An embroidery machine is a device which creates different patterns on fabrics to beautify them. Not only that, but an embroidery machine could also be used to personalize, decorate, or embellish any item.

There are two types of embroidery machines available on the market: domestic and industrial. The major difference between the two is in stitching speed and embroidery area. For instance, while the domestic embroidery machines have a workspace of around 4’’ by 4’’, their industrial counterparts could go all the way up to 8’’ by 12’’.

As for the speed, any machine having an embroidery speed of 400 SPM (stitches per minute) is enough for household use. And while the sky is the limit for the speed of industrial machines, most of them don’t go above the 1,000 SPM mark.

There are five major features which you look for when buying an embroidery machine, with the first being their embroidery area.

Embroidery Area

Embroidery area is the space which the machine could embroider in one go. If you are a home-based embroider who does embroidery as a hobby, a 4’’ by 4’’ embroidery area should be more than enough. Conversely, if you are buying it for professional use, an 8’’ by 12’’ embroidery area would suit your needs.

Built-in Alphabets

Built-in alphabets are a must-have whether you are buying a machine for home or professional use. Otherwise, if your machine doesn’t provide it, you may have to buy the same alphabets separately, which means you may need to pay more.

Colored Display and Touch Screen

Thirdly, we recommend going for a machine which offers a colored display with the feature of touch-screen. Such machines allow you to divide the screen in half so that you could compare designs while embroidering. They also have a zoom-in feature which allows you to take care of the minutest of details.

Sharing

Never buy an embroidery machine which doesn’t allow easy sharing. In the past, if you wanted to import designs, embroidery machines required attaching USB stick. However, the best embroidery machines nowadays come with built-in Wi-Fi interceptors which allow you to import and export designs from the internet.

Warranty

Finally, the best brands provide a 25-year warranty on their machines. Not only that but when/if the machine goes rogue, these brands have trained technicians which save you worry and time by getting your machine back on track. Therefore, ALWAYS purchase a machine from a well-known brand. Examples include Brother, Singer, and Janome.

While these features would make life easy for you, machine providing these features will also cost more than their counterparts.

Variable Speed Option

Some parts of the fabric – such as their corners – require more precision and slower speed than the others – like its central body. Having a variable speed option would allow you to easily adjust the speed of your machine. Otherwise, you might have to manually tone it down.

Automatic Thread Tension

This feature is a must-have if you want an embroidery machine for professional use. By taking the thickness of the fabric in consideration, it automatically adjusts the thread tension to provide your designs a constant flow. Machines with automatic thread tension have fewer thread breaks and are less prone to puckering.

Automatic Thread Trimming

No embroider loves trimming all their threads by hand, and it is safe to assume that you aren’t different. Machines with the thread trimming feature clip all your threads automatically, hence saving you time and effort.

Automatic Needle Threader

While some machines offer an automatic needle threader, others provide a magnifier to make the job easy. Once again, this feature is not compulsory, but it would make your work easy.

Archable Fonts

Want to make your designs unique? One way to do that is having a machine which allows you to curve your fonts, hence making them Archable. You could also combine Archable fonts with other designs of yours to give them a layer of uniqueness.

Embellishment Capability

Looking to add some sequins or beadings to your design to make it look stand out? Embroidery machines which offer embellishment capability allow the same.

Embroidery Speed

How much embroidery speed you may need depends on your experience in the field. Measured in stitches per minute (SPM), an embroidery speed of 750 SPM is more than enough for beginners, whereas a 1200 SPM is generally recommended for professionals.

Safety Feature

If your embroidery machine has a safety feature, it will operate in one of these two ways when its bobbin thread is about to run out. Either it will turn off the machine or it will notify you in advance. Regardless of its operating mechanism, a safety feature is a must-have if you want your design to be consistent.

Starting with the former, an embroidery machine has many benefits. For starters, it rules out the chance of personal error that is so common with hand embroidering. With the machine doing all your work, your designs are consistent and reliable with embroidery machines.

Second, if you are to work on a large scale, embroidery machines allow you to produce more stuff in less time. In other words, you could produce batches of products. Also, since the best embroidery machines – like the Brother SE 400 – allow Internet connectivity, you could import designs from all over the world.

What’s more, almost all embroidery machines offer the feature of lettering fonts, so you can use them to make your work look unique. Similarly, as we saw in the Brother F440E, embroidery machines with touchscreen display allow you to zoom, flip, resize, and drag your designs, hence removing any chance of a mistake.

Turning our attention to their disadvantages, doing embroidery on a machine stifles creativity. Since most designs of embroidery machines are pre-made, there is very little, if any chance that you could give your design a touch of your own.

Also, while the best embroidery machines are no doubt better than their manual counterparts, they are ultra-expensive. So you need a lot of up-front investment to take advantage of their features.

Of all the machines that we reviewed, we found the Janome Memory Craft 12000 to be the best. In addition to boasting a huge workspace, it has included multiple hoops in the package.

Then there is the AcuFeed Flex feeding mechanism which feeds the top and bottom layer of fabric at different speeds for a smooth and more streamlined design.

What’s more, to give you more freedom, it has a Stitch Composer feature which lets you design your own stuff. Add magnifying glass and LED light to the package, and it is easy to see why we regard this machine so highly.

If you need a sewing machine for domestic purposes, we recommend the Janome J3-24. In addition to being inexpensive – a pre-requisite for any household machine – the J3 offers 24 stitches in the package whose length and width you can adjust from the LCD display of the machine.

It also has a built-in needle threader which, when combined with the one-hand thread cutter and quick foot conversion, makes this machine a must-have for domestic purposes.

The Janome 1600P QC is the best sewing machine for industrial purposes. It has a hard, scratch and vibration resistant cover which prepares this machine for years of abuse. To let you handle fabrics of different thickness, it has a variable speed control feature.

Also, to make sure that you don’t speed too much time in its startup, the machine has an independent bobbin winder which you can adjust while carrying on with sewing. Similar utility is on offer with the Up/Down Needle button which, depending on the portion of fabric, will take your input to adjust the needle accordingly.

If you ask us, we recommend purchasing the Brother Innovis 800E for all your commercial embroidering needs. Not only does it have loads of embroidery designs – 138, to be exact – but the machine offers utility features like automatic needle threading, needle cutting, and thread cutting.

If that isn’t enough, it has an LCD touchscreen display which will guide you through every step of the embroidering. More importantly, it has a safety feature which comes into play whenever the thread snaps or when it is about to run out.

Lastly, its color LCD touchscreen allows you to give a layer of uniqueness to your designs with its myriad features. Take, for instance, its design editing feature. It provides the freedom to resize, reposition, combine, and rotate your designs so that you know what exactly will be the final outcome.

For those of you who want to import/export designs over the internet, the Brother SE400 is their best bet. Being able to connect to the internet via Ethernet cable, this machine allows you to import/export designs from all over the worldwide web.

That said, it would be wrong if we say that this machine is nothing but digitalized. Instead, as its automatic needle threading, needle cutting, and a backlit LCD display shows, the Brother SE 400 has combined the benefits of digitalization and machine embroidering.

The Janome Memory Craft 500E is the best embroidery machine for embroidering. It offers 6 monogramming fonts which you can resize, repeat, or zoom with its LCD display. Also, if you think these fonts aren’t enough, you could import more via a USB stick.

What’s more, to give your designs a layer of uniqueness, it allows 2 and 3 letter monogramming. And if anything goes wrong in your design, it would automatically center the design to rectify your mistake.