I’m new to machine embroidery and just bought my first machine. I went with a Tajima Sai. I bought it from Hirsch Solutions this past March. I love it so far. As my business grows my plan is to move up to a bigger commercial Tajima so I figured I’d start with the Sai and Hirsch. Your channel continues to teach me so much, thank you for sharing your decades of expertise. ❤
I have had both Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff home combination sewing/embroidery machines. Their base models tend to have larger hoops than Brother/Babylock. Love the dual feed technology for sewing built into most Pfaff machines, even lower end models (IDT), much better than a separate walking foot.
We agree with you, John, about Brother and Baby Lock. A lot of quality bang for the buck! Baby Lock especially because they encouraged their dealers to host special educational events (like yours and mine) each year for their customers. Though there are not many in-person educational events like they used to promote and host, Baby Lock has educational videos on their website for their customers.
I totally agree! I have Barudan, Brother and Babylock machines and the Barudan runs a lot and has been running smoothly for years now. Has literally never been down except for normal maintenance. Well worth the price!
Thank you John for your tips on the machines. I have got 2 Luminaries & the 10 needle Brother 1055x. Love them all. I am lucky here in Australia as I have got good support from Gary at Echidna. I have been working with Embroidery Machines for nearly 30 years and never looked back. My favorite brand is Brother as I had other brands over the years but still prefer Brother as my choice.
I love how you put it to see what the dealer can offer. I have a top of the line babylock. I bought from a reputable dealer but they didn’t offer lessons. I had to go to a new retailer in town to actually get my lessons. The dealer can make all the difference.
I have a Brother XP2 (I did not upgrade to the XP3 because I don't feel the cost could be justified for my use.) I love my machine, and I don't regret purchasing it. I have sewn for about 60 years or so, and I never had a really good, high quality machine until I bought a Pfaff. I love the Pfaff. But when I had the opportunity to get the Brother XP2, I jumped on it. :) Your video is very informative, and I thank you for your time. The downside to my purchase is that the dealer went out of business before I could receive the training that is really needed. I don't think I will ever realize the potential of my machine.
I have a Janome MC550e and I'm very happy with it. I wanted an embroidery only machine and, as a widow living alone, I couldn't imagine how I would get a big heavy Tajima multineedle up the stairs to my sewing room. 🤣
John... you spent over an hour on the phone with me walking me through this subject and I'm very appreciative of your knowledge! I ended up with Happy's... one you admitted not knowing much about but being made in Japan was a good thing since the Barudans and Tajima's are as well. Those two companies were very hard to deal with as a "home based business "... like they couldn't be bothered with the little guy... lol. I just added 2 more Happy 15 needles to my studio.. you may want to check them out as well. I personally would never buy the Chinese machines, and the "Brother/Babylocks" just have too much "fluff stuff" on them. Definitely more "bang for the buck" with the smaller, true commercial machines.
Tajima is part of juki, juki is the go to for industrial waking foot and serging machines. But, I went with a Happy Japan. I bought it through Texmac, and the service is exceptional.
Juki is a distributor of the Tajima Sai. Happy is a very solid machine. I remember when I was a commercial educator in the 90’s seeing them hit the US market, we were all a bit skeptical of the “New Kid” in town. But they quickly proved themselves as a quality brand.
I run 2 single head Barudans because I mainly do hats. I am part of a few different machine user groups and I constantly hear of ruined garments and finicky machines. If you select a brand that John mentions, you most likely won’t have those issues. Buy once, cry once….
Hi Mr Deer I like your videos, I agree with what you say about Brother machines I love mine. I have a Dream Machine but I have my eye on the Luminaire 3 I am researching where to purchase it now. Keep the videos coming ❤
Do you have any suggestions for the home embroidery enthusiast that wants an embroidery only machine? I have the Bernina 790 Pro and it does a good job embroidering, but I am over having to change the thread a million times in between colors. Plus, I can't wirelessly send designs directly from Hatch to the machine (Bernina requires you use their embroidery software for this.)
