Upper end Brother sewing machines?

16 years ago

I have a lower end Brother machine, purchased from Walmart about five years ago. I was looking to upgrade sometime next year.

I have been looking at some of the more expensive models that are available through Innov/Brother dealers. Let me clarify when I say expensive I mean 499-799 dollars. I was wondering if any one has gone this route....Does anyone own one of these?

-Jen

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Comments (4)

gerizone5
16 years ago
I never bought a high-end Brother, but did purchase a $200 one at Walmart two years ago and it just jammed up on me and my sewing machine guy said throw it out, it's not worth fixing. I feel bad because it was my back-up and I really liked it. It sewed very well, was computerized and had quite a few different stitches and came with all the attachments. So I sort of wonder about Brother's in general--if they're made internally with parts any better than the real cheap ones. Would be interesting to find out.
Islay_Corbel
16 years ago
I had a brother NX 400 and gave it to my DD. A wonderful machine.
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Hi Carol - I've had the husqvarna viking Topaz 20 for about a year and a half. Once I got it working (required a bit of back and forth with a resolution of swap out for a different new machine and the process was a head ache, however that might happen with any piece of computerized equipment)I really enjoyed it. I have the 4D software which was offered half off with purchase and machine was on sale. Do get enough software that you can resize images, change colors of threads, edit images to delete parts (so if you have an image with some line "Grandma knows best" "Happy Valentine's Day" whatever you can delete the line and go for the image). Don't compare costs without including what you need for software. I looked at the Berninas and decided I could get more machine for the money with Husqvarna AND their comparable machine had you plugged into the laptop/computer the entire time the embroidery was stitching out (big designs can take 6 hours and you can't turn off most machines during this process - even the Diamond - as they won't precisely line up when you turn them back on). I didn't want something that expensive highly integrated to a laptop as we all know you have to replace laptops every so many years as operating systems eventually don't support the old one. The Hus has something like a thumb drive to load designs to the machine. If your local group is Bernina you might get more hands on training there which in the beginning is a boon. I know there are some sewing shops other than a JoAnns that sell Hus and wish I'd used one. The one within JoAnns is limited to one staff on duty at a time and they need to sell, not teach. I'd been led to believe up front I'd get much better hands on training than I did. They'll try their best to punt you to buying their instructional DVDs. I'm currently on a mailing list of someone locally to PAY to learn more about the 4D software (which I could do by trudging through its manual but I work full time and that just isn't fun). I've posted a few pictures of things I've done on Facebook's Machine Embroidery Group. Haven't yet found a really active group - but there's a bit more action there than other places. They're discussion tab has a "Let's Share" on machines. Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures of Embroidery Projects on FB
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I always research before I buy too. When I was getting ready to buy my embroidery machine I saw the Brothers in WalMart much cheaper than the older model Brother I wanted to buy. At the same time DH was looking for a small riding lawn mower. John Deere is popular here and are sold all over, but like the Brother machines, the prices, and the warranty vary. We found out that many of the internal components in inexpensive machines aren't replaceable, and are made with cheaper materials. Even though they carry the name they are sold as 'throw aways' and don't last as long as the higher end machines. I have read so many complaints about the WalMart Brother machines and my older, but higher end model works great. So I would ask questions and research any prodeuct you buy. $300 may not be a lot of money to some, but it is if it only lasts a few months!!! Rosa
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Mary, I have the brother SE270D. I bought it at Wal Mart for about the price you want to pay. Let me say I really am a hand embroider but for the things I've used it for it has worked fine. It is a promotion for Disney and most of the built in stitches are Disney. I ordered a Ped basic to go on my computer to down load patterns. There are free patterns and many sites that sell designs. I payed less than $150 for my Ped Basic. All that said, it only can sew up to a 4 inch design. And my friend says a really important consideration is the cost of thread. To have only a small number of colors is expensive. I pay $4 to $5 a spool. I use rayon thread because it works well for me and gives the design a nice look. I'm not sure what you are thinking of doing but just in general, I am pleased with my machine. It also has some stitches for quilting which I want to try out soon. Also there is a forum on here especially for embroidery and someone there may be able to give you more information. Good luck in finding what you want. Sally
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That is so sad. My first machine was a Kenmore, 1974, still have it! Dad worked at Sears, so got it on sale and employee discount - my birthday and confirmation gift that year. Dad brought me to his store and the woman in the sewing dept showed me all the neat things I could do with my machine. I loved using it, a real workhorse, all metal. Still use it along with my Bernina 830E. Sears used to sell fabric too.
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barbara_in_pa
16 years ago
I have an Brother NX450 and love it....when I went from a 1960's machine to this one it did take quite a bit of getting use to. I still have my 'old' machine, but rarely use it any more..I use my Brother exclusively - and at times wished I had gotten the next one up from this one.
dshepherd
15 years ago
hello
i am a lover of brother mid end machines. i have the nx600 (sewing), innovis 1000 (embroidery/sewing) , and the pq1500(quilting) . i love them all and have not had a problem with any.
depends on what you want to do, the nx has many decorative stitches, utility and also has the design a stich (where you program your own decorative stitch in). it is a work horse!
the 1000 has 5x7 embroidery, built in embroidery patterns and more can be loaded from cards, either purchased or loaded with design software and card reader writer, many utility and decorative stitches and also the programable stitch function.
the 1500 is a mid arm quilter, it sews strait stitch only and i uses it either on a quilt rack or on the table for free motion quilting.

most expensive was the embroidery one, near 900$. then the quilter (750) and then the NX600, the 650's are out now and i hear they are quite nice as well.

more reasonablky priced is the brother se series sewing embroidery for around 400$. I had this one and gave it to my daughter when i up graded. it is still sewing beautifly and doing fine embroidery and has been in use for about 5 years. each is easy to learn. my favorite is the nx600. it is the one i use for making quilt tops to basic mending. simple to use. (even my son can sew on a button with it)

anyway i ramble on and on ...
have fun shopping
donna

ps brother also just introduced a new machine the quatra, i have no idea how much it runs but am guessing it is about 5-6k. i think it does everything you can dream of but that kind of money is way way way out of my league.

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Upper end Brother sewing machines?

Comments (4)

gerizone5

Islay_Corbel

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barbara_in_pa

dshepherd

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