Help Picking a Machine
 

I am in NEED of a new machine. I would love an embroidery/sewing machine. I have pretty much narrowed it down to 2. I just need help deciding between them.

[h=1]Brother® LB-6800THRD Computerized Sewing and Embroidery Machine[/h]
Singer S10 Studio Embroidery Machine

I don't know a ton about machines in any way to be honest. So I will add that my old machine was a Singer. I don't know if that makes a difference or not.

Got a Budget? Maybe explain the features that attract you to your two top choices fir a better comparison.

Old Singers are not the same as new Singers ....Singer Co sold off the brand name years ago. Quality is less.

sandy

I don't want to spend more than $500. I would love Embroidery but I don't need to do any major embroidery. I would mainly like to be able to do letters. Maybe a few pictures. And when I said my old singer..it was only from 2009.

Avoid a new Singer like the plague. They are made so cheap! We get them in the shop with the timing off, right out of the box. I've heard that people like their Brother embroidery machines. I personally prefer a metal oscillating hook over anything with a plastic bobbin and bobbin case. The plastic starts jamming if you try to sew heavy fabrics. And the needle bar in these plastic machines, has forward/backward wiggle, so you can't really set a proper needle/hook distance (timing setting). You might find something used, with more metal, that's in your price range.

I agree with quiltedsunshine and would go with the Brother. I love old Singers, but the new ones are cheaply made.

Brother embroidery machines are the most user friendly IMHO. I have owned Pfaff, Husqvarna and Bernina. However I once used a brother before purchasing an embroidery machine. Sooo user friendly. The reason I don't own a Brother machine is ONLY because there is no dealer near me.

I agree - And you can embroider Disney designs with a Brother machine, not with a Singer (or any other brand).

also try them out. I had my heart set on a certain brand, and when I went to try them and compared them to another brand, I didn't like it.

You do have to test drive them. Don't expect to get much quality with your budget. I bought my Bernina 1530 for $1,000 in the early 90's. It still is still running great. I went from a Singer (1970) to my Bernina. No regrets!

I have 2 low end machines. A Brother XR1355 that I do all my piecing etc on and a Singer Confidence Quilter that I do all my FMQ on. Have had the Singer for about 3 or 4 yrs now. Have pieced and quilted many quilts including king size.
Would like to get a Brother embroider machine someday. I know that many of you don't like the cheap Singer, but it has been a workhorse for me. I would love to have an expensive machine, but one has to make do with what one can afford. Won a couple of blue ribbons at the fair this year using my cheap machines.

Singers aren't what they used to be quality wise.............remember more features more $$$ and if you under buy you will soon outgrow it. If you sew frequently............maybe wait a while and save a little more Your dealer is an important factor too, will he stand behind it?

the brother looks like a nice machine, amazon has it on sale. Can you test drive it someplace?

I have to disagree quiltedsunshine my plastic bobbin case in my brother has sewed through 10 layers of denim flawlessly without jamming so I don't think that a plastic bobbin has anything to do with the quality of sewing

If you can try the machines out, that would be very helpful to you. Someone on this board said that buying a new machine is like buying a new car, and what one person likes, another might not. I would take some scraps and just sit down and sew...if that is possible.

Dina

When you've serviced over 500 machines, then you can say, yes, I know that the plastic bobbin case machines don't have as good stitch quality as the ones with metal bobbin cases. It's not just the bobbin case, it takes into consideration all of the other plastic parts in the machine, and the tolerance level of the factory that the machine was built in. If the needle bar has forward/backward wiggle, then you can't control the needle/hook distance, which is an important timing setting. Stuff like that makes a difference. Probably doesn't make much sense to anyone else -- but I'm a sewing machine mechanic and it's what I look at every day at work.

I have heard the mantra that machine with metal parts are better than those with plastic parts - by parts i mean internal parts.

I have a brother because I had no experience with embrodering so I didn't want to invest a lot of money in a machine that I wasn't sure how often I would use. It is extremely user friendly and IMO does a really nice job. Is it as good as a machine that cost several thousand dollars? No. But I'm very happy with my purchase and the quality is a lot better than I expected. Good luck and enjoy whatever machine you decide on!

I have not looked at embroidery machines, but I, myself, would NOT buy anything new from Singer. Burned a few years back.

I have 2 bother sewing machines one I payed 200 dollars for the other 1400 for they both work like a dream bother is all l've still got one I bought in 1983

All of my machines since 1972 use plastic bobbins, top load. Never had an issue. I found that "experience" interesting. Sounds like a maintenance or threading issue.

Sandy

I think you may need to check the Singer again. I believe that is a embroidery only machine. The brother looks like a nice machine. I have 2 brothers and I also have the same Singer Confidence as you- It is a total workhorse! The brother machines are very user friendly. Let us know what you end up getting!

Oh and just FYI - the brother SE400 is a sewing/embroidery combo. I have a couple of friends who have it and really love it.

I have a different idea for you. Go to ebay and research an older TOP OF THE LINE brand machine. I did this and bought a Viking embroidery machine that was originally $5,000 and I only paid $700.00. Ebay has protection so I felt comfortable buying this way. One time I got a Viking (same model) and returned it to the seller as it was so smoke stained I couldn't clean it up or couldn't breath while trying to sew either. Once I returned it I bought another one that looked brand new and works like a charm.