I have Holiauma and my machines run like there is no tomorrow, and no issues, I do shows and alot of times mine are the only ones running during the whole show with zero issues, take care of your machine and it will take care of you. I know people with all the above machines and they are not perfect either , in most cases with any machine it user error.
Thanks for this video! I had some questions about the machines I saw in your studio tour video. I noticed some looked like off-shore bodies - many of them have the same body for the 15 needle and different screens. I just do embroidery for fun and picked up a 20 needle off shore machine that will be coming in a month. It is inexpensive and the cost of any of your top 3 was hard for me to justify for a "nice to have toy". I'm pretty technical and mechanical, so hopefully I won't have many problems since it isn't going to be running constantly. If I do find opportunities that justify a better, more durable machine, Tajima will be on the list to look at for sure.
I’ve tested many brands of machines. A costly endeavor, but it’s the only way to make an assessments. I totally understand and respect the logical behind your decision.
@EmbroideryLegacy thank you for doing that investment for us! I anticipate some growing pains in the beginning. It seems others have made these machines work well enough. That is my goal. Stitch outs of my designs and light commercial work. Certainly won't be run continuously throughout the day!
@@SH-dq2cy I think the Berninas are very expensive plus they cannot use anything but their brand of bobbins & feet. I have Janome and Brother, both can use any high shank feet, and while Janome likes their own bobbins I can also use the pre wound ones (non-Janome). Also Bernina cannot be serviced by my local sewing machine center.
Hey John, I am a screen printer making a move and adding embroidery to my menu. I just bought a used Happy Japan 15 needle machine and was told it was one of the best brands. What is your opinion on this and why was it not even considered in your review?
First single needle was an Ultramatic that came with our first Melco Digitrac, and then we purchased Melco SuperStars which we ran in the 80’s. 12 years ago I did bring in a Melco Bravo to test, lots of part replacements over the years and never been a huge fan of their tension feed system. Quality built machine as it still runs to this day, although we only run it a few times a week (letting any machine sit idle too long is not a good idea) and consider it a “backup” during busy times.
First single needle was an Ultramatic that came with our first Melco Digitrac, and then we purchased Melco SuperStars which we ran in the 80’s. 12 years ago I did bring in a Melco Bravo to test, lots of part replacements over the years and never been a huge fan of their tension feed system. Quality built machine as it still runs to this day, although we only run it a few times a week (letting any machine sit idle too long is not a good idea) and consider it a “backup” during busy times.
I agree with the big three commercial brand recommendations. I’m surprised Melco wasn’t mentioned, though. I’ve had several of them and they are workhorses.
@@StephanLamar81 hi all! I own a Smartstitch 1201, for almost a year now. I've been embroidering for a good 7 years now. I've worked with Tajima and SWF both high end machines. I have to say. Smartstich did surprised me, both in quality of stitch and yes price. I was hesitant in taking the leap to buying such an unknown product at such an affordable price. I thank the Lord All Mighty that I went with it because this machine is a total beast! and has worked for me well.
I think you are basing all your opinions on old and outdated information. When was the last time you spoke with a multi-machine certified technician? If you had I'm sure you would know that ZSK all though a great machine - where are the techs and your support team. Barudan - I have friendships with several people that can't get good support from them, and this was in the last month even. Tajima is a good machine but when I went to actually buy one.. no one called me back. And just this week - after talking to my tech Bill Garvin - I purchased a Happy Japan HCU 1501 - an amazing machine!!! I think your opinion should include a stronger suggestion on how to find the best machine for the budget and the need.
@@ramonamckee5367 while happy machines are decent. In my experience as a machine operator, tech, and embroidery business owner. The quality of the parts is far less than other brands. But I do agree 100% about the customer care from all the major brands. Having owned multiple multi head machines, once the check is cut they don’t want to talk anymore.
The Janomes interface is not as easy, there's a learning curve. But once past that they do beautiful embroidery. I also like the externals, how it looks, the Brothers had too much navy blue and also the logo was not as upscale, those are just personal aesthetic. They do stitch nicely.
