I LOVE my 2 brother combo sewing/embroidery machines.

In fact EVERY machine I have purchased brand new has been
a Brother machine. Even the cheapo's that I bought my daughters
for learning on were fairly good machines (considering they cost
less than $100).

The one machine I purchased that was not a Brother was USED
a Janome it was a trade in and supposedly had been refurbished
to say it is a horrible machine is a vast understatement. If fact I
plan to use it as "practice" for taking apart to learn how to maintenance
and such.

My Brother Innov-Is 1500D cost me about $2300.00 about 14 months ago.
I say go it get one.

I've had a Brother SQ9000 for about 2 1/2 years. I love it. I have done all kinds of things with it. Machine applique, quilt-as-you-go, and machine binding. It has quite a few fancy stitches, is easy to clean, and takes any thread I care to use. It was only $200. I could not have done any better for the money.

I just love my Brothers and have had it for a while with no problems. It is an inexpensive model

I have a Brothers Quattro 6000D and I love love love it! It has all the bells and whistles. I've had brother machines for the last 20 years. I keep upgrading. They are the same as a Babylock only the price is lower. Once a year I bring it in for cleaning that's it. I just sold my Brothers PC 8500 to my sister in law and she loves it. My granddaughter just received a Brothers for Christmas a 6000CI and she loves it. Good luck. It's best to buy from a dealer where you can get lessons to take advantage of all the bells and whistles. Enjoy!

I do not own a Brother but I was looking for one & called a Brother dealer who sold them for years. He no longer sells them as they have changed production countries. Apparently they are now made in China & he will now, not deal with them. I am NOT knocking Brother machines as I do not have one BUT I do have a Bernina, which I absolutely love. Unfortunately, they are very pricey but with all the problems we are having with items made in China I would be VERY careful before choosing one.
As I read on here the other day, Rowenta irons used to be a quality product but lately several incidents have happened where they have caught fire amount many other problems. One member mentioned they are now being mfg. in China. Buyer beware !!! We spend good money on whatever item it is that we want & of course, want the best & SAFEST products available & I don't believe that is true of many items made in China. Labour there is cheap but what price do you put on safety & quality.
Maybe, try looking at a machine that has been traded in - you can get some very good machines at a reduced price.
Perhaps, you could afford something a little better if you do some very careful checking. Good luck with your choice.

Hi I have sewn since I was nine and I'm now retired. I had always been a Singer person using the old and great Singer sewing machines of which I have 9 of them and love them all. But when I decided I wanted to do embroidery and fancy stitching I went and researched on the computer the reviews from Brothers, Viking, Singer, and Simplicity.
Simplicity is made by Brother, Viking was out of my price range, Singer was considered the worst machines, so I went to a local shop to try out the Brother and Simplicity machines. I then called the Brother company as I had made up my mind to purchase the 6800 Brother. It was the Brother representative that told me that the 6800 was the exact machine as the SE400. I asked alot of questions did the reviews again and my husband purchased the SE400 for me for Christmas. I have made two quilts, and made several table runners, as well as name tags for the grand children. I have embroidered the edges of two dresses, and the table runners. I have it hooked to my computer so I can download embroidery designs directly to the computer use them on the sewing machine. I am thrilled with this machine and will purchase another Brother machine should anything happen to this one. IT is a great value for the money. I have added hoops, and had a ball purchasing thread of many colors to use in the embroidery designs. Brother support is wonderful also should you have any problems with the machine. I will also add we purchase this machine through Walmart online home delivery because they offer an extended warranty for 2 years for $40. which is an in home fix or replacement. The total cost of the machine and warranty was $369.00 at Christmastime. I highly recommend this machine.

Both Brother and Babylock do beautiful embroidery. I have a Babylock 6 needle which is almost to the Brother 6 needle and it is a fantastic macine. Brother makes a great machine!

I have a brother that I got on sale at Walmart 7 years ago. It does Disney embroidery and sewing. I take it to classes and in our RV. I love it. This year I left it at home and brought my Viking 775......it broke down and I had to borrow my daughters machine. I have 4 Vikings...love my Diamond....but the brother has been a workhorse for $500. It is funny...I left it home because I was wondering if it has been used so much that it might break or wear out! I don 't know which machine I will bring with me next year. I do not want to subject the diamond to the RV.

I have a Brother NS30 which is a basic model although it was not cheap where I bought it. Overall I like it but the throat plate is plastic and I wish it was metal. I also cannot FMQ with it (tension- probably no connection with the plastic top but the bobbin casing seems flimsy to me too).

To be fair, most people do not seem to have that problem. For piecing it is great and tension has never been an issue where there is no batting involved.

Our local dealer (since we moved) is not a person I can do business with so, overall, if I had my time over I would probably go for a Janome instead, but your situation is different from mine so don't let me sour your view!

