# Advice on upgrading PE-770 to Multi Needle



## SavviStitches (Mar 1, 2015)

Hello everyone, 

I'm hoping to get advice from others that may have been in my position in the past. I've been doing embroidery for just a few months now. My husband bought me a Brother PE-770 for Christmas to be used as a personal machine, but a hobby quickly turned into a small business when we both realized we could make good money off of our products. In the short 2 months,we have already encountered MUCH frustration with the machine and have tried everything (even a new machine) to get it to stitch consistently.

After a serious discussion, we decided to look into more "commercial" machines that are made for more than a hobby since we really plan on getting serious about making money. We quickly encountered "sticker shock" in the prices of these machines compared to our PE-770. We went to a few dealers near us (Atlanta area) and looked at the Janome MB-4, and the Happy Journey. The Janome was much cheaper ($5,000) but the dealer was a complete jerk, so the thought of bringing items in to be serviced to him sounds awful. The dealer showing us the Happy Journey couldn't have been more helpful and nice, but the price ($8,000) was a little hard to stomach. 

Out of our adventure, we have even more questions and I'm hoping to get some answers/advice from others more experienced than we are.

-Have you noticed a huge difference in going from a "home" machine such as our Brother PE-770 to a "commercial" machine in regards to consistency, quality, less headaches, etc?

-I cannot find any reviews on the Happy Journey machine. I know Happy is more of a commercial brand overall, but does anyone actually have this machine or have used it before?

-Are there any other reputable machines similar in this price range (5-8 thousand)? We haven't been able to see any of the Brother's in person, but I believe they are very pricey any ways.

-Is it worth paying more for the same machine from a dealer? I can find the same machine online for at least $1000 less (and no sales tax) but I know it can be very valuable to have dealer support.

Sorry to be long winded, but this would be a MAJOR purchase and there's no going back after spending that kind of money. I look forward to any advice and feedback from everyone!


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## SunEmbroidery (Oct 18, 2007)

I've never used a home machine but a decent new commercial machine that's set-up correctly and running well-digitized designs will run consistently. If there are problems they are almost always due to operator inexperience such as improper hooping, using the wrong backing, incorrectly positioned needles, not oiling and lint buildup. Becoming a good machine operator takes some time. It can be very frustrating. Its fairly easy to run the easy jobs but experience makes it much easier to run the difficult jobs. I don't know what you plan to embroider but you'll be able to more types of things with a commercial machine. A well-maintained machine can run for years without service but its definitely helpful to have some type of support during the first few years.


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## NiceThreadsLLC (Mar 20, 2012)

I think it's worthwhile to buy the machines new from a dealer, especially when you're getting started. It's nice to have the warranty and initial support/training that you get with the purchase. It might also be possible to get a break on the digitizing software if you need it and they offer a package you want to go with. You also know that the machine hasn't been abused horribly.


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## SavviStitches (Mar 1, 2015)

Thanks for the responses so far. We recently spoke to another dealer that carries Brother equipment. They quoted us $8700 for the PR-655E, the stand/table, as well as the brother PE Design Next software. Does this seem reasonable?

I've seen plenty of post saying Tajima, Barudan, etc. but honestly we just don't have 13-15K to spend.


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## tfalk (Apr 3, 2008)

SavviStitches said:


> Thanks for the responses so far. We recently spoke to another dealer that carries Brother equipment. They quoted us $8700 for the PR-655E, the stand/table, as well as the brother PE Design Next software. Does this seem reasonable?


I just picked up a PR1000E with upgrade 1, cap frame, cylinder frame, PE-Design Next and a couple of extra frames for $9500. Granted it does not have the stand but you can pick those up for $300. It had 1.8 million stitches on it, not even broken in. The camera placement on the 10 needle machines is worth the upgrade price by itself...

Another thing to consider - if you go with the 6 or 10 needle Brother/Babylock and you have a problem with it, you can put it in your car and take it somewhere for service. On a commercial machine, you are looking at a home visit from a tech and most cases that's $150-200 for them just to show up...

If you can manage without the 15 minute training a dealer will give you on a new machine (and typically does NOT cover the software...), keep your eye open for a low-mileage used machine. I had to drive 45 minutes each way to pick it up and I was able to see it run in person.


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## Blue92 (Oct 8, 2010)

Not sure of the pricing but a company we work with just picked up this Tajima for small production runs.

http://www.tajima.com/etc/doc/2014082211484312_5.pdf

Very nice setup and takes up minimal space.


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## WLGT (Jan 31, 2015)

I had a PE770 when I started doing embroidery, once I got an industrial machine I even kept it for awhile, it's a great single thread machine. I upgraded to an old Barudan for awhile until it gave up the ghost and I had to move to something modern, I got a fantastic deal on a BabyLock 10 needle for 9k that was a floor model with only 76,000 stitches on it. Included a table top, a stand, latest software upgrade and the cutwork upgrade. Also includes two years of on site technician support which I thought was very convenient.

I contemplated going with the BabyLock six needle but when I used the camera and played with it for placing down embroidery for the type of work I usually do, there was no debating it was superior for my needs.

As people have posted about the BabyLock 10 needles, and I'm talking about that because you mentioned the price range they are in both 10 and 6 needle. They slow down at certain points unlike an industrial machine does that stays at a constant 1000 or 1200 spm, I was totally fine with that but it is something to seriously consider when you have a lot of items you need to get completed. The 1200 the Brother/Babylock machines boast about is not what it produces.

If you went with a Brother/BabyLock 6 needle and some mighty hoops you might be setup for your growing out of a pe770 to a larger machine. If you take care of them I've read nothing but good reviews from people who have done 60million stitches on these machines. There is a Yahoo group that has some solid information and is a great resource to help you decide if these machines are the ones for you.


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