John... you spent over an hour on the phone with me walking me through this subject and I'm very appreciative of your knowledge! I ended up with Happy's... one you admitted not knowing much about but being made in Japan was a good thing since the Barudans and Tajima's are as well. Those two companies were very hard to deal with as a "home based business "... like they couldn't be bothered with the little guy... lol. I just added 2 more Happy 15 needles to my studio.. you may want to check them out as well. I personally would never buy the Chinese machines, and the "Brother/Babylocks" just have too much "fluff stuff" on them. Definitely more "bang for the buck" with the smaller, true commercial machines.
I’m new to machine embroidery and just bought my first machine. I went with a Tajima Sai. I bought it from Hirsch Solutions this past March. I love it so far. As my business grows my plan is to move up to a bigger commercial Tajima so I figured I’d start with the Sai and Hirsch. Your channel continues to teach me so much, thank you for sharing your decades of expertise. ❤
I have a Barudan, my brother in Law has a Ricoma. The difference in machine quality was quickly apparent.
The Barudan better than the Ricoma? Which one was the higher quality?
@@7ISK7 lol tells us nothing??? Which is better??
I have had both Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff home combination sewing/embroidery machines. Their base models tend to have larger hoops than Brother/Babylock. Love the dual feed technology for sewing built into most Pfaff machines, even lower end models (IDT), much better than a separate walking foot.
Great machines, have not had much personal experience with them.
We agree with you, John, about Brother and Baby Lock. A lot of quality bang for the buck!
Baby Lock especially because they encouraged their dealers to host special educational events (like yours and mine) each year for their customers. Though there are not many in-person educational events like they used to promote and host, Baby Lock has educational videos on their website for their customers.
Hi stranger, been many years. Hope all is well :)
@@EmbroideryLegacy you are the best my friend!
I totally agree! I have Barudan, Brother and Babylock machines and the Barudan runs a lot and has been running smoothly for years now. Has literally never been down except for normal maintenance. Well worth the price!
Thanks for your comment, you guys do great work!
We run tajima ans swf both brilliant machines, run8 to 10hrs per day never an issue, been embroidering commercialy 15yrs great machines
Thank you John for your tips on the machines. I have got 2 Luminaries & the 10 needle Brother 1055x. Love them all.
I am lucky here in Australia as I have got good support from Gary at Echidna. I have been working with Embroidery Machines for nearly 30 years and never looked back. My favorite brand is Brother as I had other brands over the years but still prefer Brother as my choice.
Have u heard of Baruda?
I love how you put it to see what the dealer can offer. I have a top of the line babylock. I bought from a reputable dealer but they didn’t offer lessons. I had to go to a new retailer in town to actually get my lessons. The dealer can make all the difference.
I have a Brother XP2 (I did not upgrade to the XP3 because I don't feel the cost could be justified for my use.) I love my machine, and I don't regret purchasing it. I have sewn for about 60 years or so, and I never had a really good, high quality machine until I bought a Pfaff. I love the Pfaff. But when I had the opportunity to get the Brother XP2, I jumped on it. :) Your video is very informative, and I thank you for your time. The downside to my purchase is that the dealer went out of business before I could receive the training that is really needed. I don't think I will ever realize the potential of my machine.
Thanks for watching and your input.
I have a Janome MC550e and I'm very happy with it. I wanted an embroidery only machine and, as a widow living alone, I couldn't imagine how I would get a big heavy Tajima multineedle up the stairs to my sewing room. 🤣
Mr.Deer you ARE the Embroidery G.O.A.T.!!! ❤
Wow, thanks
John... you spent over an hour on the phone with me walking me through this subject and I'm very appreciative of your knowledge! I ended up with Happy's... one you admitted not knowing much about but being made in Japan was a good thing since the Barudans and Tajima's are as well. Those two companies were very hard to deal with as a "home based business "... like they couldn't be bothered with the little guy... lol. I just added 2 more Happy 15 needles to my studio.. you may want to check them out as well. I personally would never buy the Chinese machines, and the "Brother/Babylocks" just have too much "fluff stuff" on them. Definitely more "bang for the buck" with the smaller, true commercial machines.
I’m a Digital Embroidery trainer,we use brother brand for our training as well as hatch software for digitizing ❤️
Tajima is part of juki, juki is the go to for industrial waking foot and serging machines.
But, I went with a Happy Japan. I bought it through Texmac, and the service is exceptional.
@@xlrationmarine I got the hcu2 it's been great. So has the support
Juki is a distributor of the Tajima Sai. Happy is a very solid machine. I remember when I was a commercial educator in the 90’s seeing them hit the US market, we were all a bit skeptical of the “New Kid” in town. But they quickly proved themselves as a quality brand.
I run 2 single head Barudans because I mainly do hats. I am part of a few different machine user groups and I constantly hear of ruined garments and finicky machines. If you select a brand that John mentions, you most likely won’t have those issues. Buy once, cry once….
Tajima is a workhorse we still have 1 in the shop and the other 3 are ZSK
Thank you for all your help.
Good video thanks I have a Burdan single head
Hi Mr Deer I like your videos, I agree with what you say about Brother machines I love mine. I have a Dream Machine but I have my eye on the Luminaire 3 I am researching where to purchase it now. Keep the videos coming ❤
Do you have any suggestions for the home embroidery enthusiast that wants an embroidery only machine? I have the Bernina 790 Pro and it does a good job embroidering, but I am over having to change the thread a million times in between colors. Plus, I can't wirelessly send designs directly from Hatch to the machine (Bernina requires you use their embroidery software for this.)
Thank you for sharing! ❤❤❤
Thanks for watching!
Home: Pfaff Commercial: Barudan
I have Holiauma and my machines run like there is no tomorrow, and no issues, I do shows and alot of times mine are the only ones running during the whole show with zero issues, take care of your machine and it will take care of you. I know people with all the above machines and they are not perfect either , in most cases with any machine it user error.
Thanks for this video! I had some questions about the machines I saw in your studio tour video. I noticed some looked like off-shore bodies - many of them have the same body for the 15 needle and different screens. I just do embroidery for fun and picked up a 20 needle off shore machine that will be coming in a month. It is inexpensive and the cost of any of your top 3 was hard for me to justify for a "nice to have toy". I'm pretty technical and mechanical, so hopefully I won't have many problems since it isn't going to be running constantly. If I do find opportunities that justify a better, more durable machine, Tajima will be on the list to look at for sure.
I’ve tested many brands of machines. A costly endeavor, but it’s the only way to make an assessments. I totally understand and respect the logical behind your decision.
@EmbroideryLegacy thank you for doing that investment for us! I anticipate some growing pains in the beginning. It seems others have made these machines work well enough. That is my goal. Stitch outs of my designs and light commercial work. Certainly won't be run continuously throughout the day!
Thank you for this video.
My pleasure!
As always, the truth from you!
What do you think about the Bernina embroidery machine
I have the same question.
@@SH-dq2cy I think the Berninas are very expensive plus they cannot use anything but their brand of bobbins & feet. I have Janome and Brother, both can use any high shank feet, and while Janome likes their own bobbins I can also use the pre wound ones (non-Janome). Also Bernina cannot be serviced by my local sewing machine center.
@cherylanon5791 thank you for responding.
Hey John, I am a screen printer making a move and adding embroidery to my menu. I just bought a used Happy Japan 15 needle machine and was told it was one of the best brands. What is your opinion on this and why was it not even considered in your review?
I have HappyJapan Voyager
what about husqvarna viking ?
Great machines, have not had much personal experience with them.
@John Deer’s Embroidery Legacy, what’s your opinion of Melco?
