to medium-weight fabric. This makes it ideal for making or repairing a wide range of apparel from undergarments to jackets.

Why Choose Juki DDL-8700 Industrial Sewing Machine?
If you’re in the business of manufacturing or repairing garments, whether common apparel or stylish ones, you will need a heavy-duty sewing machine designed to withstand industrial operations but is gentle enough to handle light to medium fabric.
The Juki DDL-8700 will not disappoint you with this matter. It’s essentially your best option when you want a sewing unit that’s more durable than the home-use ones but more affordable compared to the industrial sewing machine for leathers and other thick materials.
Description of Juki DDL-8700 Industrial Sewing Machine features
The servo motor is what makes the Juki machine stand out from among other industrial sewing equipment in the market. This 110-volt component is so quiet that you won’t have to endure the noise often associated with other home and industrial machines.
In short, this Juki product is also great for residential areas, especially for those who are doing business from home.
In addition, the servo motor also provides the Juki unit with adjustable RPMs, giving you a wide range of stitching speed options. So when you want to slow the stitching down for a more precise work, it’s easy to set the Juki unit.
The maximum length of stitch that the DDL-8700 can make is 5 millimeters, or at least around 6 stitches per inch. This machine is capable of producing as much as 5,500 stitches per minute, perfect for the manufacturing of both fashion and ordinary garments in bulk.
The needles used in this machine are the Organ DBx1, which are the same as 16×231. They’re also similar to the Singer size range from 9 to 18.
What it means is that you can have needle variation options that are wider than when you’re using a home-use sewing machine.
When fully assembled, this Juki product measures around 20 inches in width and 48 inches in both length and height. Keep in mind though that this item is shipped fully assembled already in a pallet, which makes it easy for you to start your sewing once you have this unit.
However, the shipping weight is around 125 pounds (although the unit is only 28 pounds) so you might want to consider having helping hands once this unit arrives in your location.
Here is a video from Atlas Levy showing much about this powerful sewing machine.
More to that, this sewing machine has an arm space of around 11 inches from the needle to the neck. The maximum presser foot lift is at half an inch by knee lever and at 1/4 of an inch by hand lever. It is essentially identical to the DDL-8500 models, which are being replaced. The Juki DDL-8700 also replaces the DDL-888 and the DDL-MS models.
For greater convenience, the Juki DDL-8700 features an auto-lubricating system for hassle-free maintenance.

Who should buy the Juki DDL-8700?
The sewing machine is great for manufacturers who are in the business of mass producing garments, both ordinary and fashionable items such as jackets, dress shirts, skirts, undergarments, jeans, trousers and polo shirts, among others.
This is also ideal for tailors, dressmakers, fashion designers and related entrepreneurs who are doing business from home. Thanks to the servo motor, the sewing machine isn’t noisy to operate unlike the traditional equipment.
This Juki unit is also great as a practice machine in fashion classes and related courses. Administrators of fashion schools can have peace of mind knowing that this equipment is durable enough to last long, offering great value for the money.
Students may also opt to have this Juki sewing machine in their home either while studying in a fashion course or as a gift for them after graduation.
Quick Recap of Features
- Auto-lubrication system
- 110-volt servo motor
- Adjustable RPMs
- 5mm maximum stitch length & minimum of 6 stitches per inch
- 5,500 stitches a minute Maximum Speed
- Uses Organ DBx1 needles (same as 16×231) or around sizes 9 to 18
- 20 by 48 by 48 inches
- 11-inch arm space from neck to needle
- 1/4-inch presser foot lift by hand lever
- Presser foot lift by knee lever
Merits or Pros
- Ideal for apparel and interior fabrics
- Durable unit
- Fast, reliable and quiet operation
- Greater flexibility in stitching speed
- Generally no assembly required because unit will be delivered fully assembled
Demerits or Cons
- Can sew leather, but not ideal for leather, upholstery and other thick materials. Purchase the DDL-8700H model for this matter.
- Not ideal for very thin or slippery materials. Buy the DDL-8700A model instead.
- Only does one stitching – straight line
- Very heavy equipment
- Not a portable unit
What should be included?
- Juki DDL-8700 sewing machine
- 1/2 HP clutch motor (110V-220V)
- Table top plywood with dimensions 48 inches by 20 inches
- Tools and printed manual with instructions
- 6 extra pieces of bobbins and 1 bobbin winder
- 10 extra pieces of needles
- Oil pan with machine oil
- Machine belt guards
- V belt
- Thread stand and sewing drawer
- Knee lifter