Sewing Machine on sale at Costco
 

I see that Costco has a Brother machine in their coupon book this time. Has anyone purchased this machine and can tell me how they like it? We purchased one there last year for our daughter last year, and she loves it. Our other daughter is looking for a second machine and I thought it would make a good Christmas present, but not sure about it. Any feedback would be great.

I would go for it. We have a recent thread on Walmart machines which I think are comparable and satisfaction is very high.

Do the research here on the web on Brother machines. Yes, there are lots of people who have them and are satisfied....but there are equal amounts who are not. I am one of the no's. I have purchased two different models of Brother machines, both from Walmart and neither one lasted more than a year with repairs costing more than original purchase price (one machine was $189). If the user is not an everyday sewer/quilter, they may get along just fine. If they use the machine like me and sew everyday, making lots of different things like quilts, handbags, clothing repairs, curtains, etc....you may want to consider a more heavy duty machine. "Most" low end Brother machines are made with primarily plastic parts and will not hold up with heavy usage. This is all just my opinion and personal experience.

Service is as important as price.

Costco has a great return policy. My daughter had her a year and had a problem. Got all her money back with no questions.

My very first machine 12 years ago was from Costco and i made many quilts with it until i upgraded to Viking machines. Which model is it?

My favorite machine is my little Walmart Brother. I've had it about 5 years and it's been a real work horse. I have had no problems and/or issues with it. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.

I use my inexpensive Brother machine to do my fmq. It sews very well for other projects too. Heavy materials and thick seams are an issue with it however. So no purses or couch covers in my experience.

I can't say anything about the newer brother machines. But I bought my very first machine back 30 years ago to teach myself to make quilts. It is still going today. I don't use it very often as I have since gotten the vintage singer bug and use them and my Berdinna for most my sewing. My brother cost 149 dollars and my friend loves to sew on it when she is here.

Some of these big box machines cost less than the price to clean my machine each year; much less service it if there is a problem. If you are an occasional sewer and not obsessive (who probably needs a more powerful machine), they are a really good deal. If it breaks, get a new one; it honestly costs less than maintaining a "good" machine.

(And yeah, I hate the idea of throw-away culture. But for me, it was almost 20 years before my cheap Walmart machine broke, and then I just got another. I never had any sort of service on it at all. Didn't even oil it, just brushed out the lint.)

I love my Bernina, but it was a huge expense. The big box machines work really well for the kind of sewing most people do. I know tons of people who make quilts, clothes, even skating costumes on Brothers that cost 20x less than what my machine did.

I purchased my daughter a brother machine at walmart in the early 90's and she is still using it. I have 2 from Costco and they are good machines. Use my Vikings most of the time but still have them and use for back up when needed.

I don't think this is just opinion...It's a FACT. I can understand not wanting to pay a lot for a sewing machine, but in that case one would be wise to buy an older all steel machine. CL has many of them. Try it before you buy to make sure it works, and then take it for a servicing, and you should have a machine that will last for years. I prefer the Japanese made Kenmore machines.

I agree with this philosophy :thumbup:

I got my brother machine from wal mart and I love it. It has been a nice sewer and had never given me any trouble. I have had it now for 3 years.

A friend of mine bought that machine at Costco and loves it.

I have a brother that is 15 years old never had a problem and I use it for everything

I think sewing machines are like everything else...sometimes no matter what you pay for the item--high or low--it is a lemon!!!! I don't judge the quality of anything anymore by its name....that is no longer a benchmark..........my feelings are if you like what you see, in your price range, know its limitations and accept them, then go for it and good luck. I have had some very bad experiences with so called reputable things in the past, so now it is anything goes!!!!! Just remember Buyer Beware! (of everything)

I bought one for my grand-daughter in-law. It is a Christmas present so I can't tell you how she will like it. I looked at it and it looks great. I read good reviews about it on the net.

My neighbor called me the other day to let me know that Costco had a Brother machine for sale. She has a Vikiing for her go-to machine, but wants one that she can carry to classes or to her daughter's house without having to take her Viking. I looked the machines up on Costco's website. There are two listed: Brother 1300 and Brother 1355. On their website, the regular price is around $199 (if I recall correctly), but the 1355 is on sale for $135 or 139. Both are computerized with quite a few amenities. I checked with my guru BFF in Texas about these machines and she agreed that it would be a good purchase for that purpose, or for someone who does not plan to pay a fortune for a machine. At that price, yes, it could be considered disposable and replaceable.

I purchased a little Brother machine quite a few years ago to carry to classes. It is extremely lightweight - about 10-11 lbs. and it works very well. I can't recall the model number off hand (not home to look right now). I have a Janome 9000, but it has quit on me a couple of times (once was a fuse problem, this time I don't know - hope a fuse problem again). If it's a fuse problem again, I need to figure out what's causing the fuse to blow. I also have 2 FW that I need to service. I ended up using my little Brother machine to complete my DD DWR QAYG quilt since my Janome quit on me before I finished the quilt. It worked perfectly, even on all of those layers.

I talked to my neighbor yesterday and she informed me that she'd picked up the Brother 1355 machine, but she's waiting until I get home to "unveil" it. haha I'm sure it will entice me to pick one up too! Nothing like having a few back-up machines...never can tell when one might quit working.

Hope this info helps!

