Which Embroidery machine to go for?

[Earl Smith]

Hi John,
I think for that money the only option is the Brother PR600 or its newer model. This has some on board software for doing text jobs. It might also come with some basic software for small design jobs. These Brother machines are semi industrial. Not made to run 24/7 but will do a good job.
The biggest problem with embroidery is not just the machine but the software too. Embroidery software is very expensive but without it you cannot do good work, instantly. You can outsource the digitising but that can take time, but it is cheaper than buying software.
IMO avoid Chinese machines and anybody selling cheap machines. You probably wont get any support or help with the software, if there is any.
If you want to spend a little more then look at the Tajima or Toyota machines. BUT look at the software.
Hope this helps.
Earl

[John Wilson]

Anyone else got any input before I randomly start phoning places?

[Alex Pirozek]

John,
I agree with Earl, the PR600 II or the newer 620 will be the way to go for the budget you have (if it’s new your after). I was in the same boat as you for small and quick runs. Normally i do alot of one offs on my PR600 II when i get asked "can you just do this".
You should be able to get a cap frame thrown in if you haggle. Doing your own digitizing is another matter as its sometimes easier to sub it out for speed, and the software cost is crazy. If you are used to using CorelDraw then the cheapest option is Corel Drawings. This works very well for a auto vector to stitch file conversion. Don’t be tempted to go with the Brother PE Design as its very basic and you should be able to get Drawings for the same cost with lots more features and alot more flexible.
Although i do most of mine in house, i enjoy digitizing from scratch and seeing the finished piece being stitched out. If you market it right you will always have customers though word of mouth.

Hope this helps
Alex.

[John Wilson]

I’ll look into the brother machine… if my budget streeched to £10k would that help me get something a little better? or roughly the same?

[Alex Pirozek]

I went to the Trophex show and a Amaya XT4 caught my eye, yes it was a little more expensive than the brother 620 and had more colours. Its the same with a cheaper plotter versus an expensive one, they both do the same job in the end. The only thing i could see a benefit with the Amaya XT4 was the smaller cylinder arm compared to the brother. All that will enable you to do is to get in to tighter access areas. As far as the speed is concerned, yes its faster but it’s only a good thing when you are stitching big areas with a fill stitch. Once you stitch smaller stuff like lettering then it gets too untidy for me if you run it too fast.
What swung it for me to go with the brother was the interest free credit option for 12 months.

Alex.

[Neil Speirs]

quote John Wilson:

I’ll look into the brother machine… if my budget streeched to £10k would that help me get something a little better? or roughly the same?

That was my budget and I ended up going for the Toyota ESP 9100, pure work horse. Try and push for a better software package, all the company’s will try and give you basic versions.

[John Wilson]

I’ve been recommended a ZSK Sprint 4, anyone got one of these or heard any good or bad news about them?

[John Thomson]

Why not see them all together at Printwear and Promotion at the NEC 1st-3rd March?

John

[John Wilson]

quote John Thomson:

Why not see them all together at Printwear and Promotion at the NEC 1st-3rd March?

John

I’m holding off till then to buy one but want to do a little research before hand so I’m not going down blind

[Earl Smith]

ZSK is a German company. I´ve seen the Sprint and I´ve been to the factory where its put together. Parts, I believe are made in China but assembled and tested here in Germany. Very solid and well made machine. I was very impressed by it.
I was very disappointed with the Amaya XT. I saw 6 different machines demonstrated . The Amaya had 3 thread breaks in the one hour demo. Tajima, Toyota, Barudan, ZSK and Brother had none. If the agent cant get the demo right then what chance do we have . It also needs separate software to operate it. At an extra cost of about 1 and a half K.
Check out the support you get with any machine. Back up and support are very important. Without it you can use any machine as a door stop.
Earl.

