8 Best Embroidery Machines Under $1000 – 2015 List

Here is a honest and impartial list of 8 best embroidery machines you can buy for well under $1000. I hope it will help you make a decision.

You need to be really careful while choosing an embroidery machine as it involves a huge investment. Your embroidery machine must serve you for at least 5 years to get your investment back. Quality must be the top priority among your selection criteria. If quality is there, everything else comes into place one by one. Quality machines might cost more, but it will prove its worth in the long run (life is not about money all the time, isn’t it? it is about the experiences). Here, I have formulated a list of 8 quality embroidery machines you can get for well under $1000. These machines will be more than enough for home and small-medium businesses.

1. Brother SE400 (Combo Machine)

SE400 was on top last year and in 2015, it still remains on the top. A competitor is yet to come for this machine. This is the most popular embroidery machine in US. What made SE400 popular? It is the affordability, excellent performance and variety of features that made this machine popular. It is the best entry level embroidery machine you can get in US, which is the reason why it features in our list of ‘Machines You Can Buy With Your Eyes Shut’. Another important point to note is that, SE400 is not just an embroidery machine, it is a sewing & embroidery combo machine. Which means, you don’t need to buy a separate sewing machine for regular sewing tasks other than embroidery.

Features

  • 4″x4″ embroidery area
  • 67 sewing stitches and 70 embroidery designs
  • USB Connectivity
  • Automatic needle threader
  • Automatic thread cutter
  • Programmable needle up/down
  • Top drop-in bobbin
  • Start/stop button and variable speed control

The best thing about SE400 is that, even though the machine has only 70 built-in embroidery designs, you can download more from the internet as there is USB connectivity. Beginners will find this machine very easy to use. There are no complicated controls, everything is easy to figure out.

Cons: While 4″x4″ embroidery area is enough for most projects, you will have difficulty in accommodating large projects.

Read Full Review

2. Brother PE770 (Embroidery Only)

If you are looking for a larger embroidery area, PE770 will be a good choice. PE770 offers 5″x7″ hoop. PE770 is the most popular embroidery only machine in the segment. It performs admirably well, there is a professional quality in the end results. There is USB connectivity and it is feature packed.

Features

  • 5″x7″ embroidery area
  • 136 built-in embroidery designs
  • USB connectivity
  • Automatic needle threader
  • Automatic thread cutter
  • Programmable needle up/down

Cons: Not much. You can’t find any big limitations with this machine, which is why it is one of the best performing embroidery machines.

Read Full Review

3. Brother LB6800PRW (Combo Machine)

There is no point in talking about the pros and cons of LB6800PRW, because it is the same Brother SE400 (which is the first machine in this list). Brother just changed the model number and added Project Runway branding along with a rolling bag. Currently LB6800PRW is more expensive than SE400 (the price gap is quite big at least for now). You are paying the extra dollars for the rolling bag alone, so if you don’t need a rolling bag, SE400 is always the better deal.

Read Full Review

4. Brother DZ820E  (Embroidery Only)

In terms of features, Brother DZ820E is the same as Brother PE770 (the 2nd machine in this list). The difference is in the color and the accessories you get. I am not talking about the features of DZ820E to avoid repetition as it is the same as PE770. DZ820E has always been the expensive of the two. You will get a lot of accessories along with this machine. It comes with 2 extra hoops, embroidery starter kit and a CD full of designs when compared to Brother PE770. Considering the value of the accessories, you can pay around $100 more for DZ820E, in comparison with the price of PE770. Anything more than that is not worth it, in my honest opinion. So compare the prices before you make any decision.

Read Full Review

5. Brother PE500 (Embroidery Only)

PE500 is a quality embroidery only machine. The quality lies in its roots, as it is based on the SE400 platform (1st machine in this list). If you take out the sewing features of SE400, you will get PE500. So the stitch quality and performance is identical to SE400.

Features

  • 4″x4″ embroidery area
  • 70 built-in embroidery designs
  • USB connectivity
  • Automatic needle threader
  • Automatic thread cutter
  • Programmable needle up/down
  • Top drop-in bobbin

Cons: Small embroidery area. Being an embroidery only machine, one will expect it to be priced much lower than SE400, which is not the case always. So compare the prices before you buy.

Read Full Review

6. Singer Futura XL-400 (Combo Machine)

Futura XL-400 is a sewing and embroidery combo machine, but it focuses more on embroidery. Unlike other embroidery machines, XL-400 doesn’t have on board LCD screen, instead you will have to do the editing and stuffs on a laptop with the help of an included software. Now, this can work both ways. Some might find it easy to work on a bigger computer screen while others will find it annoying to keep both the machine and laptop ON while working on a project. The embroidery area is large 10″x6″.

Features

  • 10″x6″ embroidery area
  • Multihooping ability
  • 125 built-in embroidery designs and 30 sewing stitches
  • USB connectivity
  • Top drop-in bobbin
  • Programmable needle up/down
  • Locking stitch button
  • Sewing start/stop and variable speed control
  • Automatic needle threader

The best thing about Futura XL-400 is the multihooping ability. Multihooping enables us to work on projects that are bigger than the original hoop size. If you go by features, this is the most feature rich machine in this list.

Cons: No automatic thread cutter.

Read Full Review

7. Singer S10 Studio (Embroidery Only)

S10 Studio is an entry level embroidery machine. This has a slightly larger embroidery area than Brother SE400. Unlike Futura XL-400, this one can be operated independently without the help of a PC or laptop. USB connectivity lets you download designs from the internet, along with the 2800 designs available in the included CD. Two hoops come included with the machine and the largest is the 5.5″x5.5″. The performance of the machine is quite good.

Features

  • 55 built-in embroidery designs
  • 5.5″x5.5″ and 2″x2″ embroidery hoops
  • USB connectivity
  • Automatic needle threader
  • Top drop-in bobbin

Cons: The editing software is not compatible with mac computers. You will need the software for advanced editing.

Read Full Review

8. Brother PE540D

PE540D is the upgraded version of PE500 (5th machine in the list). In addition to the 70 built-in embroidery designs that PE500 had, PE540D has extra 35 Disney designs. Other than this, both machines are the same. Consider this machine, if those Disney designs are important for you.

Features

  • 4″x4″ embroidery area
  • 105 built-in embroidery designs
  • USB connectivity
  • Automatic needle threader
  • Automatic thread cutter
  • Programmable needle up/down
  • Top drop-in bobbin

Cons: Small embroidery area.

Read Full Review


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *