Best Embroidery Machine For Home Business

Embroidery machines are a wonderful tool to customize products, revitalize an old wardrobe or expand a home craft business. However, they can also be very confusing. There’s a massive range of machines available on the market and the prices of those machines can make it hard to see what’s worth purchasing and what isn’t.

These complications can be exacerbated when looking at an embroidery machine for home business. You want to get a machine that will do what you need but not break the bank.

But what do you need? Which is the best embroidery machine for home business? See below for a guide on how to choose a machine that’s right for you and some suggestions on machines that may be right for you.

Best Embroidery Machine for Home Business 2017

Brother LB6800PRW - Best Machine for Beginners

The Brother LB6800 PRW is a great machine for a beginner.

It is a sewing/embroidery combination machine and is reasonably priced as an introduction to embroidery. It has a 4” x 4” embroidery field and one needle which means you will be changing the thread for every color. It comes with 70 built in designs, 5 fonts, and has an automatic thread cutter.

Pros

  • For many beginners, the attractive price of this machine wins over some of its drawbacks.
  • As an added bonus, it comes with a nice little carrying case that makes it easy to go sew and embroider with friends.

Cons

  • It will not embroider stiff hats or items you can’t open to lay flat.
  • It also has a fairly small LCD screen at 2.7” x 1.4” which can make placing embroidery difficult.
  • It also does not come with a USB port. This means that you will have to directly hook it into a computer in order to get new designs which can be quite the hassle.
  • It has a slow stitch speed of 400 stitches per minute.

Brother PE700 - Best Budget Saver

The Brother PE700 is a reasonably priced machine that has a lot of functionality for intermediate users.

It comes with 136 designs, 6 fonts, and has a USB port for bringing in new designs. It features an automatic thread cutter, 650 stitches per minute embroidery speed, and a reasonably sized LCD screen at 2.7” x 4.1”. It is a one needle machine which requires more thread changes but the price more than makes up for that.

This machine boasts a larger embroidery field of 5” x 7” but this can feel limiting for folks trying to use the machine for home business

Pros

  • For versatility and budget considerations, this is a great little machine.
  • Room to grow as it has a lot of functionality for intermediate users.

Cons

  • Another limiting factor is its inability to embroider stiff hats or objects that you can’t lay open flat.

Brother Quattro 3 - Best Machine for Disney Lovers

Brother has an exclusive deal with Disney for embroidery designs

So if you love Disney, Brother is the best company for you. The Quattro 3 boasts 207 built-in Disney designs with an additional 730 other designs and 18 fonts. It has a generous embroidery field at 8” x 12” with a USB port for bringing in additional designs.

Pros

  • t has an automatic thread cutter
  • large 4.4” x 7.3” LCD screen
  • Blazing embroidery speed of 1000 stitches per minute
  • If Disney designs are your aim, this machine can’t be beat.

Cons

  • The largest drawback is the price. It’s a machine that is quite versatile but that versatility comes with a price.
  • It also meets its match when it comes to stiff hats and items that can’t be laid flat.

Brother SE1800 - Best Combination Machine

If you want an affordable combination machine look no further than the Brother SE1800.

This great little machine has 1 needle and an embroidery speed of 650 stitches per minute. The field size is an admirable 5” x 7” and comes with 136 built-in embroidery designs and 6 fonts. Where this machine really shines is with the 184 sewing stitches and 10 one-step buttonholes. It allows for a great range of uses and projects. It also has a USB port for expanded designs and an automatic thread cutter.

While this machine seems to have it all, home business users may find the embroidery field constricting.

Pros

  • For personal use, most users will find it to be the perfect intermediate machine.

Cons

  • It will not embroider stiff hats or items that cannot be opened flat.

Janome 12000 - Home Embroidery Machine with The Largest Hoop

The Janome 12000 barely beats out the Brother Quattro 3 for hoop size.

It has an astounding 9.1” x 11.8” embroidery field with an impressive embroidery speed of 1000 stitches per minute. It has an approximate LCD screen size of 3” x 4” and has a built-in USB port for bringing in additional designs.

If you are a quilter, you would love this machine as it will allow you to do free-hand quilting. The large throat of the Janome 12000 allows you to do it hassle-free.

Pros

  • It can be a very useful machine if you are looking to start a home embroidery business.
  • As an added bonus, this machine is also a combination machine.
  • It comes with 338 designs, 10 fonts, and an automatic thread cutter.

Cons

  • Even with its impressive embroidery field size, this machine is still a one needle machine.
  • As with many other machines, it cannot embroider stiff hats or items that cannot be opened flat.
  • Additionally, many home users will find the price restrictive.

Janome MB 4S - Embroidery Machine For hats and Shirts

If you’ve read this entire article, you’ve probably been asking yourself if there is any machine that can embroider stiff hats!

The answer is yes, for a price. The Janome MB 4S is considered to be on the cusp between home use and commercial use which makes it the perfect candidate for a home embroidery business. It has a large embroidery field of 9.4” x 7.9” and a clear LCD screen of approximately 5” x 7”. The embroidery speed is an acceptable 800 stitches per minute. It has 4 needles which means far fewer thread changes and can embroider just about anything.