[John Wilson]

quote Earl Smith:

ZSK is a German company. I´ve seen the Sprint and I´ve been to the factory where its put together. Parts, I believe are made in China but assembled and tested here in Germany. Very solid and well made machine. I was very impressed by it.
I was very disappointed with the Amaya XT. I saw 6 different machines demonstrated . The Amaya had 3 thread breaks in the one hour demo. Tajima, Toyota, Barudan, ZSK and Brother had none. If the agent cant get the demo right then what chance do we have . It also needs separate software to operate it. At an extra cost of about 1 and a half K.
Check out the support you get with any machine. Back up and support are very important. Without it you can use any machine as a door stop.
Earl.

What machine do you have Earl?

I really like the ZSK sprint4 but can’t get a good enough deal on it

[David Rowland]

i have no idea… but again… capital outlay vs how quick it will pay off over say 5 years? business plan etc. or get a local guy to do it. We sub out to local guy, they do it and it greats. Surly there is a second user market.

[Dan Osterbery]

Hi John,as you know we had melco machines, but was not very impressed with the amaya, so when we went to the show had a play with all types of machines. Our two front runners were tajima and SWF. We bought the SWF in the end and it has performed like a dream, hardly any thread breaks, and with big designs we literally load the machine and go for lunch and leave it running. They are not the cheapest machines in the world but are incredibly reliable. If they do a single head I would have thought it was worth a look.

regards

Dan

[John Wilson]

quote Dan Osterbery:

Hi John,as you know we had melco machines, but was not very impressed with the amaya, so when we went to the show had a play with all types of machines. Our two front runners were tajima and SWF. We bought the SWF in the end and it has performed like a dream, hardly any thread breaks, and with big designs we literally load the machine and go for lunch and leave it running. They are not the cheapest machines in the world but are incredibly reliable. If they do a single head I would have thought it was worth a look.

regards

Dan

What SWF did you go for at the end?

[Dan Osterbery]

The dual op – it is a four head machine touch screen operation, and the ability to use 2 heads with one design and have different design running on the other two. It has self tensioning system which is why it has so few thread breaks. the build quality is very good and nothing is chinese, if you are going to the show and swf have a stand have a look at their single head machine. In our experience the swf runs a lot quieter than other machines we tried, and also runs alot faster. And they threw in software in the deal.(which was done at a show by the way!)

hope this helps, any other info just ask

Dan

[John Wilson]

quote Dan Osterbery:

The dual op – it is a four head machine touch screen operation, and the ability to use 2 heads with one design and have different design running on the other two. It has self tensioning system which is why it has so few thread breaks. the build quality is very good and nothing is chinese, if you are going to the show and swf have a stand have a look at their single head machine. In our experience the swf runs a lot quieter than other machines we tried, and also runs alot faster. And they threw in software in the deal.(which was done at a show by the way!)

hope this helps, any other info just ask

Dan

I’m down to 2 machines tbh Sprint4 and the SWF-E1201c

The SWF is much cheaper but to me the Sprint4 seems to be a better option

[Dan Osterbery]

John, when we went to the show we played with all the machines and ran test etc. In my opinion there is a marked difference between the machines which are chinese copies to their counterparts. Do you know if both machines will be at the show you are going too? Run the test designs on both machines and check speed of machines, noise, quality cap frame options etc. You can then choose which you prefer and hopefully it will be in your price range. All I can really say is that we are over joyed with our machine, we have had it for two years now, and it has never presented a problem. send me a link to the swf site for that machine and i will spec it against ours.

regards

Dan

[Dan Osterbery]

is this it john??

http://www.yesltd.co.uk/product.asp?pid=509

[John Wilson]

quote Dan Osterbery:

is this it john??

http://www.yesltd.co.uk/product.asp?pid=509

Yes

Sorry was out with the dog there

[Kevin Talbot]

Toyota ESP 9100 you won’t go wrong

[John Wilson]

Driving down to Notts tonight to see YES Ltd about the SWF machine in the morning

[Earl Smith]

