# Is the Babylock Enterprise as a beginning machine?



## galynn (Jun 18, 2013)

We looked at the Babylock Enterprise yesterday. I liked the machine and the dealer and tech is 90 miles away (nothing is close here). 
What we see our market as, is hats, T shirts, hoodies, patches/applique. I don't know how many jackets.
One of the things I liked are the camera for placement of extra large designs, and the screen which I am not seeing on some of the other machines. 
SO 
Is the Babylock a good machine, will it hold up to full time use? Anyone with experience with this machine? 

Thank you


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## danlb (Dec 28, 2010)

Gail--

The Babylock and corresponding Brother machines are great machines. These two brands are identical, both being produced in the same plant, with the exception of model names, housing color and installed designs. There are lots of them in service and a few available in the used marketplace for attractive prices. There are lots used in smaller commercial operations. They run well, are fairly easy to service yourself and last a long time. There is a very active Yahoo Group with about 5800 members dedicated to the machines and all the info you could ever want is readily available. I purchased a 6 year old Brother PR600 (with 11 million stitches on it and added another 5 million) about a year and a half ago and have had no issues with it that would require a trip to the shop. The latest models have more features than mine, such as the laser and the ability to stitch larger areas both on the cap frame and the largest hoop plus the 10 needle machines reduce the number of color changes if your design requires lots of colors. These machines are capable of 1000 stitches per minute but will sometimes run slower than that when necessary. The commercial machines will stay at the selected speed and may finish most jobs quicker. The embroidery part of my business is mostly caps, patches, hoodies and jackets and is well served by my PR600. I consider my machine to be a reliable and valuable part of my equipment. The hardest part of using this machine, and any machine for that matter, is learning the software needed to operate it. Sure it can accept several formats of designs you can purchase plus all the installed text and designs but the real money maker is the software program used to create custom designs for your customers. The ability to digitize your customer's ideas into a machine ready file is very rewarding and difficult to learn. I think the Babylock/Brother machines are worthy of your consideration and will provide many years of service.

Dan
Graphics on the Fly


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## 239 Design (Jun 14, 2010)

Hi, I bought one of these about 1 1/2 years ago. Until then we were just screen printing, so i cant compare it to anything else, but I can tell you my thoughts on it. The main reason I bought it was I got it for five years at 0 percent no money down! It does have some good things about it but it seems kind of lacking in others. It is way louder then some of the other machines I have seen and it might be my hooping but the stitches on some of the designs just dont have that "wow" effect to it. You can see some of thing I have done with it on my facebook page if you want to check it out. Rt. 239 Design. I also bought the PE design next. If your not worried about financing I would look around at other machines before you make your mind up. If i could turn back time I would have saved up and bought a used machine to start with. With the cap frame, software, stand, camera upgrade I think I have around 12,000 into my machine. Good luck with you chose.


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## galynn (Jun 18, 2013)

Dan, thank you for your response. Would you mind telling me how many hours a day your PR600 operates.
What we are looking at are intense weekends (3 day) where the machine will work very hard for about 12 hours a day, then when at home that is yet to be seen as I build the local business. 
I am really drawn to the camera and being able to "stitch" a design together, as I make quilts and would like to do large centers. I also like the monitor/control panel, it is like my girlfriends home model which is a Brother so I am somewhat familiar with it already. 
TY


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## danlb (Dec 28, 2010)

My machine runs various amounts since embroidery is just a part of my one man business. It probably averages about 10 hours a week of use. While the camera is nice, there are ways that will allow you to create embroidery areas larger than the hoop. All of the Brother PR machines and corresponding Babylocks have the monitor and it is a nice feature. If you are going to be running your machine for such long hours on weekends then you will probably find that the increased output of the commercial machine will better suit your needs. 

Dan


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## WildcatAndrea (Jan 24, 2013)

I keep a Brother PR-650 around. It's slightly smaller than the Enterprise, but equivilant to the Endurance.

I initially bought the machine to do some light monogramming as a hobby a few years back and it turned into a full-fledged business on its on. So I now just keep it around for sample stitchouts, small jobs, personalization, etc... 

However, there was a time that my entire business depending on it as I was growing so fast and didn't have the machines to keep up yet. While I didn't do patches like you mentioned (was cheaper for me to outsource), I did do a lot of shirts, jackets, caps, etc...

It's a great way to get your foot in the door and see if this business is right for you before putting a lot of money out on a multi-head machine.


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## galynn (Jun 18, 2013)

Andrea, Thank you for this response. It helps me to feel good about my choice, I am waiting for a few loose ends to be tied up so I can purchase the machine. I hope my business grows like yours and others have.

Gail


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