Buyer's Guide: The 8 Best Sewing and Embroidery Machines of 2021

 

Buyer's Guide: The 8 Best Sewing and Embroidery Machines of 2021 main article image

Learning and mastering the crafting skill of embroidery is becoming more and more popular, but the market of machines makes it hard to pick the best one to suit your needs. Embroidery machines are not one size fits all model, and choosing the best fit for your needs can take your crafting to a new level.

This article will detail 8 of the best embroidery machines of the year, so you can choose the machine that will best suit your needs. There are also tips to consider before making your first embroidery purchase.

Table of Content

  • Best Overall Embroidery Machine: Brother Entrepreneur 6-Plus PR670E
  • Best Budget Embroidery Machine: Brother SE600 Computerized Combination
  • Best Embroidery Machines for Beginners: Brother PE800 Embroidery Machine
  • Best Professional Embroidery & Sewing Machine: Brother SE1900 Sewing and Embroidery Combination Machine
  • Best Embroidery Machines for Small / Home Business: Janome MB-4S
  • Top Portable Embroidery Machine: Brother PE800 Embroidery Machine
  • Top Smart Embroidery Machine: Janome Memory Craft 14000 Sewing Embroidery Machine
  • Best Embroidery Machine for Custom Designs: The Baby Lock Alliance
  • 11 Things to know before buying your first embroidery machine

Close up of needles on a multi needle embroidery machine

Top Picks of Embroidery Machines 

Best Overall Embroidery Machine: Brother Entrepreneur 6-Plus PR670E

Embroidery Machines: PR670e 6-Needle Embroidery

Image credit: Brother USA

This trusted Brother Machine provides hobbyists and crafters with commercial-style machine abilities for a more affordable price. Not only is the Brother brand one of the most trusted brands for machines, but this six needle embroidery machine is easy to learn and comes with amazing features to handle any of your embroidery needs.

This machine comes equipped with 60 embroidery designs, 37 lettering fonts, 12 monogram fonts, and a variety of frame design shapes and stitches. There is an 8” x 12” inch maximum embroidery area and six needles to hold the different color threads and give you fast and precise results.

Features:

  • 10″ LCD full-color display
  • Smart stitch management
  • Automatic thread cutter
  • On-screen editing
  • 2 USB ports
  • Adjustable embroidery speeds
  • Resume function
  • 8″ x 12″ Maximum embroidery field
  • Hoops included: 4″ x 4″, 5″ x 7″, 8″ x 12″, 1.5″ x 2″

Pros:

  • Large LCD screen
  • Large embroidery field for bigger projects
  • Resume function if power is disconnected
  • Fast machine with speeds up to 1,000 SPM

Cons:

  • Learning curve for users
  • Larger in size so adequate space is needed for placement

Best Budget (Less Expensive) Embroidery Machine: Brother SE600 Computerized Combination

Brother SE600 Sewing and Embroidery Machine

Image credit: Amazon

Not only is this Brother machine the best bang for your buck, but it allows you to complete both embroidery and sewing projects, making it perfect for craft enthusiasts. With 80 built-in embroidery designs and 103 built-in sewing stitches, this affordable machine is one of the cheapest on the Market but delivers great results.

Features:

  • Large touchscreen in color
  • Automatic needle threader
  • Maximum Sewing Speed of 710 stitches per minute
  • Maximum Embroidery Speed of 400 stitches per minute
  • Speed Adjustment
  • 4” x 4” maximum embroidery field

Pros:

  • Great machine for sewing beginners
  • Built-in projects are easy to customize and stitch out
  • Portable machine
  • Fast sewing speeds

Cons:

  • Small embroidery field

 

Best Embroidery Machines for Beginners: Brother PE800 Embroidery Machine

Brother PE800 Embroidery Machine

Image credit: Amazon

Previously known as the Brother PE770, this machine is best for beginners because of its adjustability and easy-to-use functions. While it comes with 138 built-in designs and an LCD display for creating, this machine takes a USB port and has memory recall to remember previous patterns.

The Brother PE800 is also great for beginners because of its extended hoop sizing for a machine of its size. Moving past the 4” x 4” hoop size to a 5” x 7” hoop size, this machine allows for beginners to practice with extended size patterns and increase the number of project options.

Features:

  • Large color LCD touchscreen
  • 138 Built-in designs
  • 11 Built-in fonts
  • Built-in memory
  • USB Port for uploading designs
  • Hoops included: 4” x 4” and 5” X 7”

Pros:

  • Built-in designs are great for practicing
  • LED light included to illuminate the work area
  • LCD screen allows for last-minute project customization

Cons:

  • Experience with tension changes needed

Best Professional Embroidery & Sewing Machine: Brother SE1900 Sewing and Embroidery Combination Machine

Brother SE1900 Sewing and Embroidery Machine

Image credit: Amazon

Like mentioned earlier, Embroidery & Sewing combination machines give crafters the best of both worlds by expanding the design capabilities. The Brother SE1900 Computerized Sewing and Embroidery Combination machine gives users great features like 138 built-in embroidery designs and 240 built-in sewing stitches will expand the hoop size for a larger working area.