I have a brother embroidery machine that was bought at Walmart, a gift, in 2006 and it's still going, I also own a brother project runway serger which I LOVE it and before I retire I'm buying an brother emroidery machine that sells for over $3000.. I deserve it

While I do not have a Brother, I do have a Babylock that I love. Had I had better service at the Brother rep here I probably would have gone that way. But honestly they were a tad rude and did not seem to know anything about the machine I was inquiring about. I do not need to be sat with and hold my hand but ... they should be able to explain the machine to me, and offer to let me test it. I ended up at the shop that sells Babylock and talk about a world of difference. But honestly the best thing you can do is go there and sit down and try them out. Just like some had said before, make a list of your most important things, take along your fabric and what you will be sewing on it. Then you make the decision. Let us know what you decide!! and this post a picture for us !!

have 2 brothers....so dependable....

What is the learning curve for the higher end Brothers?

Glad for the reviews. I have a Pfaff QE, 11 years old, love her but want a dedicated embroidery machine. My question was answered, yes, I want a quality machine that isn't overpriced and my fave dealer, Ashby, sells Brother too. Feel better about buying a Brother now.

Just bought a INNOVIS NX 450Q---we are getting acquainted and so far I love it---did not want an embroidery machine but like to play with the stitches---I sew clothing and quilts---so far this has been joy---had a Pfaff that the computer board went out---also have a brother serger and an old 1964 flat bed Brother with cams that still sews The price was good and the dealer is fabuless---The Emporium in Salina Ks---best tech in the state and always helpful

Hav u look at the Janome, I'm lookin to purchase the Janome 1600, they also different types too. Good luk

I don't want to sound like a commercial but I have 7 Brother machines & love them all-from low end from a big box store to TOL Quattro & in between, some were inexpensive 2nd hand machines. They are all user friendly, even the TOL. Even my granddaughters (now 8 & 12) love them & have used them without problems for several years. The 8 yr old has proclaimed the 2002D as hers-she loves that machine.The 12 yr old loves the Quattro & does a lot of embroidering on it.
Why so I have so many, beside the fact I'm addicted to sewing machines? My children all live in different parts of the country, so I have to keep a machine at 2 of their homes for when I visit & I like a lightweight machine for travel & classes.

I have two Brother machines. One has all the bells and whistles and the other is used to take to quilting groups. Love both of them. I found that after doing a lot of research that Brother and Babylock are the most user friendly.

I have a Brother Innoviss Q1000 and love it!! It has ALL the bells and whistles. I paid 2k for it about 3 years ago. There are several women in my quilt club who have less expensive ones for carring to quilt club and they are all pleased with them. Also if you should have trouble with the Brother dealers service, Babylocks are almost identical and the babylock service person can service them. Hope that helps. A feature I love about this machine is I can design my own stitch(I've done a tea cup) and put it in the memory! also can be used in conjunction with your computer.

Very fast. the manual is easy to understand. I taught myself to use mine while waiting to use class.

Brother Sewing Machines
 

I have 2 brother sewing machines. XL2600i and a SQ9050. I love how they work and have had no problems with them mechanically. Most of the problems I have had is operator error.

I have only had the SQ9050 for little over a month. But when I was looking for a new machine I looked at Amazon.com because I found their prices to be reasonable. They had several good deals on the Brothers. I was looking for a computerized machine. I did 4 months of research before I finally purchased my machine

A friend of mine at work has a Viking Embrodery machine. Which didn't come with a downloading cable. If you get an Sewing/Embrodery machine, be sure it has a cable to hook up to the computer to download updates and more patterns.

Good Luck on making a decission. I suggest making a list of all the features you are looking for before seeing a dealer if you go that route. They are good a swaying you to the machine they need to sell the most.

I bought a Brother as a back up for my Singer 401A . I really loved it and when my DD said she wanted a machine to start sewing I gave it to her and bought myself a Brother with all the quilting feet. I love it and I will be buying a brother embroidery machine soon.

I have two Viking machines, a Prisma, and a Sapphire 870, but my friend has two brother machines, and loves them. I would think it would be a good idea to go try a few different machines to see what you like best. They are a real investment, so don't go in blind.

I loved my cheapy brother and would have gotten the new v series if they weren't so pricey.

Okay, here's my 2 cents. I owned a Brother off the shelf from that ran for years without any trouble. So when I decided I wanted to do embroidery and saw everything they offered, I went for the Innovis D, which as you may know is a very pricey machine. Got the upgrades and thought I was set for life. Fast forward a couple years and the problems begin. I keep my machines meticulously clean, don't use canned air, regular cleaning and maintenance. Thread jam while I was at the dealer taking a Saturday class. They looked at it right away and the technician could not fix the problem. Off it goes to Brother in Georgia for repair. 3 weeks and $328 later back she comes and sews like a dream.

Fast forward 2 years and guess what? Again, a thread jam. Now, I have not had trouble using a non brand name thread. The first jam was using Robison-Anton thread. The second time was Brother thread. Having moved out of state and not being under warranty, I took it to my LQS for repair. They said their guy can fix any machine, 20+ years experience, yadda, yadda. Not only did I have to find and order the part after he diagnosed the problem, but he had never fixed my machine problem before. When I got it back, ($340 for labor plus the $45+ part I ordered) and started embroidering, it couldn't put down a basting stitch. Embroidered ok though. The shop told me I could bring it back to them, but I lost my faith. A year later, I try to embroider hankies and a freestanding lace and thread jam and threading problems again. I put it away, but not before I found that there were also other decorative stitches that would not stitch out. I just couldn't shell out another $350+ for repairs. I am totally disgusted with the machine, I am always afraid to start and ruin a project.

