Brother sewing machines are among the best in the world because they perform exceptionally well, producing very high-quality stitching work. Despite this, these machines are reasonably priced, making them good for beginners as well as experienced sewers.
However, there are a variety of brother sewing machines, with each having different features, dedicated to serving a particular niche. For you to get the perfect machine to suit your needs, you need to understand the various feature that each machine has and how that is beneficial to you.
To help you understand this, below is an in-depth look at the eight best brother sewing machines.
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Amazon.comAre You Looking For Best Brother Sewing Machine? Here’s What You Need to Consider
Brother sewing machines have many similarities but are different in some ways, and this makes them suitable for different kinds of people. To pick the best one, you need to consider the following.
Type of machine
Sewing machines come in 3 main types: mechanical, electronic, and computerized. Mechanical sewing machines are not used a lot because they have very limited features, and each of its settings has to be done manually. However, they are the cheapest of the three options.
Electronic sewing machines are a big improvement from their mechanical counterparts. Being electronic means that, first and foremost, they have an electric motor that drives the sewing operations. Additionally, they come with some built-in stitches (at least ten but not very many) that are easily selected using dials, making them quite easy to use.
Computerized sewing machines are the most advanced of these three. They usually come with a big number of built-in stitches (in the hundreds) and have the option of having more imported as long as the format of the imported files matches what the inbuilt computer can read.
Another thing that most features are touch or non-touch LCD screens and selector buttons for easy selection because the stitches are just too many to use dials. However, they are the most expensive of the three types.
When selecting the best brother sewing machine, it is important to consider this because first, the type determines the cost and two; it determines the stitching possibilities that you can achieve using a single machine.
Number of stitches
Although the type of machine can direct you to the range of the number of stitches that it has, it does not give you the exact number. For instance, if you want to buy a computerized brother sewing machine, not all of them have the same number of built-in stitches. The same applies to electronic sewing machines.
Therefore, it is important to consider this number because it tells you the variations that you have at your disposal, be it decorative, essential, button, or buttonhole.
Adjust ability
The ideal brother sewing machine should have adjustable features such as adjustable speed, stitch width, and length so that you can have the flexibility of selecting your custom settings. Without these features, you will have to work with what was built in by adjusting your sewing methods to fit the machine instead of the other way around.
Ease of use
Ease of use is an aspect that depends on various features. Some of these features include an automatic needle threader, which simplifies the process of inserting the thread into the eye of the needle, threading diagrams to simplify the threading process, and automatic bobbin winders, among many others.
Such features make sewing machines easy to use and should be considered before making any purchase.
Weight
If you need to travel around with your sewing machine, you better get a small-sized, lightweight one. It should come with additions such as a protective case for safeguarding the machine and carrying handles to make it easy to hold.
However, if you sew or quilt from one location, the weight factor should not worry you. Small and lightweight means that some features might be missing or limited to make it smaller and lighter. Therefore, in such a case, prioritize on the machine’s features more than its weight.
Quilting capability
Not all brother sewing machines have quilting capabilities. Ideally, if you want a quilting machine, you should look for features such as drop feeds for free quilting, a wide removable table and quilting feet. These make it possible to work on quilting projects as well as normal sewing projects from a single machine.
Reviews of the Best Brother Sewing Machine 2020 – (Editors’ Choice)
1. Brother CS6000i – Best Brother Sewing Machine for Beginners
The brother CS6000i focuses as much on user-friendliness as it does on sewing and quilting. For starters, it has an LCD screen and selector buttons that make the stitch selection process a breeze. Additionally, all of its 60 built-in stitches are drawn and numbered on the right panel of the machine, giving you an easily accessible reference point when doing your selection.
Apart from these buttons, it also features a start/ stop button that gives you the option of running the machine without using the foot pedal. This enables you to rest your feet or do something else with them while sewing.
It features a speed controller that gives you 3-speed options, fast, faster, and fastest, which are indicated by arrows just below the LCD screen. This option makes it possible to set your preferred sewing/ quilting speed so that you can work comfortably without making any mistakes.