Was the one in the brochure any of these??

http://www.costco.com/CatalogSearch?...sewing+machine

I have a Brother machine I bought from Costco about 6 or 7 years ago. I've had no problems with it. The only thing with most of the newer machines is they don't do heavy fabrics and seams well. If I'm sewing on denim or anything heavy I use my vintage Kenmore.

I bought a brother at Costco several years ago when I first started quilting. It is still purring along. I will not buy any sewing machines at Wal-mart. Wal-mart tells the manufacturer what they will pay and then it is up to the manufacturer to get it made for that price. This results in short cuts and cheaper materials. Just my opinion. I've had both a microwave and TV fall apart in the first year (both bought from walmart). Unfortunately I live in a small town and Wal-mart is all we have to shop from.

If it is the Project Runway Brother, Run Away! It made a news story where the tech opened it up and there was NO Metal frame inside.....the only thing holding everything together was the outside plastic shell, thus the light weight of the machine. Be careful.

my friend bought one and brouht it to class yes it is a good machine and it does everthing it for 134.00 seams like a good price to me

I understand that Brother makes two qualities of machine. They sell the lower quality to Walmart and similar stores and the high-end quality at sewing machine dealers. I've heard good things about the latter, bad things about the former. I once took apart a Walmart Brother machine to repair it for someone, and my opinion about the quality of that machine was very low. In fact, the parts were so weak - especially the tensioneer - that it was not fixable without a donor machine.

If it were me and I was looking for an inexpensive machine, I would wait until the time between Black Friday and the end of the year, and buy a Janome on sale. The quality of the cheaper Janomes is better than the quality of the cheaper Brothers, in my experience. Or, better yet, a 1960s or earlier good-quality vintage machine. (Don't buy Singer from the 1970s onward! The same goes for Simplicity.)

I'd take a chance on it because you just can't beat Costco's return policy.

Brother sewing machines are made by the same company that makes Babylock I believe.

Yep. Brother.

However, it is true that the mass-market machines are lower quality than the machines available only through dealers. They do that to hit a price point. (There are a few machines that overlap mass market and dealer levels. A dealer actually told me that a machine he can sell but is also available at Walmart to just buy it there and he'll sell me a warranty- he can't price it that low.)

However, a mass market machine at Costco, Walmart, Amazon are all the same; the CS6000i isn't different at one place over another.

I didn't buy any of my Brother' machines from Walmart but I do own three different ones and I love them all. I've never had a problem yet.

I bought the one from Costco last December and just love it. I needed a machine to travel and this one is wonderful. I take it to my sewing bee every other week. But I've used Brother sewing machines for almost 2 decades. I've owned a Brother ULT, Brother 8200, Brother 8500, one from WalMart and now this one from Costco. The only one that gave me trouble was one I bought from WalMart 10 yrs ago. It only lasted a few months.

I highly recommend buying the one from Costco. Your daughter will love sewing with it.

I purchased this machine at Costco. It's the Brother XR1355. I wanted something light to travel with and take to classes. I was impressed with all the features of this little computerized machine. I have a Babylock Ellegante 4.0 and a Pfaff QE 4 but would rather take a lighter machine to class. I have been very pleased with the XR1355. I also had a question about the normal tension for the machine, so I called the support number and was so pleased with the lady I spoke to; she was so pleasant and answered my questions, then also sent me a follow-up email. This machine has a small throat, but that's ok with me, because I do not plan on using it for large quilts, just piecing and general sewing at classes. It's just as cute as a bug's ear and runs great. BTW, the sale is only on through October 30 or 31st, so if you are interested, you should get down there to get one. The price is definitely great at $134.99.

I have the xr1300 from Costco and I like it for piecing ,it dosn't like the thick quilt w/ batting and sewing seams ,,,it struggles to get the needle through the thick quilt. and I use the micro-tec needles with a 50Wt. thread, remember the whole thing is plastic the bobbin winder is plastic be careful it will break off. DottieBug

i posted elsewhere but now cant find it so...... i also am looking for a machine i saw one brother pw420 $379 on line i think amazon has it. then i went into the fabric shop and there is a brother 750 there for $1,000. there were virtually the same a few little things different. one was the 420 came w/a table the 750 did not. a quilt foot was involved. what it came down to was $600 difference. and the $600 difference was the 420 was sold by for argument sake walmart, amazon, costco although there is a warranty, if something happens you box up the machine and send it back to brother for repair. if something happens to the 750, i bring it to my local authorized shop and they repair it. so is it worth $600 difference? i dont know. to me it does.

Thanks everyone for the great input. It is the Brother XR1355. I purchased it today, the sale is off tomorrow. My daughter already has a nice Brother we gave her as a HS grad present 7 years ago from a dealer, and it was a close out special, so we got it for a good price. It has the embroidery on it, and she is sewing as a side business and is finding that switching from one to another is a pain, and asked for a second machine for Christmas. I talked to her today, and her machine needs to go in for service and has a deadline for an order, so I think she will get an early Christmas present, so I will let you know how she likes it. What sold me was Costcos return policy, if you are not happy with it, bring it back, no problem. I am a firm believer in "You get what you pay for". I don't have a problem paying good money for a machine as I have a few Berninas myself. However, I don't think a person would appreciate driving a luxury car if they had not driven a Toyota first, and that goes for sewing machines, too. I have a Bernina 430 that I inherited from my mom, just waiting to give her, but I feel she needs to "pay" her dues first, before she can really appreciate a good machine, just the way I did.