This is an additional benefit when looking at monogramming. This is by far the best machine for monograms because monograms are rarely embroidered on an easy location. Pockets, socks, and hats all make for difficult embroidery on average machines.

Pros

  • It can do stiff hats, items that aren’t flat, socks, pockets, baby jumpers and a lot more,really the possibilities are endless.
  • It has 50 built-in designs, 10 fonts, and a USB port for many more designs.
  • It has 4 needles which means far fewer thread changes and can embroider just about anything.

Cons

  • The first, and perhaps largest, is the price. If you already have a small home embroidery business and are looking to expand what types of embroidery you can do, this is the machine for you.
  • The second drawback is the size. This is a bigger, heavier machine that requires a sturdy, dedicated space.
  • The final drawback is the amount of knowledge needed to run the machine. A 4 needle machine is far more complicated than a single needle machine. It requires a lot of study and a fair amount of trial and error.

Buyers Guide: Features and Considerations


Size of Hoop

One of the biggest factors in choosing a machine should be hoop size. Many cost effective machines have an extremely limited hoop size. If, for example, you only planned on monogramming, a machine with a 4” x 4” hoop would not be a detriment. However, if you wanted to embroider the back of a shirt or a large area on a skirt, you would want a machine with a substantially larger hoop capacity such as one with a 7” x 12” hoop. Decide what sort of projects you will be working on to narrow down your hoop size preference. Remember that machines with larger hoop capacities can do small designs and large designs whereas machines with small hoop capacity can only do small designs.

Items to Embroider

If you plan on using this machine for an at-home business, really think about the types of items you may be asked to embroider. Many cannot do stiff hats such as baseball caps or the ever-popular snapback caps. Most machines can do simple flat garments but it takes a special type of machine to be able to embroider something that cannot be opened flat. For example, baby jumpers are a popular item to have embroidered but it cannot be opened flat and is very difficult to embroider on many machines.

USB Port

Many machines today come with a USB port where you can import any design you wish and use it on the machine. Some, however, do not have this feature. If you want to easily transfer designs, make sure you choose one with a USB port.

LCD Screen Size

If you have trouble seeing, make sure you pay close attention to screen size. Screen sizes vary greatly from machine to machine. Larger screens can make it much easier to place designs whereas smaller screens can sometimes bring down the cost.

Stitches Per Minute

This feature is particularly important if the machine is going to be used for a home business. Time is money and the faster you can stitch out a design, the faster you can complete jobs. If you are using the machine for personal use, this feature may not matter as much and a slower speed may make a new user feel more comfortable. Remember that most machines will allow you to turn down a stitch speed but you can never make it go faster than designed.

Number of Needles

The number of needles on a machine dictates how many thread changes you have to make. On a personal machine, it probably does not matter that you have to change thread colors by hand each time. However, a home business would definitely benefit from a machine that could change colors itself. This saves time and energy when completing orders and allows you to concentrate on other projects while another is finishing.

Servicing

Most machines require that it be serviced or repaired by a certified shop. Each company has its own certification process. Look around your town to see where the nearest certified shop is. This will give you a better idea of how far you will have to go to get your machine fixed if something goes awry.


Now that you have an idea of what you need, it’s time to take a look at my top recommendations from the machines that I just mentioned above. Below are my top 3, each with positive and negative aspects that will help you decide if one of these machines is the right fit for you.

Top 3 Embroidery Machine for Home Business


Second Runner-Up: Brother Quattro 3

This machine has great features but fell to the Janome 12000 based on price. If Disney is a high priority, this machine will go up in the standings in your eyes, but for most people Disney doesn’t justify the price.

First Runner-Up: Janome 12000

This machine jumped ahead in the ranks due to its huge embroidery field and versatility. The price is a bit restrictive and it doesn’t have the versatility of the Janome MB 4S. But if you are a quilter, definitely it is a model worth looking at!

WINNER: Janome MB 4S

There’s no doubt this machine is expensive, but for all the features it’s worth it! This machine could allow anyone to open their own little embroidery shop with very few restrictions. Hats? You got it! Socks? No problem! Monogramming a pocket? Absolutely. With this machine, the sky is the limit!

In the end, what machine you choose is dependent on your aims. If you just want to embroider a blanket here or there, a cheaper, simple machine will be the right fit. However, if you are serious about starting a home embroidery business, be prepared to save up money and invest in a machine that will serve all your purposes and help you propel your business to success!


Disclosure: Sew Uber is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon properties and other similar affiliate companies. Please be informed that you pay no extra for your purchase.

Having said that, all prices, warranties, and ratings that were mentioned in each review were the information listed on Amazon when creating this post. Prices are subject to change depending on where you may purchase the machine and what types of sales that are being offered. We can't guarantee accuracy of the prices and stock availability. We will correct any inaccuracies as soon as they are brought to our attentions.


Leave a comment: