# SWF or Babylock?



## OregonForester (Feb 2, 2008)

I've been lurking here for a month or so, but just now registered.

I bought my wife a Brother 270D in November, and we both have had a lot of fun with it, but we both feel that we have outgrown the machine.

I want a multineedle machine, and have been looking at both the Babylock BMP6 (I know that they are coming out with a BMP8), and an SWFE1501-C, as they are about the same price.
The Babylock is sold locally, so that means that we can expect local service and help, whereas the SWF will require phone support, if needed.

The Babylock is, of course a six needle machine, whereas the SWF is 15. My thoughts are the more needles, the better.

My wife owns a business, and we might be able to earn income from the machine, but mostly, (I suspect) it will be more of a "hobby" thing. If we can make money, superb, if not, that's okay, too.

I'm seeking advice. Are my sights too high? Should I be looking for less machine?
If not, what would your recommendations be....Babylock (with local service and support) or the SWF?

[added]

I should have also stated that my wife's business could easily incorporate the the embroidery merchandise, and is in a central location in the heart of town. Also, there are no other like businesses in the area, so, I suspect that the potential is there. I, am semi-retired, so that I do have time to devote to the enterprise.


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## Cutting_Edge (Jun 30, 2006)

Evening

I cannot say anything about the babylok......I do know they are the same as the brother machines....

I own a SWF 1501C.......been the best machine out of 5 that I have owned....don't get me wrong, the other machines did what I wanted them to do, but this one has finally given me the ability to actually put out a decent hat.......which was one of the major reasons I went to a SWF with the quick change hat system. I agree, I like having the more needle situation......I don't have to change out threads so often......I have gotten good service from SWF.....never had to have anyone out yet....but if I run into any trouble, I have given a call for stupid stuff and they have walked me through it.

Having local service is a plus, but I didn't have that available to me where I am located......and I like what I saw with the SWF....

I went through a gent by the name of Bill Richards of SWF East and he was very informative and thorogh when I was in the asking questions stage......If you would like his contact information, feel free to email me.....
[email protected]

Good luck with you choice and happy embroidering!!

Margaret
Cutting Edge


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## deChez (Nov 10, 2007)

I own an SWF 1501C...I've had it a little less than 1 year. I'm on the west coast so, I have to deal with SWF Mesa. While the tech that they have sent out is absolutely great, the problem is you have to go through their tech support in Texas before they will send anyone out.

The tech support department closes at 3:00 so if your machine goes out at 3:15 on Friday, you're stuck. 

They don't send a tech out unless they absolutely cannot walk you through a fix on the phone...and it's freaking painful to try to communicate with those guys.

As for needles: unless you're doing a good deal of designs that take more than 6 colors, you can really get along just fine with a 6 needle machine.

Yes...it is more convenient to have 15 colors threaded and ready to go even for those designs that take only 3 colors but...I swear, even with 15 needles, most of the time I don't have the one or 2 colors the customer wants already threaded!

In my shop, I do more personalizing than anything else so I'm usually using just a couple of colors at a time. Most of the logos I do are 3 or 4 colors. 

I'm not crazy about the software that came with the SWF but, they have since changed from Embroidery Office to DrawWings, which is probably an improvement.

Check out the software...check out tech support...these are the most important factors in the decision, in my opinion. And ask other embroiderers how often they sew a design with more than 6 colors.


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## OregonForester (Feb 2, 2008)

Well, after talking with the local rep, (and reading the numerous PMs received here), I bought the BabyLock.
I have to say that even though it is obviously a lot more machine (and a LOT more complicated) than the Brother 270, we were able to turn out a T-shirt or two the first evening that we had it!
We have a LOT to learn, without doubt, but we are both having a lot of fun.
I bought 3 dozen t-shirts wholesale, and even if we spoil them all, I will have lot's O' shirts to wear while painting the house.
The few shirts that we have embroidered have generated interest in the businesses surrounding my wife's store, so although we may never pay for the machine, it looks as though she will have extra income to buy threads, backing, and more "painting" shirts for me!
I want to thank you all for the replies and support to my original post, and I am looking forward to our new endeavor.


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## OregonForester (Feb 2, 2008)

Well, we've had the Babylock for a few weeks now, have embroideried nearly 30 t-shirts (and only 3 t-"shrits"!) and have accumulated well over 1400 patterns....all in PES format. 

I've been searching for software to help me keep track of it all, and have downloaded a trial of Studio III....and have to admit to being somewhat "underwhelmed".....Studio III is not Vista compliant (they still use *.hlp files)
and $200 just to view *.pes files seems awfully steep to me!

Today, I downloaded a trial of CustomWorks, and am less than enthusiastic about it, as well.
Neither work as smoothly as the webpage suggests.

There will come a time (probably in the near future) where I will want to attempt my own digitizing, and I cannot help but ask, are there digitizeing software out there that I can limp along with (for a while) that do not cost as much or more than my machine?

First, and foremost, I feel that I need software that will catalogue all of my patterns, then I need software that will allow me to change colors on those patterns that when converted to PES caused the colors to go horably wrong, and third, I need something that will allow me at to make at least minimal changes to my exisiting patterns.

Again, please keep in mind that I am an absolute newby to this, and if I am expecting too much, or asking for more than I need, let me know.....kindly, of course.


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## Screenanator (Feb 14, 2007)

SWF U1501 bridge machine here......love it...love it...love it.....I use CorelDRAWings and use CorelX3...I can handle 99% of the digitizing in house and keep that money with me....the 1% is pretty detailed and complex......I like DRAWings because you can save your work in so many different formats...the only thing I dont like is not being able to edit a .dst file from my digitizer....it has to be a DRAWins file....but DRAWings does come with Wings modular....and you can do some stitch editing in that....just no adding text.


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## draig (Jul 29, 2007)

Have a look at Embird, it is more than capable of doing all you need, and when you're ready to start digitizing you can add the Studio plug-in.

Official Web Site of Embird Software Authors

Worth looking at.


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