About 2 weeks ago, I took her out and decided that since there's no warranty, I might as well take her apart and see if I could fix it, which I had done before but always stopped short of taking the entire plastic case off. This time I took off as much as I could and got out a high powered LED flashlight. Looking into all the tiny spots and crevices I could my eye caught a tiny flash of green and proceeded to dig out of the uptake arm shiny green metallic thread which amounted to a small gumball. She seems to be working quite nicely now and I am happy. But I will always be waiting for the other shoe to drop. I have no faith in my Innovis or Brother.

I would not buy a combo machine for quilting. I actually went out and bought an old Singer 237 to quilt and general sewingand a Featherweight for travel. My expensive combo machine is used for embroidery only and decorative stitching. I also have a Bernina 600 that embroiders small designs. Don't look for all the bells and whistles just because they're available. You don't have to be in love with the dealer, you're not going to live with them, they are only there to services your machine and provide instruction as needed. Check out the satisfaction level of the dealer from other customers. Good luck.

I have 2 Brothers, the Innovis 1250D which I only use for embroidery, and a Nouvelle1500s which I use strictly as a quilting machine. The 1500 is a straight stitch only but has a pin feed, an automatic cutter which I love and a lot of other features I love. I also have had from time a great number of Brothers machines which I have rescued and sold, and they all give great value for the price paid.
I also own a lot of vintage Singer machines which I consider equally good, but that 1500 is powerful and makes a beautiful straight stitch equal to a Featherweight, AND it has a higher and somewhat wider distance from arm to needle.
Pat

I have a brother Innovis NX 450 Q that I would not trade for anything. It does everything I need it to do as far as quilting and sewing. My mother has the embroidery machine from brother and she loves it also. It is a good machine.

I have 2 brothers, well actually 7 but those are people. I have the Brother Innovis 1500D ( purchased 4 yrs ago) and the Brother Pro1000e ( just got it). I love both of these machines. I purchased the Innovis on time and cash for the Pro1000e. I also have a Babyloc which is the one I carry to classes and such. I really like that one too.

The dealer is good to work with. I can get some problem solving help over the phone. They always make me feel they have all the time in the world when I need them.

I have a brother innovis 900d.
I love it!

I went into our local retail sewing machine store and tried out the Brother machines, the tension was off on every machine he showed me. I ended up leaving with a nudge from the salesman, he didn't know what to say or how to adjust it. Is the tension a problem with the Brother machines?

I have 2 brothers and love them! Brother is all that goes in this house now! :) :)

[QUOTE=debbiemarie;5956791]I went into our local retail sewing machine store and tried out the Brother machines, the tension was off on every machine he showed me. I ended up leaving with a nudge from the salesman, he didn't know what to say or how to adjust it. Is the tension a problem with the Brother machines?[/QUOTE

I have 4 brother machines and haven't had a tension problem on any of them.

I love my Brother SE-400. Third Brother for me - one was 'injured' during a fall while playing "survivor" in our car trunk last summer - worked fine until then. Bought one very low end to keep at my sisters home because we visit there often and I must have something to do! I share that one with my nephew.

I also have another low end Brother for another nephew and niece. That one is theirs to take home when/if their Mom agrees to it. They're my sewing buddies when they visit.

None of my 7 Brother machines have or have had a tension problem, something sounds off with that store. Do they also sell another brand, maybe one that has a higher profit margin? All of mine have sewn perfectly right out of the box or right after I got them out of the car for the used ones. I am suspicious.

NO Tension problems with Brother, just apparently got a very inexperienced salesperson. Most likely some kid or adult was playing with knobs on the displays. Too Bad they didn't have a knowledgeable salesperson to help you.
Pat

I have to comment here, anytime you pay thousands for a sewing machine I do not consider them a poor relation rather a good value for the money and the other brand you mentioned is overpriced!
Pat

I've used mine for 13 years - just a little thing, but sews very well. Thinking about getting another one with all the bells and whistlres this time.

I purchased my 1st Brother (NX2000) a little over a year ago and I love it...

I have a 6000i that I still love but needed a bigger throat space so I got a innovis QC-1000 for 1400.00 and I will never use all the bells and whistles. Then amazon had the PE500 embroidery machine on sale for 230.00 so decided
it was a good deal to get my feet wet. I'm all set for under 2k! I haven't had a chance to play with my singer 99k at all or my featherweights, I need a bigger house....

:thumbup::thumbup: I have 2 Brothers. The Innovis QC 1000 is the higher end and a BC1000 which I bought at Targets for under $200 because I needed a lighter weight machine for classes and sewing events with my local guild.

Both are great machines and I have never had a problem with the tension.