[The Hoonies]

Hello all,
We are in the process of starting up a shop and are also considering light embroidery. (nothing like jacket backs yet) We are interested in purchasing US made machinery and so far I am coming up with Melco.

I've heard these are good machines with spotty tech support. I'd obviously like a reliable machine, and made in USA products are not only important to us, but will go over well in our Union heavy auto maker town. Is there another US made embroidery machine? What kind of reviews for the Melco can you give me? I've been reading here and elsewhere.

Thoughts? Am I out of luck?

Michelle

 

[GraphicGuy]

I own 2 Melco Amayas, (a first generation Amaya and an Amaya XT) I love them. The tech support is some of the best that I have came across. You get through fast and they were able to answer all of my questions and direct me in the right direction to overcome anything I have came across.
You can start with one and build up to 30 machines running on one software package.
The biggest expense is buying the first machine and software.

 

[The Hoonies]

Awesome, Thanks Kevin! I was hoping to hear a good thing or 2 about the Amayas. It might be a while before we can invest in one, but this is the one we want.

 

[BML Builder]

I also own 2 Amayas. I have had 4 altogether. I started with the first generation Amaya in 2003 and bought a second one in 2005. Then in 2007 I traded those for the new Amaya XTs. I have recently looked at the new XTs but I do not see enough improvements to trade these in yet. I love mine. I have not ever had to have a tech come and work on mine. I only had one problem with any of mine that needed replacement parts other than the feeder rolls which you should replace anytime they start getting worn and I was able to replace the part on my own. I just called tech support and they sent me out the part (of course they did send me the wrong part at first and then they sent me a new replacement part when I got the wrong one and realized the error) and I was able to install the part myself.

 

[BML Builder]

Another thing about the Amayas is that they are built in Plano, TX. They used to be built in Colorado, but I think it was in 2005 they moved the production facility to Plano, TX, so it is located in a large hub area in the central US so shipments are usually quick and easy to reach all parts of the US.

 

[Buechee]

I'm also looking to get one. I was looking for used, but they are all out at this time. I like that machine. My wife wants me too keep looking. I feel like that is the one to upgrade to.

 

[debbieis]

I just purchased my sercond Amaya at about 1/2 the cost of my first one. There are some really good deals to be made right now.

 

[SunEmbroidery]

You might want to research the availablility of Melco tech support in your area because support can very depending on the location. You could contact Melco for tech information and see if they have a list of customers in your area who you could contact.

 

[Posylane]

We are just outside of Dallas and just purchased an Amaya XTS. I know for a fact it shipped from Colorado. But it would not supprise me to learn they are made in Plano and shipped to CO.

 

[beyondstitches]

We have a new XTS and it has been awesome so far. Had to call tech support (phone) once, and they sent a software patch to me, and it has ran flawlessly ever since. Hope that my business will take off so that I will need to buy the second or third one soon. Just starting everything up and right now I am keeping up with one, but I am putting in some hours....

 

[Posylane]

On the subject of the thread, I called Melco twice last week with getting started type questions. They promptly answer the phone, and then answered my questions. No complaints here yet.

In selecting an embroidery machine I looked hard between a Barudan Elite XL II and the XTS, and ended up going with the XTS because for what we do, I thought it had a better feature set and would be easier for my people to use (fewer mistakes). If we were in a business mostly embroidering logos on shirts I might well have decided differently.

I do think the Barudan probably has a leg up on the melco for long term reliability, but I think the XTS beats the Elite on features.

 

[sitzerlandwyo]

We looked and looked at the melco xts we really liked it, but did not buy it this year. We bought the Brother PR 1000. We really wanted the Made in USA machine but with support being hundreds of miles away and a brother dealer only 75 miles it was easy no see why we didnt.
There where 3 reasons we did not buy it.

1 We are in middle of Wyoming there was no one close for repair work if needed.

2 alot of our work is adding names to a coats, sweatshirt etc. Brother touch screen and built ins let us be able to quickly do that right from the screen on the machine.

3 weight the Brother is lighter to transport to shows or to take it to dealer for service.

As we grow our buisness the amaya xts will be tops in our next choice of machines they are great and fast. But check out the support you have near you. We are just to far away from service if we needed it.

 

[Posylane]

I hear that about service. A bad machine will look good with service.

 

[BML Builder]

We have not ever had to have a service tech come to work on any of our Amayas and we have owned since 2003. We have only had one problem where we have even had to order new parts other than the thread feed rollers.

 

[Mtnview]

We purchased a 2007 a couple weeks ago. Had a couple of ladies from nearby come out to train us a few days ago. I think it will be great once we get the hang of it.

 

[debbieis]

I'm a little confused regarding delivery people for Melco. Are you local to their office or what?
I've ordered two (2) Amayas and they come by LTL carrier (to a residental address I might add). They have always been very helpful to unload it and help us put it on my husbands truck because our driveway is straight up. Why would you need someone to put it together anyway? It's a no brainer. I would never purchase anything but Melco's.

 

[DivineBling]

I would say that your beef lies with the company who Melco has contracted with to offer the white glove service.

I agree that when you have a situation like that, it sucks. It's unfortunate that these men were representing Melco so poorly. I have found, however, that I can attract more flies with honey than vinegar. Your demeanor on the phone with Melco may have been what turned them off to you. I understand your frustration, but put yourself in the shoes of the person taking your phone call.

I have had bad experiences with certain companies but I know that there are plenty of other people out there who have wonderful experiences with them. I certainly wouldn't jump into an old thread and proclaim that said company "sucks."

That's only going to put people on the defensive.

Just my two cents.

 

[nalob]

Never had any problems with them. They have always been helpful with me. They do deliver through a local delivery company that has nothing to do with them. They uncrated my xts n carried to the third floor of my building n placed it where I asked them to. That is all they were supposed to do from what I understand.

One of them tried to lift the machine right where there was a big red sticker that stated "do not lift from here". I had to tell him to not lift it from there and that it was a very Exspensive thing they were carrying.

All in all I am very happy with melcos customer service. They have walked me through a couple of problems I had and even fixed a problem that I caused.