I'm withholding the fifth star until I've had a little more time with this machine. So far, I adore it.
My machine just arrived a few days ago, so this review is based on the limited projects I've been able to do in that time.
The first thing I made was a simple sewing project to test out the functions of the machine- a pillowcase style cover for my dog's bed with button closures. Immediately, I noticed that threading the machine is super simple. I LOVE the drop-in bobbin, and this one is ridiculously easy to thread and leaves no questions about whether it is done correctly. I did not use the automatic needle threader for the upper thread because I was unfamiliar with it and wanted to get started immediately. I just threaded it the old fashioned way and it worked fine. I set the machine on medium speed, which was slightly slower than I'd have liked, but the machine sewed beautifully. There is another foot that cuts as you sew to mimic a serger (trims the edge of a zig zag stitch) but I only discovered that afterward so I haven't tested it yet. Changing the foot to put on the button-hole foot was very easy and the button holes sewed quickly and neatly. I was unfamiliar with automatic button-hole stitching, so I didn't realize at first that I needed to lightly hold the fabric in place. Still, they turned out nicely.
My next project was a quick design on a napkin to try out the embroidery. I purchased
40 Large Spools Embroidery Machine Thread for Brother With Thread Locking Spool
from Amazon. The colors are bright and have a beautiful sheen and the thread feels nice. I followed the instructions to set up the napkin for embroidery (with stabilizer )and chose one of the pre-programed kitchen designs that only uses one color. I was nervous because of complaints in other reviews so I was careful to follow the directions. When attaching the embroidery foot, I made sure it was straight and that the needle had clearance on all sides so it wouldn't strike the foot and break. I fiddled with the layout on the screen and found it easy to rotate the design and adjust its position. Once it was as I wanted it, I held my breath and pushed start... then I got very excited and took a video to send to one of my craftiest friends. It's really amazing to watch the machine go! It took only a few minutes and the design was perfect!
These are my first, limited, experiences with the machine, but I see tons of potential. The machine is easy to use and the computer aspect is easy to navigate. I fully expect to update this review in a few months (after xmas craft season) and add the fifth star.
*****UPDATE 5/26/2014, fifth star added!*****
After a year and a half with this machine, it's definitely love! I've only broken one needle, and that was my fault because I rushed through switching from sewing to embroidery mode and didn't tighten the foot enough. It was easily replaced and I continued on my embroidering way.
I love the simplicity of use. The embroidery is GREAT. I've used designs from the internet/downloads and of my own creation (I highly recommend getting some design software! It's so much fun to make your own patterns!). The sewing function is pretty much what you'd expect from any machine. It does what it's supposed to do. I'd like it to sew a little faster (my old machine was super speedy!) but the foot pedal allows good control of the speed. I now use the automatic threader if I'm switching colors a lot because it's so easy, but much of the time I just thread the old school way. I still haven't tried all the functions or the serger foot; there's so much included I just forget about some of my options!
Regarding accessories: Some of the threads I bought work better than others. One yellow, in particular, unravels and jams the machine so I've stopped using it. No big deal because the set of threads I bought had plenty of other options. YMMV. Also, I love the pre-wound bobbins (
Brother PWB250 Prewound Embroidery Bobbin Thread 10 Piece, White
or
Polystar 10-Pack Plastic Prewound Style SA156 / 15J (PWB250) Sewing Embroidery Bobbins For Brother, Singer, Janome and Babylock Embroidery Machines
. I've never tried anything else, but I'm happy to stick with them; they last plenty long and I haven't had any trouble.
If you're looking for one machine that will meet many needs, this may be it. It does all the things a moderate sewer/crafter needs. The embroidery function is easy to learn for beginners but the capability is pretty advanced (the harder part was learning to use the computer program!). I would definitely buy this machine again.
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Customer Review: I love this machine!
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This was a 1 STAR REVIEW>>>BE SURE TO INSPECT YOUR MACHINE THE MOMENT YOU GET IT.