Features:

  • Automatic reinforcement setting
  • Large LCD screen
  • Built-in memory
  • My Custom Stitch feature to design custom stitches
  • 240 built-in stitches
  • 138 built-in embroidery designs
  • 11 built-in embroidery fonts
  • 5″ x 7″ maximum embroidery field

Pros:

  • Free-motion sewing included
  • Built-in sewing stitches and embroidery designs can be combined to make great projects
  • Smooth fabric feeding
  • Large LCD screen with built-in memory

Cons:

  • Smaller hoop sizes cannot be used

Best Embroidery Machines for Small / Home Business: Janome MB-4S

Image credit: Amazon

Janome is another well-known brand around the embroidery community. The Janome MB-4S is perfect for Small/Home Businesses because of its 4-needle capacity which allows you to load up your project and move on to something else while the machine does its work. This machine comes with multiple hoops sizes to accommodate your design needs and holds up to 8 spools of thread.  This machine has the power and features to help small businesses excel at a professional level for an affordable price and with its compact nature, it’s perfect for homes.

Features:

  • Single head four-needle style embroidery machine
  • 50 built-in ebroidery designs
  • 10 built-in embroidery fonts
  • 7″ Remote Computer Screen (RCS)
  • Programmable jump thread trimming
  • USB port for uploading custom designs
  • The embroidery sewing speed of up to 800 per minute
  • 4 White LED lamps over needle area
  • Maximum embroidery size: 9.4″ x 7.9″

Pros:

  • Commercial-style embroidery machine
  • Large embroidery field
  • Four-needle style machines
  • Fast working with up to 800 SPM

Cons:

  • Expensive price tag
  • Learning curve
  • Expensive to fix if broken
  • Foot pressure cannot be adjusted

Top Portable Embroidery Machine: Brother PE800 Embroidery Machine


Brother PE800 Embroidery Machine

Image credit: Amazon

The Brother PE800 Embroidery Machine is the top portable because of the carrying cover attached and its compact sizing while still being able to accommodate multiple hoop sizes. This machine gives crafters many customizable options for great projects through a size-friendly machine that can be transported easily.

Dimensions of the Brother PE800 Embroidery Machine

  • Item Weight: 13.74 Pounds
  • Item Dimensions: 21.75 x 19.02 x 19.09 inches
  • Dust Cover with carrying arm included

Top Smart Embroidery Machine: Janome Memory Craft 14000 Sewing Embroidery Machine

Janome Memory Craft 14000 Sewing and Embroidery Machine

Image credit: Amazon

This Janome embroidery machine rates as the top smart machine because of its ability to embroider, sew, and quilt. There are 350 built-in embroidery designs, 11 embroidery fonts, 400 built-in stitches, and 13 one-step buttonholes. The full-color LCD touchscreen allows you to create and edit unique designs that take your creativity to the next level. This machine moves fast with 1,000 stitches per minute and has a maximum hoop allowance of 9.1” x 11.8”.

Features:

  • 400 built-in stitches 
  • 350 built-in embroidery designs 
  • 13 one-step buttonholes
  • 11 Built-in fonts
  • LCD full-color touchscreen
  • 10 white LED lamps in 5 locations for extra lighting
  • Automatic thread cutter with Up to 4MB of memory storage
  • Retractable High Light and AcuView Magnifier in three different magnifications
  • Embroidery sewing speed of 600 -1,000 per minute
  • Maximum embroidery size: 9.1” x 11.8”

Pros:

  • Magnifying glass is great for closer observation of projects
  • Many build it designs and stitches for project customization
  • Great for quilting, sewing, and embroidery
  • High-quality machine but does not take up a lot of space

Cons:

  • Expensive
  • Strong learning curve for beginners

Best Embroidery Machine for Custom Designs: The Baby Lock Alliance

The Baby Lock Alliance single-needle free-arm embroidery machine

Image credit: Baby Lock

The Baby Lock Alliance is another great embroidery machine that can fit in a tight space but gives commercial machine-like features. This single needle machine is great for custom designs because it specializes in handling projects both big and small with its narrow embroidery arm. It can even embroider on 3D objects!

This machine has an 8” x 8” embroidery field and also features an optional cap hood, cap set for embroidering on hats. Another feature that makes it great for custom designs is its TruView LCD Color Screen with vivid imaging and displays over 260,000 colors. The machine also includes 2 USB ports for uploading custom designs into the machine.

