# What about a Brother PR600II



## Stich (Apr 17, 2012)

I am looking to supply a small private school (250 students) with embrodiered shirts, sweatshirts, and jackets. I have recieved several competitive quotes form embroiders which I am happy with but they envolve large quaintiy (500-1000 units). I would like to be able to embroider the school logo at will during the school year and not have to deal with batch runs. I have found a used Brother PR600II for $4500 with 9 million stitches and 130 hours on it. They sell the PR-650 for about $7k and the PR-1000 was well over $10k. Would these be good machines for this kind of job? Could I do all the shirts, sweatshirts and jackets with one of these machines? Am I even in the ball park? The PR-600II looked awesome and it is the direction I am leaning. I am just looking for a little advice.


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## buehrle (Jan 14, 2008)

i have two of them. it will take you a little while but you can do it. i just got done doing 150 baseball hats that had about 12k stitches per hat. some other machines are quicker but cost more too. i would sub out the digitizing to a pro so it looks great. i can give you the guy i have used for years if you need one. i would suggest that you get a few sets of extra hoops so that you can hoop a second shirt so that the change over goes much quicker. send me a PM and i can get you the site too if needed. if you can have something sewn on the machine while your there just to make sure all is ok. these are great machines and that is a pretty good price. what else does it come with ? make sure it is with a couple hat hoops and driver too. these are pretty expensive to buy alone. if you have any questions let me know.


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## Stich (Apr 17, 2012)

Thank you buehrle for the reply. I got the account and pulled the trigger on getting the PR-600II today. I am getting I think 2 type hat hoops, I am really green on this so I do not know. The guy who sold it to me gave me a name of a digitizer who also teaches free classes at the store, but I would be interested in finding others. Last week at this time I knew nothing about embroidery, today I am an embroiderer, the profits on this account were just too large to walk away from so I jumped in with both feet. Any new guy info would be great, I have been reading all I can. My main focus is to do one logo on shirts, sweatshirts and jackets, I will work on other things in the fall.


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## drdoct (Jul 26, 2011)

Mike I bet half way through that hat order you were hating life. I can't make it through 1 hat, much less 150. 

I think those Brother machines are great. Join the yahoo newsgroup for them (the one with thousands in it) too. The biggest thing now is to take your time. Since you know your logo and size you'll be able to get some precut cutaway stabilizer (check out sewingmachine.com). I suggest getting magnaglide bobbins by the box because a box goes a long way and they're the best as far as consistency goes from what I've experienced. Again, sewingmachine.com. If you call them and tell them what you have (they're a Brother retailer/repair shop) they can steer you in the right direction and are VERY knowledgeable. 

I wouldn't look at a hooping system right now but definitely some round hoops in a few different sizes. Round hoops will enable you to turn the hoop a little to compensate for hand hooping. Also something that could help you out a bunch with placement is the embroiderer's buddy (adult and child). After a while you won't use it, but at first it really helps out. 

When you start off remember to always ALWAYS! trace your design in the hoop. I can't stress that enough. There isn't a safeguard (don't think there is anyway) for hitting the hoop and when you hit a hoop bad things happen. You'll also need some sewing machine oil that can do drops for your hook especially. I use LB5 because it sprays in one drop through a straw. Then thread. Go slow and try to be patient while reading everything you can and watching every video you can.

Good luck!


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## Stich (Apr 17, 2012)

Thank you for your help drdoct. I am a regular in some gun forums and realize what a nob I am and look like here. A week ago I knew nothing about the embroidery business and now I am trying to learn everything I can to get in it. I thank you for taking the time to give me advice. I will defiantly be following it.


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## tfalk (Apr 3, 2008)

drdoct said:


> There isn't a safeguard (don't think there is anyway) for hitting the hoop and when you hit a hoop bad things happen.


Minor point of correction... As long as you use the Brother hoops that come with the machine and the sensor detects the correct size of the hoop, the machine simply will not let you do something outside of the hoop. If you use something like fast frames or non-Brother hoops, all bets are off 

I have 2 of the Brother PR600II's, one has north of 45 million stitches, the other somewhere around 30 million last time I checked. Very durable machines... Honestly, if the PR1000 had come out a year earlier, I'd have bought it instead of my SWF since I ideally need about 8 colors for a lot of my car designs. Hard part now would be we got used to the much larger frame size on the SWF and I'd have to resize a lot of things smaller to go down to the PR1000 max frame size. If you can live with 6 needles and the max frame size of 7.5 x 11.75, the PR6xx series are just great little machines.

Stich, I know the feeling, we jumped in and bought a small company that had previously outsourced all it's digitizing and stitching, then bought a PR600 from a local dealer. Talk about jumping in with both feet


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## drdoct (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks for clearing that up tfalk. I wasn't sure if it had a safeguard or not. I don't have one, but have a commercial bigger Brother. It doesn't have anything. Doesn't that Brother come with only square/rectangular hoops?


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## tfalk (Apr 3, 2008)

The PR6xx series only come with rectangular hoops, you are correct. The Brother commercial machines must be more like my SWF where it will do anything you tell it to including destroying itself. That was a BIG learning point when we first got the SWF, I hit a hoop twice the first 2 days simply because it would let you.

I think Durquee came out with round hoops for the PR series recently, I recall seeing them on their website a couple of weeks ago. Makes for interesting combinations of designs for us since one set of machines has all square hoops and the other has mostly round and 1 really big rectangular hoop...


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## drdoct (Jul 26, 2011)

Yep, mine is pretty much the same parts as Tajimas. Even uses their 360 hoops. I bet with that brother you could use Tajima 360 hoops too. I'm petrified of hitting hoops but still it happens from time to time. I can go pretty much all the way to the hoop on the bottom, but the top I can't go like 1" because of the presser foot will hit. The littlest hit and then the needle will slam into the foot... Luckily the needles are the only things I've broken so far. Worried about more though. I think these pr machines are the perfect transition or first machines. Later I think anyone in business should have a real commercial machine because they are so much faster and stronger.

I confess though, I hate square hoops. They're so hard to get straight. Round ones you can move a little right or left and square them right up. My big mighty hoop is easy even though it's a rectangle because I can hold the top and the bottom will line up with the magnets.


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## LUV DEM TIGERS (Jul 25, 2008)

I have a single head Tajima Neo-2 and I am a pro at changing needle bar reciprocators. They are designed to break when you hit a frame instead of the actual machine. It actually takes me longer to rethread the 15 needles than it does to take the entire front off the machine, replace the reciprocator, and reintall the entire front.


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## sitzerlandwyo (Jan 20, 2011)

we have 2 brother pr series a 650 with 500million stitches and a pr 1000 and we have had 250 hat orders. It will take a while but can be done. You just have to be patient and set the machine and just walk away and come back in 15 minutes just make sure you have 2 of the hoops you need so you can just take one off click the next on it and hit sew


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## PiPsodin (May 14, 2012)

Is it any good PR1000, I have a chance to buy one, but ...... you know!
What kind of software are you using, is it possible to sew for 20 hr?
Thx for any advice:tipthank:


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## Knehmer (May 6, 2007)

I, too, have two of them...you won't be disappointed.


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## PiPsodin (May 14, 2012)

You are saying that is good? How about long hours work?


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## Knehmer (May 6, 2007)

Very durable machines I have millions of stitches on each


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## PiPsodin (May 14, 2012)

What kind of program are you using with and max working area if you can, sorry to be so  !
thx


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