# What is the average life of an embroidery machine?



## Louie2010

I bought my first machine a few weeks ago, a Brother PR-650. In researching my purchase I had read where many owners were very happy with the durability of this machine, and it seemed like the best fit for what I wanted.

Now that I am getting started I thought it would be a good idea to set some goals, both short term and long term. This got me curious how many stitches might a person expect out of a machines life?

I know nobody can say for sure, but I really have no clue at all. I know there are many members of this site that have years of experience, and I was hoping for some feedback on average life of a machine assuming it is taken well care of.

Thanks for your time.


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## lizziemaxine

With proper maintenance it could last just about forever. From what I have read one of the biggest problems with older machines (20+ years) is not being able to replace a part that has worn out because the manufacturer has stopped supporting that model. That is when it is good to know a really great tech who knows where to scavenge for parts.


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## Liberty

A long, long time with proper care. I've seen five year old machines that were junk from being run three shifts, 7 days with poor upkeep and I've sold a few that were ten years old and running like the day they were built.

For a long time, maybe ten years ago, machines were turning over because they were functionally obsolete. Features like trimmers, thread break sensors and such that we take for granted now were not even on the horizon 20 years ago. And 1000 stitches per minute was not even a dream, much less a reality. A lot of those old machines still run great but who would want them?

Best approach is to calculate the machine payback period, maintain it well and if it is still running beyond the payback period then you are in bonus time and that is one profitable tool. If you are running a one shift single head operation, that machine would outlast you and the business in theory.

Now with all of that said, you have to be realistic as well. You bought a machine that is maybe the top of the line in home/hobby machines or lower end in the commercial spectrum, depends on your perspective. If you try to run it hard on heavy garments or for multiple shifts you will be pushing the limits and the maintenance will become even more impportant. The positive in that is that if you are pricing properly and you wear it completely out in two years, who cares, it has made you a bundle of money. Brother is a reputable company for sure. But if you are expecting the machine to perform with the Tajimas and Baraduns, or even the commercial Brothers, you're going to be disappointed.

Take care of it and hope you can wear it out!


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## imeccentric

Your machine will run with the big boys. I have a Barudan and 2 pr600's. All run full time and I've had fewer problems with the brothers frankly. 40 million stitches between maintenance is pretty common. They are a very easy machine to maintain and it will do everything my Barudan will do. My brothers have been running for about 5 years now and I've had one broken automatic threader(a $15 part and it was my fault it broke). That took all of ten minutes to fix. No matter what you get, be prepared to do repairs and maintenance yourself.


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## Louie2010

imeccentric said:


> Your machine will run with the big boys. I have a Barudan and 2 pr600's. All run full time and I've had fewer problems with the brothers frankly. 40 million stitches between maintenance is pretty common. They are a very easy machine to maintain and it will do everything my Barudan will do. My brothers have been running for about 5 years now and I've had one broken automatic threader(a $15 part and it was my fault it broke). That took all of ten minutes to fix. No matter what you get, be prepared to do repairs and maintenance yourself.


Thanks so much for the information, it is very good to hear. Do you happen to know if there is a maintenance or service book you can buy from Brother? It would be great to be able to buy one that covers the machines parts and maintenance.


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## tfalk

You can occasionally find the PR600 parts and maintenance guides on CD on Ebay. Not sure if the ones for the 650's are around yet since the machines are still very recent.

I have 2 PR600's, one has over 60 million stitches, the other has around 40 million. Complete work horses...


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## Louie2010

tfalk said:


> You can occasionally find the PR600 parts and maintenance guides on CD on Ebay. Not sure if the ones for the 650's are around yet since the machines are still very recent.
> 
> I have 2 PR600's, one has over 60 million stitches, the other has around 40 million. Complete work horses...


Thanks, do you know if Brother sells the parts and maintenance guides? If older ones are being resold on E-bay they must have bought them as new from somewhere.


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## imeccentric

Just emailed you with where to get free parts and maintenance guides.


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## imeccentric

Just emailed you with where to get free parts and maintenance guides.


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## byoungda

imeccentric said:


> Just emailed you with where to get free parts and maintenance guides.


Jim, I would like to know where to get the free parts and maintenance guides as well. I have a PR620.

Belinda
www.embroideryislanddesigns.com


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## imeccentric

Belinda,
Join the yahoo group: PR600-EmbPro_Machines : PR600 & Embroidery Professional Machine Lovers
They are in the file section. There are really only cosmetic differences between all of the pr600 models.
Rick the moderator used to sell maintenance dvd's and materials, but he has since contracted that out to this site: anembroideredaffair Home Page On the first repair you would more than save the cost of them. Any problem you might have, someone in that group has already had.


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## dan-ann

You need to join the yahoo pr 600 group . It is a wealth of information.There is a free repair manual you can down load and Rick one of the monitors is a awesome at repairs.


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## anthonyckm

Louie2010 said:


> I bought my first machine a few weeks ago, a Brother PR-650. In researching my purchase I had read where many owners were very happy with the durability of this machine, and it seemed like the best fit for what I wanted.
> 
> Now that I am getting started I thought it would be a good idea to set some goals, both short term and long term. This got me curious how many stitches might a person expect out of a machines life?
> 
> I know nobody can say for sure, but I really have no clue at all. I know there are many members of this site that have years of experience, and I was hoping for some feedback on average life of a machine assuming it is taken well care of.
> 
> Thanks for your time.



As a technician my advice is the machine's life can last very long the longest machine life here in malaysia is 30 years after that it will be resale or trade in for a newer model, to maintain the machine that way will require a constant maintenance like proper oiling, and checkup for possible faults.


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