Which would you choose?
 

If you had your choice - which would you choose?

Juki TL-200Qi
Brother PQ-1500SL

or do you have another machine that you absolutely love?

and talk to me about how hard it is with a manual tension machine? I have always had automatic tension machines with the ability to do manual if I wanted.

Thanks, M

I have the Brother PQ-1500SL, the two machines are very similar. I have owned several Brother embroidery and sewing machines and have never had any problems with them. I looked online at the Juki machines but I could not find a dealer near me. The machine would have to be sent in for service, repairs, parts, etc. Some sewing centers said they could work on it but they were not authorized by Juki and the warranty would be voided.

If you find a dealer near you just make sure their service person is trained to service Juki machines. Some dealers sell Juki but do not have a certified repaid person.

I have the Juki It's a newer version of the Qi I believe- TL2010Q and it's a fabulous machine!! I'm wondering if the Brother you mentioned is pretty much the same machine. They look very similar.
I haven't even used the tension on mine. It goes like the wind whether I'm piecing or quilting.
Good luck!

A few years back I compared the Brother 1500 against the Juki TL2010 and Juki TL 2200QVP Mini and ended up with the Juki TL 2200 QVP Mini. Honestly, the machines were very similar but the Jukis just felt better to me and the Juki had the max speed control lever (that I actually use often) and I think the Brother did not (someone correct me, please, if I'm wrong). The reason for buying the TL2200QVP vs the TL2010 was all of the feet that were included for a modest add'l price.

However, I agree with other posters that having a qualified service person near is a big consideration too! You can't go wrong with any of these machines they are all fantastic!

Good luck!

I have both Juki and brothers machines. Both have their pluses and minuses. I have more brothers machines than anything else. I have had 3 embroidery machines, and my 1500SE. They are all quiet work horses. They are less expensive than their competitors. It was for this reason I purchased each one of them. The Juki was gifted to me. It is a much stronger machine and much louder too. The motor is stronger and it is all around a heavier machine which makes it much better for quilting. If I had to choose I would choose the Brothers to get the most bang for your buck.

Was the Juki machine that was gifted to you one of the straight stitch models comparable to the Brother 1500?

I can't compare the two because I've never owned a Juki. But I do have the Brother 1500 . The speed is controlled by the foot pedal, just like driving a car.

I own 7 machines and if this one (for some bizarre reason) died, I'd buy another one in a heartbeat, rather than pull one of my other machines out of the closet.

I don't understand your question about how hard it is with a manual tension machine. How hard what is - piecing? Quilting?

I've never had a problem with tension on the Brother.

I had a Brother 1500 for years. Wonderful machine then it started to mess up. Three times in the shop for the same thing and I went to a Juki machine siminar by a juki tech/rep. I learned so much and he explained why my Brother's thread cutter was freezing up my machine. Fpr some reason I was using a bobbin with holes around the rim. That's a big no no. Always use the exact same bobbins for these high speed machine. I bought a Juki that was traded in for cheap and got the Brother repaired again. Put in the correct bobbin and so far haven't had a bit of trouble. (the Brother repairman was clueless, just kept putting in a new thread cutter) I was really impressed with the Juki rep knowledge of both machines. He didn't say anything bad about the Brother but showed the differences inside and out. I use the Juki the most for machine quilting. I have a better feel using it. Hard to explain but most know what I mean.

I strongly agree with those who said to be certain to have a local dealer near you. My Juki needed repairs and the closest dealer was 125 miles away. If a repair shop is not an authorized Juki dealer, Juki will not send parts to them. Although the my machine is great and the dealer I sent it to was fantastic, the shipping charges were exorbitant. Never again will I buy a machine without a dealer close by, no matter how much I love the machine.