Janome MC 300E excels in certain areas but it is not a machine without limitations. There are areas where Janome could improve. An update fixing those issues will do wonders to this machine.
Janome MC 300E Main Features
- 90 built-in embroidery designs
- 5.5″ x 7.9″ maximum embroidery area
- 3 fonts
- Automatic needle threader
- Top drop-in bobbin
- Built-in memory
Janome MC 300E Review
Sewing Machine Reviews Recommendation Level : MODERATE
MC 300E is an embroidery only machine. It is not a widely available model by any stretch of imagination. It is very hard to find a new one in a store. I think it has been discontinued by Janome (not 100% sure about this). The machine comes with 90 built-in embroidery designs. You can import designs from your PC via the ATA PC card. Once you insert the ATA card, you can select the stitch and stitch it out. There are 3 fonts available on the machine. You can do 2 and 3 letter monograms. You can store designs in the machine memory or the card for future use.
The LCD screen of MC 300E is large and backlit. You can combine multiple designs on this machine, with the add function. The maximum embroidery area available is 5.5″ x 7.9″. Two hoops come included, Large 5.5″ x 7.9″ and Standard 5″ x 4.3″. The design size can be changed to 90%, 100%, 110%, 120%. You can also rotate the designs in 45 degree increments. Vertical and horizontal flipping is also possible.
Out of the 90 built-in designs, 10 are for large hoop, 60 for the Standard Hoop and remaining 20 are combination designs. The automatic needle threader, threads the needle without any trouble. The top drop-in bobbin makes placing the bobbin effortless. The Janome MC 300E’s motor can deliver 400-650 stitches/min, which keeps it on par with all the competitors.
Usability
LCD touch screen is large and responsive. One thing that will work for MC 300E is its stitch quality, especially with smaller designs where most of its competitors struggled to make a mark. The build quality is top notch, which you normally expect from Janome. Even though 300E misses out on certain features (listed in limitations section), it does come with some useful ones like the alarm that goes off when you are running out of bobbin thread.
Limitations
Even though MC 300E supports ATA PC card, it is not as easy to use like machines with USB connectivity.
As far as monogramming is concerned, the maximum you can have is 3 letters, which is not ideal for monogramming a name or a phrase.
Stitch selection is not by entering a stitch number or by direct selection, instead you need to go through different pages and find the stitch you want. There are 90 odd designs and you may have to go through multiple pages.
Automatic thread cutter is another feature that misses out.
Pros
- Build quality
- Stitch quality
- Large screen
Cons
- No USB connectivity
- Stitch selection is not that easy
- Availability is a concern
Is It Worth Buying?
Janome MC 300E does miss out on certain features, but if stitch quality is your only concern, this machine can satisfy you. I also feel that this machine is slightly on the expensive side when you compare it with competitors. Moreover the machine is not widely available in US.
Brother PE770 is one alternative you can look at. It has 136 built-in designs, 5″ x 7″ embroidery area, USB connectivity, automatic thread cutter etc. It is one of the best selling embroidery machines in US.