Features:

  • Single-needle machine
  • 4-Thread spool stand
  • 125 Designs built-in embroidery designs
  • 25 built-in embroidery fonts
  • 120 built-in Frame combinations
  • TruView LCD Color Touch Screen
  • 2 LED lights in the work area
  • Autosave feature
  • Built-in memory of 1MB
  • Maximum embroidery speed of 1,000 stitches per minute
  • 2 USB drives; 1 Type-A drive, for flash drives and CD-ROM’s  and 1 Type B USB that directly connects to a PC
  • Maximum embroidery field up to 8″ x 8″

Pros:

  • Large TruView LCD Screen
  • Very fast machine with 1,000 SPM
  • Large embroidery field
  • Connectivity straight to computer
  • Open arm for small and large projects

Cons:

  • Expensive price tag

Multiple colors of embroidery thread

11 Things to know before buying your first embroidery machine

Before you jump in and get the machine of your dreams, consider these tips:

Have you done enough research?

Using articles like this one to gauge which machine will be best for you or referring to other blog posts will make sure you get the exact machine you’re looking for. Putting in the time on the front end to get your perfect machine will eliminate the feeling of making the wrong decision down the line.

How will you use the machine?

Understanding the machine capabilities and can help determine if you will need a more commercial-style machine or a standard machine. Will your projects mostly be small free designs you download to use for gifts or personal use? Will you be mass-producing embroidered items to sell for a small business? Knowing your production style can help you select the best machine to handle your needs.

What accessories does the machine come with?

Accessories are important to your machine because the ones included can make completing your projects easier, and the ones not included will add to the total cost of purchasing your embroidery machine and supplies. It is also important to consider if local sewing shops carry accessories, you will need or if each time you need an accessory, you will have to order from a specific location. Accessories included or not included with a machine can include hoops, extra bobbin, and needles, cap attachments, and many other items to consider.

Do the hoops fit your project needs?

Hoop size is very important to consider when choosing an embroidery machine. Some machines come with multiple hoops and can support multiple hoop sizes. Some machines only support smaller hoop sizes which limit the type of projects you are able to complete. Others come with restrictions on what brand hoops you can use. Understanding maximum hoop sizes, as well as all hoop size capacity, can help you determine how big or small your project option range can be.

Does the machine come from a trusted brand?

There are a few well-known brand companies that supply top-quality brand machines. These companies typically have the best warranty/servicing policies as well as plenty of product reviews, videos, and manuals on how to use them. If you like to look up reviews of machines or designs, many of your favorite embroidery crafters will have machines from trusted brands. Lesser-known brands come with a learning curve that may take longer to learn because of the lack of information available.

Does the machine come with a warranty or servicing?

Make sure you know the life cycle, warranty, and service options for any machine you are considering. This is important in case you ever have a malfunction on the machine or need to get a piece fixed or replaced.

Will you be sewing or quilting?

Some machines have embroidery features, while others have sewing or quilting options included. If you are a mega crafter and plan to incorporate all three elements in one project, a combo machine might work best for your needs to save space and time during the process.

Will the machine fit in your workspace?

Your workspace is an important consideration to determine the size of the machine you can accommodate. Some multi-needle machines work fast and would be great for small businesses but take up too much space in the home. Other machines are compact and portable and can suit the needs of crafters who are on the go. The machine size can also give you an idea of how big of projects you can work on, which also require to be factored into the size of the machine you want to purchase.

What type of file does the machine take?

Different machines allow for different file types. If there are certain designs you are more interested in stitching out, make sure the download file is compatible with the machine you are looking to buy. This rainbow embroidery design comes in file types: DST, HUS, JEF, PES, SHV, VIP, VP3, and XXX.

Are you going to be digitizing your projects?

Digitizing is the process of creating your own designs in an embroidery software. Some projects can be digitized, while others can be downloaded and uploaded to the machine. Embroidery software’s are different to capture different project needs. Choosing the best embroidery software makes sure that your designs will be compatible with the machine you choose.

Does the LCD screen fit your needs?

LCD screens come in different sizes and with varying functions. The screen is an important feature to consider because some machines allow for customization while others do not. Some machines show each thread color, while others only appear in black and white. Some machines also allow you to change machine settings through the screen, while others require manual changes. The LCD screen is just as important as the needle or embroidery features when choosing your machine, so pay attention to the features it includes.

With these 11 tips in mind and the brief overview of these 8 amazing machines, you should be ready to begin your research for your perfect embroidery machine. Whether you are a beginner of embroidery and are just starting out, or an advanced embroiderer looking to add to your collection, any one of these machines will be a plus to elevating your skills. Plus, the holidays are right around the corner, so make sure you’ve added one of these goodies to your Christmas list!

Happy crafting, friends!

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