Hi John, sorry for the late reply.
I have a Barudan single head machine. Expensive but worth the money. ( In my opinion). I went for this machine over the ZSK because the supplier was only half an hour from my shop and very professional. Many extras came with it too. Look for support and backup when buying. Without it you will struggle. On my machine they service it yearly for the first 3 years, all in the purchase price. Help is always available via the phone or I can drop in on them with a problem. They also come by my shop from time to time to make sure I am doing good work. They sold me the software and know this inside out too. Thats why I choose the Barudan.
I didnt look at SWF, the supplier is nowhere near me, but I believe as Dan said it is a good machine. Never heard a bad word about it.
The Toyota too is a good machine but the supplier is 6 hours away.
The only real advice I can give is look for the support. If you have that then you cant go wrong.
Hope this helps.
Earl

[John Wilson]

Ended up going for the SWF-T1501

15 Colour embroidery machine, getting installed on Tuesday/Wednesday

[Earl Smith]

Hi John,
Just seen this thread on an American embrodery forum http://www.digitsmith.com/swf-9329.html
All about a problem with this SWF machine. Maybe its a one off.

[John Wilson]

Machine came today

Got some training but the engineer is coming back in the morning to go over other things with it

I must say I’m quiet impressed so far 😀

[Dan Osterbery]

glad you like it john!! Ours has been awesome!

regards

Dan

[John Wilson]

I’ll contact you for advice soon 😀

[Dan Osterbery]

how’s you spanish? its the wife you need to speak too!! 😮

no worries, we are here and will help if we can!! :lol1:

[Earl Smith]

Good luck John. Hope all goes well. I dont know much about your machine but if you have a digitising or hooping/backing problem then maybe I can help with that .
Lots to learn. Enjoy.
Earl.

[Nigel Hindley]

Well I have been considering a machine myself and had a look at some down at the show.

What surprises me is that no-one has mentioned the Tajima machines here which seem very good and also without a doubt the nicest company (AJS) that I dealt with at the show, the most obliging, knowledgeable and informative and no high pressure. Excellent warranty that even includes operator error.

The software, pulse from what I can tell (though an extra cost) seems excellent.

………..but what do I know? does anyone have any info on this machine or how it compares to the swf or barudan single head machines or any experience good or bad of AJS

A big thanks too John for taking the time to share your experience of your swf machine with me cheers!

Nigel

[John Wilson]

No problem at all

Hope you get some other good advice on here and like I said next time your in Glasgow feel free to pop in 😀

[Kevin Talbot]

The Toyota 9100 that we have is more or less the same as the Tajima Neo and without getting into the exact details the Toyota is made by Tajima. At the moment we have a Barudan single head here on demostration which we were seriously considering purchasing, the reason we were looking at purchasing another make is I am unsure about the position of Toyota in the UK I have no real reason to say this other than a few whispers and an opinion of mine.
I personally have not used the Barudan very much since it has been here, but very soon Barudan are going to contact me to see if we want to keep it so I asked the girls that have been operating it, they said
Barudan slower than Toyota even when set on same stitch speed, due to initial start time and it takes longer for it to change needle,ie needle 1 to needle 15.
Barudan very very complicated to use compared to Toyota.
Barudan lots of thread breaks but that could be due to something we are doing wrong.
Barudan is very plastic compared to Toyota.
Then I asked the girls which one should I purchase they said Toyota.
However i have not decided, things that I have to take into consideration are, the Barudan is alot cheaper than a Toyota although I was offered a very good deal at the Printwear Show on a Toyota, but I am still concerned about the future of Toyota. Now the Tajima has got to be in the running but it is very expensive.
In my opinion the Toyota is the best machine for us as its built like a tractor, easy to use and very reliable.
The other thing I would like to mention is I personally will only ever buy single head machines, due to the versatility and the resale, I intend by the end of this year to have 4 of them.

[Nigel Hindley]

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for that very interesting.

My experience of Barudan as a company isn’t great so far didn’t seem interested at the show in selling anything. Swf seemed like it was slick sales – no follow up call.

AJS with the Tajima very helpful friendly and a 2 year coverall warranty including any accidental damage and operator error, which is phenomenal and didn’t try and back track too much on install and warranty when they found out that I lived a million miles away.

I haven’t made up my mind yet but id say the Tajima for me is in the lead just, at the mo but I would like to see if anyone has anything bad to say about it or AJS.

Would also be interested in any feedback from anyone that has bought one and if they got a decent discount.