***Update*** Almost 2 years after purchase! This machine is a great machine! I just recently did embroidery on our kids school shirts with this machine and it came out beautiful, Mario characters, Minecraft etc. Super nice job! I did end up giving this machine to my mom because her regular sewing machine was not working anymore and I now have a Husqvarna Viking embroidery machine but I still love certain features of this machine more and so I missed it when I gave it to my mom and I went and updated and bought an SE625-- I have to say, if you are going to spend this anyway- go for that machine, I cannot even begin how much better it is!!! It has a color touch screen where you can manipulate what you are working on in so many more ways! You can curve text, change colors, sizes, rotate tiny amounts like 10 degrees and it is just amazing, it cam with a CD that contains 200 embroidery designs and not stupid ones either, really nice ones I will actually use-It was only $360 At WMart store!!! I love Brother products! We have a huge color laser printer and it is amazing, I print like mad on there for my business and it just goes with it flawlessly. These embroidery machines are the best in My Personal Opinion. I love my Husqvarna, it does a lot of very different & beautiful stitches, the online software the machine came with is great and most importantly and the very reason I got it was because it embroiders up to 6 x 10 inch designs; but it was more than 3 times the price and I got the cheapest one they offer, no touch screen, no color on the screen, it is monochrome. And so the best value for the money is absolutely the Brother brand. When I upgrade again, which will probably be in at least 5 years! I will choose a Brother for sure because I feel if they can offer these amazing machines for this price, imagine what you get when you spend more; just how I feel about it. ***The threader on Brother machines is fantastic, it literally Never fails, I fight with my Husqvarna at times, trying 3 or 4 times to get the thread in there with the threader, their threader is a stupid design!***UPDATE!!!*** 1 Year Later after my 1 Star Review...It has been almost exactly a year since the purchase of the SE400. It was a wretched machine to me for a while at first- having the problems it did from being thrown together by whoever put it together (read below)... I wanted to come back and say that my crafty husband that he is, looked online for a complete repair manual on the machine=we found one for $5.00. We bought it, immediately downloaded it and immediately found a sewing machine parts online store that we as regular people could buy from... It's not as easy as it sounds. You have to look for a good one if you have issues and take this route like we did. Well we got the parts, he put them on, easily I might add with the manual. It needed an entire back plate cover-$13.00- for where it was all cracked and then after using it a bit more after the first review a spring just popped out and it would not perform any of the stitch functions other than straight. So it needed a tiny spring also-it was under $1.00 from the online store.The machine works great now. It was fixed for under $30. by hand(my husband's :)) and I am incredibly pleased with it. I still cannot give it a 5 star because of the condition it arrived to me in but and it's a big BUT.... It does a wonderful job stitching embroidery and I am so pleased with it now. If you have issues with it, try to fix it yourself before spending hundreds... we bought this machine to save money right??? We did anyway or I would have gotten a Viking :) My husband did fix it but after watching him and being able to look at the repair manual myself, if it has anymore problems I am confident I am going to fix it myself. The repair manual literally tells step by step how to fix any issue including motor issues. It is what the professional you will take it to will use to fix your machine. It is a great machine for the money... Hands down. With the terrible and I mean terrible time I had with it- Yep She made me cry a time or two... It is a really good machine and works like a charm now. Getting some nice digitizing software this coming week and am very excited about it. I made a rag quilt two weeks ago after cutting out several hundred squares on my new big shot pro sizzix machine(awesome btw) and this machine went through 16 layers of flannel with only 2 complaints(beeps& then stops) the whole quilt.***First review on se400*** I was SO excited about getting this model! My husband bought it for me for by birthday... I work from home making kids clothing and baby items so I can stay with the kids and be a stay at home mom while also making a bit of cash... I needed this machine to make my production time faster and so I could make personalized items for my business. I got it, it worked okay... The thread broke more than on any other machine I had... but I thought it was just the thread, the run of the mill thread I use in my serger and my $50 Brother PRW6800. As I used it more and more and realized the thread is breaking more and more and wondered why... I bought more expensive thread- $9.00 a spool mercerized cotton thread for sewing and 40 weight embroidery thread for embroidery. Still, every time I sewed I will have broken threads. So I thoroughly inspected my machine and found these tiny little scratches in my machine where the thread goes through. This is a defective unit that I received. Yet I must leave a negative review because my 30 days return policy is up on Amazon. Also the lady at the Brother company said I can drive an hour and a half away to take my machine to the Brother certified repair shop/dealer and they can fix that for me but she did not have pricing... So all of this is because I did not notice these tiny cuts in the machine until just a few weeks ago because they ARE TINY! Never less they seriously affect the performance of my machine. I placed my order the last day of February, now the middle of May and I just noticed the cuts 1 month ago. The problem is worsening, they look more like cracks now and are very pronounced when you look at them closely and I am actually afraid that this part may, at some point, break off now.My tension is never right, it can never be right because the thread will continue to break for the lifetime of the machine because of these tiny cracks that my machine came with. This part of the machine obviously got scratched or fell or something, when it was being put together and nobody thought it would be a big deal but it was to me, it is to me. Because now I fight with this machine every single day to get it to sew properly and it doesn't sew right. The integrity of the thread is compromised from the cracks that the thread constantly gets caught in and and just breaks my expensive thread and ruins my pieces and forget being able to embroider a design without having the thread break, its just a joke. My embroidery designs look AWFUL because it constantly breaks mid design. It just is very disappointing. This machine is a complete disappointment.Another problem that my machine has is the thread cutter, the automatic thread cutter does not work half the time. this is okay but it was supposed to work every single time, not half the time. I did, however, need this machine to sew and when it is shredding the thread in these cuts right in the second step on the threading guide, how can it sew properly. I have spent good money on Brother products, we also just bought a $200 Brother laser printer.My suggestion to anyone that is buying this se400 machine is thoroughly inspect it as soon as you get it because if you don't and find a problem if there is, within the first 30 days of buying it, you WILL NOT be able to do a thing about it. In my personal opinion it was $315.00 down the drain. I am incredibly surprised that the company has done nothing about it. I will be sending the pictures to them also and hopefully get something done about it. I wish my time did not run out with Amazon because this was an expensive machine and it is so obviously defective from the manufacturer, there is no way someone at home could make these marks... I just want to return it and get a different machine. So many problems with a machine that is only 2 and a half months old.
Top reviews from other countries
Dennis Capistrano
So far so good we got this in May 2018
Reviewed in Canada on October 8, 2018