The ease of use aspect is further extended into its threading process. It has a bobbin winding system that automatically fills the bobbin once the thread and bobbin are inserted into their pins. After this, its top drop-in bobbin feature makes it quite easy to insert and thread the lower part.
For the upper part, the machine surface has easy to follow threading diagrams, and this is finished off by an automatic needle threader that inserts the thread into the needle eye for you.
Features at a glance
- Computerized sewing machine. Contains multiple stitches, an LCD screen and selector buttons for easy selection
- Adjustable stitch width and length.
- Built-in free arm.
- Removable wide table for quilting and other large projects
- Reverse button for reverse stitching.
- Comes with a protective hard cover
- Lighting feature for the work area
2. Brother XM1010 – Best Brother Mechanical Sewing Machine
The XM1010 is ideal for the traveling sewer because it is lightweight and portable, yet it has some pretty useful features. It’s not as advanced as the computerized CS6000i because it is electronic. This means that it has fewer internal components, which is partly what makes it light and thus convenient to carry.
However, this does not mean that it lacks the important stuff. It is a full-size sewing machine with 10 built-in stitches that include a one 4-step buttonhole stitch and several blind hems, zigzag, and stretch stitches.
These 10 stitches are the most popular ones for everyday sewing, and thus, even though they are few, you will not lack something to work with. Selection is done using a stitch selector dial, which has all the 10 stitches drawn and numbered on the dial itself, simplifying the selection process.
It features an automatic bobbin winder that makes it quite easy to refill the bobbins before inserting them into the jam-resistant, quick-set top drop-in bobbin. This completes the threading process of the lower part, with the upper part having drawn diagrams that are easy to follow when threading this part.
On sewing, the thread tension is adjustable using a dial just above the needle, and this enables you to create neat stitches, which are smooth and tight.
Features at a glance
- Features a storage tray for safely keeping the included accessories (a 3-piece needle set, 4 bobbins, several feet, and a screwdriver).
- Removable storage compartment exposes the free arm for stitching hems, cuffs, and sleeves.
- Comes with a foot controller
- Reverse lever for reverse stitching.
3. Brother HC1850 – Best Brother Sewing Machine for Quilting
This computerized sewing and quilting machine has the advantage of having a huge number of built-in stitches. They are 130 in total and include 55 alphanumeric stitches for monogramming and multiple decorative stitches. This makes it a good choice for embroidery and labeling because you can include a variety of different arts in the material that you are working on.
130 is quite a big number, but the selection process is simplified by the use of an LCD screen, selector buttons, and a stitch flip chart. Each stitch pattern is drawn and numbered on the flip chart for easy selection on the LCD screen.
Selection is easy because it has 2 buttons flanking the screen: one for increases or decreases the ones figure, and the other does the same for the tens figure, enabling you to go from 0 to 90 with very few button presses.
Apart from embroidery, this machine is also quite good for quilting because it comes with a wide table, a quilting foot with spring action, and the capability to do free motion quilting because the feed dogs can be raised or lowered.
To install this detachable wide table. The machine’s storage tray must be removed first so that it can slide into position. The storage tray is used to store the machine’s accessories, and on removal, it exposes the free arm, which is used to work on hems, collars, and cuffs.
Features at a glance
- Start/ stop button substitutes the use of the foot pedal.
- Adjustable sewing speed using an adjusting lever.
- Adjustable stitch width and length using selector buttons that display the result on the LCD screen
- Quick-set top drop-in bobbin.
- LED light for lighting up the work area.
- Automatic needle threader.
4. Brother XM2701 – Best Brother Lightweight Sewing Machine
This is a good choice for beginners because it is affordable, yet it has a good number of built-in stitches to work with. It is an electronic machine, which makes it less expensive than the computerized ones but has 27 stitches, which are enough to learn with and progress into getting advanced sewing skills.
The simplicity of use is also incorporated into its design because it comes with 6 quick-change sewing feet. They include buttonhole, button, zigzag, zipper, narrow hem, and blind stitch feet and are inserted by easily snapping them into position, which also means easy removal and replacement.
Apart from these, it also has an automatic needle threader that inserts the thread into the needle eye for you, simplifying the last part of the machine threading process.
