Brother CS9100 Review

Brother CS9100 is a pretty good beginners sewing machine. But its similarity with Brother XR9500PRW and high price, hindered its progress to a certain extent.

Brother CS9100 Main Features

  • 100 built-in stitches
  • Programmable needle up/down
  • Start/stop button, speed control slider
  • Automatic needle threader
  • Drop-in bobbin

Brother CS9100 Review

Sewing Machine Reviews Recommendation Level : HIGH

Brother CS9100 is a new sewing machine in the US market. It is a fully computerized sewing machine. It hasn’t yet got going as it needs time to earn the respect of the buyers. Even though CS9100 has a different color scheme, it is strikingly similar to the popular Brother XR9500PRW (which we will talk about a little later). Now let us focus on what this machine can offer.

First of all, Brother CS9100 is a machine designed for intermediate or beginner sewers. The reason I said ‘intermediate’ is because, it has quite a lot of features that can be used for creative work. The machine has a total of 100 built-in stitches, which include 8 one-step buttonholes. 140 stitch functions are available on the machine. There is an LCD screen of reasonable size, which is backlit for easy viewing.

An LED bulb illuminates the workspace for easy sewing in the dark. The automatic needle threader helps you save eye strain. Being a computerized sewing machine, it comes with sewing start/stop button and the variable speed control slider. What this means is that, you don’t need to use the foot pedal anymore. You can control the machine using your hand. The speed can be set to slow, medium and fast speeds according to your requirements, thanks to the variable speed control.

Brother CS9100 comes with the latest 7-point feed dog system to ensure consistent fabric feeding (this is the best you can get in the segment). Another useful and a premium feature is the programmable needle up/down. Now, this feature literally works like an extra hand. You can stop the needle in up or down position according to your requirements. This feature is extremely important for quilters. The machine is free arm capable as well.

Brother CS9100 comes with an option to drop the feed dogs for free-motion quilting. As it is a computerized sewing machine, stitch selection is done with the help of LCD screen. There are + and – buttons for stitch selection. The maximum stitch width is 7mm and stitch length is 5mm. The bobbin is top drop-in type which is a boon for beginners as you don’t need to remove the storage compartment or something to change the bobbin.

Brother CS9100 has a pretty powerful motor, capable of delivering 850 stitches/min (this is the same motor that powers most of the Brother’s popular beginners machines under $200). No presser foot pressure adjustment is possible on this machine. A built-in storage compartment is provided for storing accessories. The machine comes with an included wide table as well. One thing you would really love about this machine is that, how light it is. It weighs just 9.9 pounds, it has to be one of the most feature packed lightweight sewing machines available in US. It has 25 year limited warranty cover as well.

Usability

I am as impressed with Brother CS9100 as I was with Brother XR9500PRW. CS9100 performs quite well on a variety of fabrics. It handles multiple layers of denim with ease. It also sews light fabrics equally well. Even though this machine has a powerful motor, Brother has done quite a bit of work on reducing the noise level. It is one of the quietest machines around, which might be a point to consider for moms with small kids as you won’t wake them up from their sleep. The stitch quality is pretty consistent. Threading is easy as well. Overall, it is a user-friendly sewing machine.

Limitations

CS9100 has carried over the limitation which I noticed on XR9500PRW, which is regarding the needle threader. The automatic needle threader will take a couple of attempts to get used to. You may not be able to get it to work in the first attempt itself. However, it isn’t an issue once you get the hang of it.

Pros

  • User friendly
  • Programmable needle up/down
  • Consistent stitch quality
  • Lightweight

Cons

  • Slightly tricky needle threader
  • Too similar to Brother XR9500PRW

Is It Worth Buying?

The final decision has to be made after comparing the price with that of Brother XR9500PRW. Brother CS9100 and XR9500PRW are identical, except in the case of color. XR9500PRW is blue in color, whereas CS9100 has pink graphics on the front. You must compare the prices because, right now Brother CS9100 is priced well over XR9500PRW (at the time of writing this review). If that is the case, I will go for XR9500PRW, and save the money for some extra accessories. I really don’t think it is worth paying extra dollars for just a color change. However, the decision is yours.


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