I am wondering if there is a big difference, if so what is the difference, of say the cheap brother embroidery machine to a $$$ machine. I am looking for now to just do left chest (basic 4x4) prints...Names and basic company logos. Will upgrade later to a big machine to do hats. Please let me know what you think. Thanks
The major differences are speed, number of colors (needles) , number of heads (doing more than 1 garment at a time) and other bells & whistles like auto thread trimming.
Brother makes a good entry level single head machine. I think the model is the PR600.
I have a PR600ll awesome machine, biggest drawback is you only have six needles. Runs at 600-1000 for standard Embroidery and hats from 400-600 spm. look around for a used machine many out there ,I bought mine as a demo machine and reduced price. The bigger machines cost much more and the only feature that the 600 doesn't have is sequens(sp) .Use the savings to buy software,quick clamps ,and hooping devices.
Troy,
Calling the Brother pr600 a "cheap" machine is misleading. It really is a high quality, dependable machine that requires little maintenance and runs forever. It is a lot more portable than our 15 needle machines, stitches just as well(although it is a little slower and has a smaller cap sewing field), and you can have two of them for the price of one good 15 needle machine. I have barudans and brothers so I have good comparisons. 99% of what I stitch only requires 6 colors and will fit in the sewing field of the pr600. The brothers have automatic needle threading and the machine tells you where to put the colors and remembers where they are at. I see very few people unhappy with these machines or willing to give them up if they do go to the bigger commercial machines. That said, a machine like a barudan, toyota, or tajima is really built for running 16 hours a day, 7 days a week (with proper maintenence of course). They do sew about 20% faster than the pr600's but for most people, that isn't a problem. It does affect those of us who have them running all day long though since time is money in our case. Maintenance involves a lot more on a bigger machine and is much more expensive IF you can't do it yourself. Both will sew on anything you throw at them(just ask the people who get their fingers in the way) and both do hats beautifully(no real need to upgrade to a bigger machine just for hats unless you NEED the 270 degree sewing field). Really, it just comes down to your needs and wants. Don't be pushed into thinking that everyone needs the higher priced 15 needle machines. On the other hand, do consider the use you will give them and what you will be happy with. Personally, I wouldn't give up either of the type of machines I have. Both have their strong and weak points. Yahoo has support groups for any brand of machine out there, join some, ask questions, and go from there.
Thanks for the responses. I was refering to more of a PE-700 or a PE-750. I am just wanting to do 4x4 chest prints now. I understand that these may be a little slow to run, but my main question is:
If I was to use a PE-700 and a PR 600 to do two shirts (say a basic logo or name) and I gave the two shirts to you could you tell which one was done on the cheaper machine?
short answer: yes, but it's subtle. We bought our first combo machine for fun and had no intention of starting a business. Within 6 months, we had to go up to the pr600 and could immediately tell a difference in quality. Most people couldn't see it, but once you get into embroidery, you see the little differences a machine or techniques make. Lots of people start with a home machine and go from there. It isn't uncommon and is a great way to see if you enjoy it or even want to do it as a business. Don't try to save money by buying at walmart though. Most dealers offer a years free training in embroidery when you buy through them, and support is the real name of the game. My best advice for that route though is not to invest in an expensive home machine. It's just bells and whistles and won't stitch any better than a quality entry or midlevel machine.
Thanks I was thinking that but wanted to see what others thought. I plan on buying a home Brother or Janome to start, but hopefully will quickly be purchasing a PR 600...that thing just looks mean. I cannot wait.
One other quick question will digitizing software work with a home machine? I dont want to fork over the money for a home machine if I can just do the basic designs that come with the machine...I need to be able to do custom logos.
Also, since you sound like you know your stuff, what digitizing software do you use and would you suggest on getting to start out?
Isn't it harder to hoop on the home machines? I visit a few boards that have "home machine" users and they have hooping problems galore and end up having to "pin to the backing" or using basting stitches.
One of the first things you will have to learn is all about stabilizing . Its no harder to hoop on a home machine vs industrial . Every garment is different , different fabrics need different types of stabilizing.
If you know what to use and how its not so bad .There are lots of sites including tshirtforums that you can get really good information from. Try ATW machine embroidery designsor freeembroiderystuff.embroiderydesigns.com
Stiches web site has a lot of information there too.
Do you home work before buying a machine or software.
Jim
I began with the Brother pr600 and its perfect for what your trying to do, and can do hats!
I honestly wish I would have purchased a Melco tho, too expensive to start with.
Also try bartering with a local sewing shop for the Brother machine, I got a great deal that way. 2 sets of hoops, software, stabilizer, thread, stand, and the hat hoops too!
Cheap machine vs high dollar 