First single needle was an Ultramatic that came with our first Melco Digitrac, and then we purchased Melco SuperStars which we ran in the 80’s. 12 years ago I did bring in a Melco Bravo to test, lots of part replacements over the years and never been a huge fan of their tension feed system. Quality built machine as it still runs to this day, although we only run it a few times a week (letting any machine sit idle too long is not a good idea) and consider it a “backup” during busy times.
I had a Ultramatic 6 head, single needle, many moons ago. Now just Melco.
What do you think about Ricoma machines?
Very good at marketing an offshore machine.
@@EmbroideryLegacy Thank you
I’ve got 2 single-head Ricoma and they do what I need for commercial production of uniforms. I’d love a Tajima, my checkbook says otherwise
Trying to find a company that finances the tajima sai can u point me in the right direction?
Is Juki Tajima Sai a Tajima machine or a phony using part of the name?
What is your opinion of Melco?
First single needle was an Ultramatic that came with our first Melco Digitrac, and then we purchased Melco SuperStars which we ran in the 80’s. 12 years ago I did bring in a Melco Bravo to test, lots of part replacements over the years and never been a huge fan of their tension feed system. Quality built machine as it still runs to this day, although we only run it a few times a week (letting any machine sit idle too long is not a good idea) and consider it a “backup” during busy times.
Too later. Already bought a innovis v5le
I agree with the big three commercial brand recommendations. I’m surprised Melco wasn’t mentioned, though. I’ve had several of them and they are workhorses.
What are your thoughts on BAI & SmartStitch embroidery machines?
Not my personal choice, I realize the price points are very attractive.
@@EmbroideryLegacy they look exactly like Ricoma’s machines with a different name on it……..and 10k cheaper.
@@StephanLamar81 hi all! I own a Smartstitch 1201, for almost a year now. I've been embroidering for a good 7 years now. I've worked with Tajima and SWF both high end machines. I have to say. Smartstich did surprised me, both in quality of stitch and yes price. I was hesitant in taking the leap to buying such an unknown product at such an affordable price. I thank the Lord All Mighty that I went with it because this machine is a total beast! and has worked for me well.
No mention of RICOMA ..oof !😂
Very good at marketing an offshore machine.
@@EmbroideryLegacy💯
I think you are basing all your opinions on old and outdated information. When was the last time you spoke with a multi-machine certified technician? If you had I'm sure you would know that ZSK all though a great machine - where are the techs and your support team. Barudan - I have friendships with several people that can't get good support from them, and this was in the last month even. Tajima is a good machine but when I went to actually buy one.. no one called me back. And just this week - after talking to my tech Bill Garvin - I purchased a Happy Japan HCU 1501 - an amazing machine!!! I think your opinion should include a stronger suggestion on how to find the best machine for the budget and the need.
@@ramonamckee5367 while happy machines are decent. In my experience as a machine operator, tech, and embroidery business owner. The quality of the parts is far less than other brands. But I do agree 100% about the customer care from all the major brands. Having owned multiple multi head machines, once the check is cut they don’t want to talk anymore.
Melco
my top of line Janome just couldn't match the embroidery quality and ease of use of my Brother machines.
The Janomes interface is not as easy, there's a learning curve. But once past that they do beautiful embroidery. I also like the externals, how it looks, the Brothers had too much navy blue and also the logo was not as upscale, those are just personal aesthetic. They do stitch nicely.
So here is my question! What 10 needle Maschine or would you recommend. I’m looking for a good Maschine and it needs to be in the budget.
Check out the Happy 12 needle!
John... you spent over an hour on the phone with me walking me through this subject and I'm very appreciative of your knowledge! I ended up with Happy's... one you admitted not knowing much about but being made in Japan was a good thing since the Barudans and Tajima's are as well. Those two companies were very hard to deal with as a "home based business "... like they couldn't be bothered with the little guy... lol. I just added 2 more Happy 15 needles to my studio.. you may want to check them out as well. I personally would never buy the Chinese machines, and the "Brother/Babylocks" just have too much "fluff stuff" on them. Definitely more "bang for the buck" with the smaller, true commercial machines.