Kevin, you obviously know your stuff – what software would you recommend and what do you think of pulse that AJS supply?

Cheers,

Nigel

[Kevin Talbot]

Nigel, if you read the post that John started on embroidery software you will get my view on it, as for knowing my stuff a definite no, we started from scratch 2 years ago and my other businesses have nothing to do with this at all other than we purchase alot of work and promotional garments and were fed up of poor quality, high prices and waiting ages for it. I personally have nothing or very little with the running of our embroidery/workwear/small sign business other than financing it and for that reason I like to know what I,m buying and how its works and when I purchase whether its a van, lorry, printer embroidery machine one of the main points i look at is what is resalable and holds its money the best and that is what i base my opinions on. I would say I think you are right about Tajima it would be interesting as to what price you or anybody out there is being quoted for variousmachinery I am sure we are being quoted different prices. I personally don’t what to screw anybody for a stupid price as I believe that everybody has a right to earn a living but also I don’t want to be ripped off. When I purchased the Toyota 2 years ago i could have got it about £600.00 cheaper from xpress but decided to buy from a company that knew more about embroidery machines and it was the right decision, having said that I have purchased loads from Xpress.

[Earl Smith]

Hi all,
As I said in a previous post, I own a Barudan. Very, very happy with it. Strange thing to say that it is plasticy . Only plastic on it is the cover for the needle mechanism and control panel.
I looked at many machines, my short list was ; Barudan, Tajima, Toyota and ZSK. ( NO SWF agent near me ). All very good machines. Reliable and able to work 24/7.
I nearly bought the Toyota but the local agent didnt speak English. I didnt speak good enough German at the time so sadly that knocked that one on the head.
I then looked at the support and training that the others where offering and thats what I made my decision on. Tajima is a very good machine but the salesman was not very helpful. ZSK, good salesman and they showed me around the factory too but the digitising software they sold was in house.
Barudan offered a complete package. Machine, Wilcom software (Corel based) , many extras including a hoop master and 3 years guarantee.
I have defiantly made the right decision, any questions they always help. Software problems, hooping problems, they are always there. Couldnt ask for more. They even drop in from time to time to see how things are.
What I am rambling on about is to look at the support. You will defiantly need it in the first year. With out it you will have problems. All these machines are very good, nothing wrong with any of them, its you that will need help, but without help, support or backup they are useless.
My 2 Euros worth, I will go lie down now.
Earl.

[Dan Osterbery]

I agree with earl, back up and support is king!! Machine choice is down to personal preference, budget etc, but if you are new to embroidery the most important thing is back up.

we have melco and swf machines by the way!

regards

Dan

[Nigel Hindley]

Cheers Dan, Earl,

you have re-enforced my views that back up is king when you are new a field and that leaves me just the one option and that id AJS and the Tajima.

I wont be buying for a month or two but a massive thank you to everyone here for your help it has made my life easier and a decision faster just need to get some more gen on price now and what would be considered a good deal on this machine I’m just collecting and comparing prices just now.

Thanks again guys,

Nigel

[Kevin Talbot]

Nigel I wondering how you got on with Tajima/AJS, I haven’t heard a thing from them since the P&P show and I have emailed them once with some details of a logo that they said they wanted to compare test through one of their machines, but saying that not one of the dealer that I left details with have contacted me. I also pm ed you with the prices of the machines given to me how did they compare with prices given to you. Kevin

[Nigel Hindley]

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for that (though I didn’t get the PM)

To be honest I Have been so busy I haven’t had a chance to do any further research.

AJS are due another call this week to follow up the further info they sent, but its likely to be April before I can do some more research, would appreciate the prices though if you could try again that would be great.

AJS and the Tajima are still my preferred machine at this point but I do want to do more research on price etc and also I do like time so that everything has time to sink in before I make the final decision!

[John Wilson]

Good luck Nigel

I must admit i’m very disapointed with YesLtd’s aftersales

I’ve emailed the sales guy I bought my machine from and as usual no reply, pity though as it’s put me off buying from them again so think i’ll be looking elsewhere for my DTG printer 👿