# CAMFive Embroidery Machines



## istitchcraft (Dec 8, 2015)

I know I posted this a few weeks ago and got 1 reply but I can't seem to find that reply. I've read a little more about CAMFive and plan on visiting their booth at the ISS trade show in Long Beach at the end of the month. I'd still like any added info if anyone wants to share.
I've talked to their Cali office and they've been pretty helpful. So far so good, right?

Hi all, I'm new to this forum but I'm wondering if anyone has heard of CAMFive embroidery machines? I have a Brother 6 head industrial machine and I'm looking for a second one but don't want to spend near as much money this time around. A CAMFive 6 head commercial machine is $25,000 compared to the $40,000 that a new Brother is.
If anyone knows of them can you, please share your info? Thank you!


----------



## treefox2118 (Sep 23, 2010)

Here is a thread about CamFive:

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/embroidery/t226543.html (2013-2014)

The general consensus over the years is that CamFive imports a Chinese "clone" and you're stuck with one local vendor for support. If the vendor goes out of business, you may be SOL in getting parts or service.

The reason that the other big names are well supported here is because there are MANY vendors supporting those machines and selling parts.

The $15,000 difference over 10 years of operation (or longer) is insignificant. $125 a month more over 10 years and you're going to have better luck getting service.


----------



## istitchcraft (Dec 8, 2015)

Are you familiar with this machine? Are you speaking from experience? From what I've seen and heard there are two locations in the U.S. and they are in 4 or 5 other countries.
I definitely want the value and not just the cheapest machine out there.There's nothing cheap about the embroidery business!
Thanks for the response.


----------



## 539162 (Jun 12, 2015)

I was the person who responded to your first post. I sent a pm to you. Please read it and I can answer your questions.


----------



## 539162 (Jun 12, 2015)

Please feel free to read my private message I sent you and to call me but I will answer a few things here as well. I see these posts on the forum all the time whether it is Redline, RiComa, Avance, Meistergram, Phoenix 540, Butterfly, Pro Shuttle, CAMFive and so on. It almost seems like these Chinese machines sound like a broken record. There are many Chinese factories from Feiya, Dublin, Tang etc. that pretty much use the same Dahao software. The Chinese electronics are not too bad but they aren't the best either. CAMFive falls into the category just another cheap chinese machine. $25000 for a 6 head that in 6 years will be worth $8000 when you pay it off plus all the times you will need to have it fixed and believe me you will it is not worth it. The Chinese machines tend to be lower in cost. You can buy a Chinese machine for half or two-thirds the cost of a typical Japanese machine. The balance of cost verses quality is one of the main things that you need to look at when comparing the machines. Do you want a Mercedes or a Chevy Cavalier? The Mercedes may never break down but you end up paying for that quality up front. The Cavalier will do the same thing that the Mercedes will do, it will take you from point A to point B, but you may have to do a little maintenance on it along the way. At the end of the day a Japanese machine like a Barudan or Happy or a German Machine like ZSK is worth 60 to 65% of it's value after 5 years or 2/3. You end up having a better machine with better quality parts, tech support, stitches better, longer durability then a cheap machine. I have many customers with Chinese machines and I repair them about every month. The cost of ownership is not cheap especially having a tech out. At the end of the day it is your decision. Have you ever heard the saying if something sounds to good to be true....a $25000 6 head is not gonna preform and be durable like a $40000 machine. I noted you said Brother as well. Brother no longer makes multi-head machines. They are focused on their home based machines like the PR 650, 1000 etc. There are some people on this forum who have Chinese machines and like them. There are also people on the forum who have Barudan, Melco, Tajima, SWF, ZSK, Happy and other brands and like them. You ask any person on here which machine is the best and of course it is the one they are using. Some people have only had one brand their whole life so they don't know what a better machine is because they haven't tried anything else. At the end of the day get the machine that best fits your needs and your budget. If you can't afford a premium brand machine try to find a good used one. A used premium machine is still worth more then a new Chinese machine and will have better resale. The same with embroidery machines is the same as anything else...You get what you pay for


----------



## roytorrs (Feb 19, 2017)

Has anyone tried or worked on a Holiauma Honglie machine? Or Zhuji Luban Topper/Qicai machine? They are Chinese just wondering if anyone has personally seen them work and what you think of the quality. 

The first company seems new and not sure if it is legit.


----------



## hottees1 (Feb 13, 2017)

539162(or anyone else) I read one of your comments about a camfive embroidery machine and was wondering what your opinion is about what the best 2 head embroidery machine would be at the cheapest cost. I currently have a Melco emt16 that came with the business when I bought it and it does an “ok” job, but it’s getting old and starting to fight to keep it running. Thank you for your help


----------

