# Opinions on Melco for Embroidery Machine?



## dkauzlaric (Jun 14, 2015)

Looking at getting into embroidery as we just got into screenprinting and vinyl.

Been doing research and at first was interested in a Ricoma (good pricing and what not) but was not happy with the reviews that I read.

I ended up seeing that Melco was made in USA and couldn't find any negative reviews. I am looking at the new Melco EMT16 for around $15k with software and that includes 2 day of on-site training at my location.

What do you guys think? Good brand? Good price? Thoughts? Brand new to embroidery but do want to get started in it producing clothes, hats, and even patches.


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## marzatplay (May 25, 2014)

Tajima and Barudan are the best imo. Having said that , I have three Melco Big Red machines and am very happy. The beauty with the Melco is that you can start with one, then as your business grows buy more and network them together for faster production. I started with two, then 6 months later got one more, and now have three working together.


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## dkauzlaric (Jun 14, 2015)

What are the cost comparisons for those two brands versus Melco, do you know? I am sick of having to talk to sales people.

Would you rate the Melco machines among top tier or just middle of the road? Do you have a better option that you would recommend for a beginner looking to get into this to make money?


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## marzatplay (May 25, 2014)

Tajima and Barudan are priced higher. Consider them the Honda and Toyota of cars. Priced higher but more reliable overall. Melco is like Ford or Chevy. Built different, gets the job done in the end but parts wear out sooner and may need replacing or adjusting after long time on the road.

For a beginner, I do recommend Melco. Get one, build up your business, then get another and network them together to work as two heads, then get a third and run as three heads then a fourth...and so on and so forth.

If you want to save money, get a refurbished XTS model instead. They are just as good and get the same job done...unless you absolutely want a brand new shiny car (machine ).


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## NiceThreadsLLC (Mar 20, 2012)

The training from melco makes it much easier to get up and running. While they are user friendly there is still a pretty decent learning curve. I would recommend getting a new one for the help training and setting it up initially. It'll cost more money than used but you'll tear out less hair.


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## marzatplay (May 25, 2014)

I received training with refurbished models. It's when you buy them used from someone else that you don't get training.


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## NiceThreadsLLC (Mar 20, 2012)

Regarding the melco machines themselves, I've liked working with them. One thing I wasn't thrilled about was the number of stitched each head will hold. It's usually about 150k stitches. It can be annoying if you are doing a really large jacket back or a large hoop of 100% coverage patches, but it can be worked around pretty easily. Apart from that though it was a really good way for us to get our business started. We started with 2, got 2 more a year later, then a year later we needed much more volume so we got a much larger multi head machine. It's really nice being able to run different jobs simultaneously.


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## Ccar105209 (Jun 28, 2015)

I Like and own 2 happy 12 needle voyagers the cost new is around 8,000 for the floor model they use at shows. its very user friendly with the new touch screen and the stitching is spot on!!! You can also go for a 7 needle or a 15 needle. Look them up and the design of the 12 needles is very good for embroidery on handbags / totes as there are no side legs coming out from the body of the machine.
Enjoy what ever machine you buy and keep in mind like anything else there is a learning curve.


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## selzler (Apr 4, 2007)

I like my melco but its just to loud when running I also have 2 swfs and love them both swfs running at the same time are not as loud as the melco. melco does run faster.


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## smo (May 1, 2015)

I love my Melco XTS's and rate them far and away above all other machines on quality of both machine and embroidery.

I constantly pick up trade jobs that other embroiderers do badly on their tajima, barudan or whatever and produce much much better quality on my Melco's


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## SunEmbroidery (Oct 18, 2007)

Melco used to have a great reputation but they've haven't been as popular the last few years. The fact that you get two days of local training is a big plus. Is there a tech in your area? What kind of warranty will you have? What is the resale value on that machine?


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## FlowerJi66 (Aug 9, 2017)

i suggest China embroidery machine.

WONYO is a factory of computerized embroidery machine, it is cheaper than honda and Toyota, but quality is perfect too.
also we got free wilcom software from Miss Flower .


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## Bryce77 (Oct 10, 2016)

FlowerJi66 said:


> i suggest China embroidery machine.
> 
> WONYO is a factory of computerized embroidery machine, it is cheaper than honda and Toyota, but quality is perfect too.
> also we got free wilcom software from Miss Flower .


good offer of a knock off machine with a pirate copy of wilcom e2.


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## gardenhillemb (Oct 29, 2015)

I bought my first Melco Amaya in 2004 and my second in 2006. Both still run really well. Just make sure whatever machine you get to do the maintenance. Oil is really good for sewing machines.


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## digidana (Jun 20, 2016)

NiceThreadsLLC said:


> One thing I wasn't thrilled about was the number of stitched each head will hold. It's usually about 150k stitches.


i wouldn't let this influence the decision. in 21 years i've only digitized a handful of files with that many stitches. unless you're planning on doing enormous home decor or tablecloth sized designs...


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