I agree that Singer is just not the same anymore. With that said, please consider what the cost is on each for accessories.

I would stay away from the new Singer's, too. Your best bet would be a used Janome or Pfaff, or maybe a Bernina. If you are near New Holland, you could check out Brubaker's. They completely recondition used machines and offer a 1 year warranty. They have some used Pfaff's on ebay right now. I Janome used 6500/6600 would be a great machine for you.

I've piped in with this before---I think the most improtant thing is a "great" dealer---they will give you time and help to try and pick out the best one for you and back you up afterwards

http://www.overstock.com/Crafts-Sewi...searchidx=16-*
Looks like a good buy on overstock right now. As I have never bought from a dealer or had to take a machine in to get it fixed I personally do not consider them more important than a good machine at a price I can afford. I have a Kenmore 19000 but you cannot down load off computer as I would love to be able to do for designs. Get what makes you happy and you might find you would like to do more than letters in the future. Let us know what you get and how you like it.

And you could probably sell your old Bernina for about the same price you paid...they hold their value unbelievable well.

If your old singer is still in good shape,maybe just buy an embroidery only machine.I bought an embroidery/sewing machine.I still use the sewing part of it but not much the embroidery part.It can't be upgraded.But,a new embroidery machine might be in my future.Maybe.I also have several old singers I have bought at auctions and use several on a regular basis.No bells and whistles though.But workhorses.Anyway,just my thoughts.

I just bought a Singer to use when my hubby and I go camping. So far so good, but all I really use it for is straight stitching. In my sewing room I have a Husqvarnia. I bought it about ten years ago and its still going strong. I would test drive until you find the one you like, and you can always find some of the "better" machines on sale, especially if the model/brand has been discontinued, that's how I got the Husqvarnia ..good luck..

I also agree with them. I would go with the Brother or see if you can find another brand (not Singer) used. Do your research well and test them out.

Stay away from Singer! They are plastic! Brother makes a much better machine but for $500. Or less I don't know...that could be plastic too 😞

Did anyone know you can order sewing machines at homedepot.com?

My friend bought a little Brother embroidery machine with Disney stuff built in, she paid around $600 at the dealer and got lots of support. This type of machine I'd buy at the dealer. If it was their straight stitch model the PQ 1500s, then I think you would be ok ordering online.

Not all Brother machines are set up to do the Disney. It has to be able to handle a certain format so I'd check that out before buying if that's a criteria.

I did not know that..I am not completely surprised though. The 2 that I listed in the OP the Brother was from Costco's website and the Singer from Kohls website.

The one that I have is a Singer..I bought it 5 years ago, for about $200 or $300 I can't remember. I had it cleaned and serviced last year for the first time and it cost $100..now it stopped grabbing the bobbin thread. So everyone says that that is probably a timing issue. But I don't want to put a lot of money into it since it didn't cost all that much. I am glad that I posted this though because I was leaning towards the Singer that I listed..now I think I am leaning very far away from it.

I would prefer something with a top drop bobbin. The other kind "scares" me. Keep the advice coming I am finding it very helpful. Thank you everyone for all of the comments.

I am very fond of Brothers, but they have plastic gears too. Some of these posts kinda make it sound like Singer is the only brand that uses plastic gears but this is the era of planned obsolescence and they all do it. (I do think Brother is better than Singer these days, though.)

If you already have a good sewing machine, then I second the recommendation for your new machine to be embroidery-only. I have this set up and it's great because I can still be sewing while the embroidery machine is working away on its own. And if one needs to go into the shop, you still have the other to play with.

My embroidery-only machine is a Brother PE770; I bought it from Amazon. I don't use it a lot but every time I've wanted to use it, it's been ready for me. The only problems I've had have been due to either user error (wrong stabilizer, etc.) or poor materials (cheap thread that shredded). My only gripe is that the screen is really small and it's tough to tell what design you're selecting if you've got a lot of stuff on your USB stick; everything looks like blobs. As a work-around for that, I do my pattern selecting on my PC and only put the design/designs I'm about to stitch out on the stick so I don't accidentally get the wrong thing going. For my needs this is the perfect machine and I'm very happy with it.

This is the machine that I went with. My Dh ordered it for me this morning. I can't wait to get it and start using it.

Also I am glad that I waited..since the price came down by $80 since this was first posted.

The Singer brand is confusing...but i think has been steadily improving over last couple of years. They now have the very popular Janome 1600p and Janome 6500 as models S16 and S18. A couple of their models of late have been well reviewed even though as a brand they have a pretty bad reputation to overcome....it does look like its getting better and not all of their current models are necessarily bad choices, but its still best to thoroughly research any Singer model you're interested in.

Wow mea, I had NO idea that Janome was making some of the Singers now. I had to look up the S18 and you're right, it looks exactly like the Janome 6500 except different colors. I have a 6600 and it's a fantastic machine.

Well, that's ONE way to improve your brand...have someone ELSE make your products! LOL