Originally Posted by Tadpole
I have a Brother that I bought from HSN with the easy pay and yes it is limited to a 4x4 hoop but for someone to just get started with embroidery it is a very good machine. Mine also has a connector for my computer. It allowes me to download different designs without having buying extra equiptment(spelling) to download from the internet. It took me a little while to learn how to do it but was well worth it. This was my first computerized machine and I let it sit in the box for 3 months cause I was so scared that I would not be able to learn how to work it. Just read the manual then read it again. If I can learn how to run mine anybody can. There is one drawback to this machine, when you do learn it you WILL want one that has a bigger hoop but for the price and the fact that you can download from the internet without spending more money this is the machine. Mine is a Brother HE-240.
IF I'm reading everything right, with the Brothers, you can only use the "Brother" type files in the embroidery. With the Singer, it comes with the software that you can use any clip art or anything that you download from the internet. It doesn't have to be just the embroidery designs that you buy.
The Singer also has the extra software to turn your photos into embroidery! Has anyone used this? It looks like it would be amazing, I'm just wondering if its as good as it looks!