Its work area is lit using super bright LEDs, giving you good visibility when you need to have great attention to detail, especially when working on dark fabrics. Below this work area, the machine has a storage tray that safely holds its accessories such as the feet, bobbins, and screwdriver, among many others.
This storage tray is removable and exposes the free arm, which is very useful for stitching pant hems, collars, cuffs, and other hard to reach areas.
Features at a glance
- Jam resistant top drop-in bobbin with a transparent cover
- Automatic bobbin winding.
- Easy to use stitch selector dial with clearly drawn and numbered stitch patterns on the panel above the dial.
- Reverse lever for easy switching between front and reverse stitching
5. Brother SE600 – Best Brother Embroidery Machine
This computerized sewing machine has a very modern look. It features a large 3.7” touch screen, which eliminates the use of dials or selector buttons for stitch selection. The screen also shows the stitch pattern, and thus, it does not have panels or flip charts for showing these.
To top this off, it has a USB port that can be used to import custom stitch patterns, increasing the stock ones to give you a limitless number at your disposal.
It comes with 103 built-in stitches, which include various buttonholes, decorative, and essential stitches. However, the total number of stitches that it can create is not capped at 103 because you can import as many designs as you want, giving you limitless possibilities, especially in embroidery projects.
It is particularly good at embroidery because it is built with a 4×4 embroidery field, which is designed to match with its 4×4 loop for accurate placement of the stitching design. On the other hand, its 4×4 loop enables you to tighten the fabric to create clean and tight designs.
The work area is brightly lit using LEDs, making it convenient for working on dark fabrics. This enables you to create intricate designs with clear sight, enabling you to produce high-quality work. Apart from this, the work area is partly composed of the storage tray top cover, which can be removed to leave a free arm for stitching hard to reach areas such as collars and pant hems.
Features at a glance
- The start/ stop button can substitute the use of the foot pedal.
- Reverse button for switching between front and reverse stitching
- An automatic needle threader makes it very easy to insert the needle into the needle eye.
- Embroidery arm and foot.
- Adjustable stitch width and length.
- Adjustable stitching speed.
- Drawn and labeled threading instructions make it quite easy to thread.
- Quickset, jam-resistant top drop-in bobbin with a transparent cover
6. Brother XR9550PRW – Best Brother Buttonhole Machine
This sewing machine also features a large backlit LCD that makes it quite easy to navigate through the stitch numbers in dimly lit conditions. However, this screen does not have a touch interface as the SE600.
Instead, it has intuitive push selector buttons for selecting the stitch number as well as for adjusting the stitch width and length, with the results being shown on the screen. This makes the selection process very easy.
It comes stocked with 110 stitch patterns that range from utility to decorative to heirloom stitches, giving you a wide variety of options to work with. Selecting the preferred pattern is simplified by the use of selector buttons, which are 2 in number and work by either increasing or decreasing the ones or tens number, respectively.
Additionally, each pattern is clearly labeled on the right panel of the machine, providing a convenient reference point every time you need to change from one stitch to the other.
The work area can be extended by attaching its wide table, which is included among its accessories. This gives you a conveniently sized surface for quilting and working on other large sewing projects as well.
Being removable means that the machine can be reduced to a compact size, making it easy to transport. Furthermore, it comes with a hard case that provides a layer of protection when doing the transportation.
Features at a glance
- Labeled on the surface for easy threading and has an automatic needle threader for quick setting of thread into the needle eye.
- Storage compartment below the work area
- Free arm.
- Start/ stop button.
- Reverse button for easy switching between front and reverse stitching
- Adjustable stitching speed.
7. Brother CS5055PRW – Best Brother Electric Sewing Machine
The Brother CS5055PRW is like the younger brother to the XR9550PRW above. It is also a computerized machine but features fewer built-in stitches and is smaller and lighter. It has a total of 50 stitches, which are drawn and numbered on the machine’s right panel for quick referencing.
This makes it possible to quickly switch between different stitches with the help of intuitive selector buttons that adjust the stitch numbers as you view them on its LCD screen. Each of these stitches is adjustable lengthwise and widthwise, using different push buttons that also indicate the results on the same LCD screen. This gives you easy and full control of the whole selection/ adjustment process from a single point.
