Brothers/BabyLock
#1
Does anyone know if Brothers and BabyLock are made by the same company? I have a BabyLock Quilter's Choice that is about 7 years old. Paid about $1000 for it and have had a lot of problems. In and out of repair shop. Decided I was going to get myself a "cheap" sewing machine and read some reviews from GoodHousekeeping that recommeded the Brothers that I just bought for $200. I set it up and if I didn't know better, I would swear it was my BabyLock. Just about all the same features, the exact same feet. Hope it has improved in 7 years!
#5
they are not the same company, but brother does sell them their machines, and babylock puts there name on them and markets them differently, they do usually have a few differences, and I do think the babylocks are made a little better. With embroidery brother has the disney features and also has the my custom stitch feature on their machines. this feature can't be found on the babylocks. Also the babylock embroidery machines I think have nancy ziemen designs on theirs instead of disney. I know the babylock quest I think is a pfaff machine so they do get their machines from other companies as well, but the do get a lot of their machines from brother. I haven't heard of too many people having problems with their babylocks, maybe you just got a defective one from the factory. Happens in all brands. I have had my babylock espire which is a brother machine for 2 1/2 years and absolutely love it. Has never given me any problems.
#6
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: IL
Posts: 2,671
Baby Lock doesn't make any machines. Most are made by Brother, with primarily cosmetic differences. And as already said, Brother has exclusive Disney designs. The Baby Lock Quest Plus and it's replacement the Serenade are made by a Taiwanese factory, which also makes the Pfaff Smarter and Singer L-500. So those machines aren't made by Pfaff or Singer or Baby Lock. I have a Quest Plus and it's excellent!
#7
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: At my laptop
Posts: 280
There are maybe 4 sewing machine factories in the world. All the machines out there are made in one of those factories. Thus, Brother and Babylock are made in the same factory. Only the Babylock are made to Babylock specifacations. By the same token, Toyota makes Lexus. For sure not the same car,but made in the same factory. Ever notice how the Juki sergers look like the Bernina sergers? Same factory. It is just a cost effective move. The out side looks the same, but the inside is where the differences happen and the quality comes forth.
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: warner robins, georgia
Posts: 501
There are maybe 4 sewing machine factories in the world. All the machines out there are made in one of those factories. Thus, Brother and Babylock are made in the same factory. Only the Babylock are made to Babylock specifacations. By the same token, Toyota makes Lexus. For sure not the same car,but made in the same factory. Ever notice how the Juki sergers look like the Bernina sergers? Same factory. It is just a cost effective move. The out side looks the same, but the inside is where the differences happen and the quality comes forth.
#9
Super Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 9,556
I have 7 machines - a Pfaff, 2 Janomes, 2 Singers, and 2 Brothers; a Brother 1500s and a Brother SE-270D.
The Brother 270D is a re-manufactured machine my husband bought from Overstock for $300. It's small, lightweight, has a 4" hoop for embroidery. It's been going strong for about 10 years now, and was my "daily driver" for about 5 years.
Then I upgraded to my "Big Brother" - the 1500s. Holy cow, do I love this machine! Big, sturdy, and fast at 1500 stitches per minute. Auto-threader, cutter, knee lift. Most of my other machines are now sitting in closets. I told my husband if something ever happened to this machine, I'd buy another 1500 in a New York minute.
My opinion is you cannot go wrong with Brother.
The Brother 270D is a re-manufactured machine my husband bought from Overstock for $300. It's small, lightweight, has a 4" hoop for embroidery. It's been going strong for about 10 years now, and was my "daily driver" for about 5 years.
Then I upgraded to my "Big Brother" - the 1500s. Holy cow, do I love this machine! Big, sturdy, and fast at 1500 stitches per minute. Auto-threader, cutter, knee lift. Most of my other machines are now sitting in closets. I told my husband if something ever happened to this machine, I'd buy another 1500 in a New York minute.
My opinion is you cannot go wrong with Brother.
#10
About a year ago I attended a seminar taught by a Brother Trainer/Employee. This question came up during class and her answer was that Brother owns Babylock and the machines are built on the same line, using the same parts. What makes one Babylock vs Brother is the cover color they put on the machine and the colors and graphics used in the software loaded. Each brand includes different embroidery designs but the machines are identical. When asked if Babylock was the superior machine her response was "think about it - the name of the Company is Brother. Why would they manufacture another machine (Babylock) that was superior to the one that carries the Brother name? The answer is they wouldn't do that; it doesn't make good business sense!"
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