Although it does not come with an extension table for quilting purposes, it has a drop feed feature that lowers the feed dogs to enable you to quilt in free motion. Raising the feed dogs also has its benefits because they are designed to move fabrics smoothly as they are being stitched, resulting in clean and precise stitches, which give your work a stamp of good quality.
It is smaller than the XR9550PRW means that it is quite light and, thus, easy to carry. It features a carrying handle that makes it much easier to transport, making it possible to carry it to classes or from room to room without straining your hands.
Features at a glance
- Top drop-in bobbin with a transparent cover
- Horizontal spool spin ensures the feeding process is consistent.
- LED light for lighting up the work area.
- Automatic needle threader.
- Thread cutters on the bobbin and the side enable you to cut off the thread after sewing, eliminating the need for scissors.
8. Brother LB6800PRW – Best Brother Versatility Sewing Machine
This computerized sewing machine is fully featured with a full range of 67 stitches, multiple stitching functions, and the capability to work on embroidery projects. However, despite all this, it is quite portable, but this is not because it is light. It comes with a rolling carrying case, which makes it very easy to transport.
For quick selection, it has a backlit LCD touch screen display, which is also used to display stitch length and width settings. Each of these stitches is drawn and numbered on the right panel below the display, making selection a much easier process.
On the function of embroidery, this machine comes fully equipped with 70 built-in designs, 120 frame combinations, and 5 lettering fonts. It also can download other designs from the internet or your PC, giving you potentially an unlimited number of designs at your disposal.
Regarding embroidery hardware, it comes with an embroidery arm, a 4×4 inch embroidery hoop, and an embroidery foot. All these make it possible to transfer the concept from the machine to the fabric neatly and accurately at the desired position.
Away from embroidery, the machine has a start/ stop button that can substitute the foot pedal in running the machine’s motor. It also has a thread cutting button that cuts the thread for you once you are done with stitching. These 2 buttons give you a lot of flexibility and simplify your work.
Features at a glance
- Reverse button for switching between forward and reverse stitching
- Speed lever controller for adjusting the speed between 3 preset speeds
- Bobbin winding system.
- Quick-set top drop-in bobbin with a transparent cover
- LED lighting for the work area.
Best Brother Sewing Machine Comparison Chart
| Model | Stitches | Drop-in Bobbin | Auto Needle threader | Stitches Per Minute | Dimensions | Our pick as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brother CS6000i | 60 | Yes | Yes | 850 | 16 x 6.7 x 11.4 inches | Best Brother Sewing Machine for Beginners |
| Brother XM1010 | 10 | Yes | Yes | 750 | 15.4 x 5.8 x 12.1 inches | Best Brother Mechanical Sewing Machine |
| Brother HC1850 | 130 | Yes | Yes | 850 | 16.3 x 7 x 12.5 inches | Best Brother Sewing Machine for Quilting |
| Brother XM2701 | 27 | Yes | Yes | 800 | 12.1 x 5.9 x 15.3 inches | Best Brother Lightweight Sewing Machine |
| Brother SE600 | 103 | Yes | Yes | 710 | 21.2 x 15.5 x 16.5 inches | Best Brother Embroidery Machine |
| Brother XR9550PRW | 110 | Yes | Yes | 710 | 12.5 x 16.3 x 7 inches | Best Brother Buttonhole Machine |
| Brother CS5055PRW | 50 | Yes | Yes | 850 | 19.48 x 10.75 x 15.96 inches | Best Brother Electric Sewing Machine |
| Brother LB6800PRW | 67 | Yes | Yes | 710 | 21.5 x 16 x 22 inches | Best Brother Versatility Sewing Machine |
Conclusion
From the above sewing machine listing, it is clear that brother does not mess around when it comes to producing high-quality products. Whether electronic or computerized, these machines have what it takes to create beautiful and neat stitches on either regular projects or embroidery works.
The task left for you is to find the best brother sewing machine to suit your needs. However, with the guide above, this should not be such a difficult task because everything is laid out for you to decide.
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