 Extremely User Friendly; Easy to Learn and Use |
| Date Of Review: August 9, 2009 |
| Reviewed by: Ana Mardoll, United States |
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RORNBTDZRUJV2 Brother PE-700II Embroidery Machine / B0013J8F9U
In this video review of the Brother Embroidery Machine PE-700II, I want to show you just a few of the basic things you can do with this machine, right out of the box. This is my first embroidery machine, though I've been sewing for a few years now on a Brother XL2600I, and the fact that I'm able to showcase the basics of this machine when I only received it in the mail yesterday is a testament to how easy this machine is to use. In this video review, I'm going to briefly show how to load a bobbin, how to load the material, how to transfer a pattern from a computer to the embroidery machine, and how to load and change the color spool. I'll also show some projects I finished yesterday, and talk about some potential pitfalls to avoid. (I'd like to show more, but the video time limit is fairly short!)
The Brother PE-700II is a single-use embroidery machine, NOT a dual-use embroidery/sewing machine. The reason I bought a single-use embroidery machine is because it makes sense to me to invest in a separate machine just for sewing, and that way your expensive embroidery machine sustains less wear and tear and lives longer. I've posted a picture of the PE-700II and all the included paperwork and accessories out of the box. The paperwork includes a detailed manual in English, the same manual in Spanish, a "pictures-only" manual for quick reference, and a manual for the USB functionality of the machine. The manuals are very detailed and extremely helpful - if you'd like to see them for yourself, I think they are currently available on the Brother website. The standard accessories are included - white thread, empty bobbins, seam ripper, scissors, maintenance parts, a 5x7 inch embroidery hoop and guide, and a nifty plastic machine cover.
For the video, I've selected a quick and simple two-color pattern that I downloaded for free online so that I could show off the USB functionality of this machine. The machine itself comes with quite a few pre-programmed patterns, including the English alphabet in 6 different fonts, but if you're anything like me, you're far more interested in the ability to download millions of free patterns online. Indeed, the selling point for the PE-700II for me was the standardized USB connectivity. I was wary of machines that require special card readers and special programs in order to work - I don't like buying peripherals (what if they break? what if I can't buy a replacement?) and I hate learning new software. The PE-700II, on the other hand, has a standard USB interface which means that you treat the machine as a removable device, as though it were a really big USB thumb drive. The drag-and-drop ability means that I don't have to learn a new software in order to use my machine and, best of all, the USB connectivity is operating system independent - meaning that the PE-700II talks equally well to my Windows XP desktop and my Windows Vista laptop. You can save the patterns from the computer to the machine's internal memory, or you can just hook up a laptop next to the machine, use the pattern, and then delete it from the machine memory right then and there. I cannot rave enough about this feature - I've already downloaded and tested dozens of online free patterns and everything has worked perfectly. The one thing to be aware of, as I note in the video, is that the machine isn't terribly good at sensing which colors are meant to be loaded. You just have to ignore the color prompting and watch the pattern about to be embroidered and feed in that color directly - or follow the numbered instructions that come with the online patterns. You can reprogram the pattern, once it's stored in machine memory, to have the correct colors, but I never felt it was worth the trouble. (UPDATE: I've since loaded these free patterns into a separate program in order to print 'actual sized' templates of the patterns, and the same "wrong" colors are loaded into the program, leading me to believe that this isn't a flaw in this embroidery machine, but rather in the source program. Interestingly, the "non-free" patterns tend to have correct color charts, so I suspect that the free ones just weren't polished fully before release. Again, just pay attention to the pattern on the LCD screen and you should be just fine.) A quick mention of formats - this machine accepts .pes and .dst formats, which I've already found an abundance of. (UPDATE: And there are several free conversion programs out there that I've found that will convert patterns to .pes and .dst format.)
Loading the Bobbin: If you've used a Brother machine before, this is easy as pie, but even if not, it's a quick learning curve. For embroidery, I just use the white thread on the bobbin for everything. I didn't have video time to show how to wind the bobbin, but it's pretty easy to follow the user manual for this, and there's also cheap bobbin winding machines like this one SideWinder Portable Bobbin Winder if you want to be really spoiled rotten. Be certain to wind the bobbin carefully - as in sewing, a tangled bobbin will cause your pattern to muck up and will bring the bobbin color on top of the pattern by accident.
Loading the Material: The machine comes with a 5x7 hoop, but it also accommodates the other Brother embroidery hoop sizes. Ideally, you want to use the smallest hoop that will work with your pattern, so as to avoid wasting material and stabilizer, but in the video I use the included hoop. The machine doesn't come with any stabilizer, so be sure to have some on hand so that you can get started as soon as your package arrives. You can buy stabilizer anywhere you buy fabric, and it's usually about half as expensive as the cheaper fabrics. The stabilizer does what it sounds - it provides stability for the fabric whilst your machine is rapidly punching hundreds of holes into it. In the video, I'm using a medium weight stabilizer.
Loading the Hoop: I can't rave enough about how easy it is to use the embroidery hoop. I've been cross stitching for years, and opening and loading the hoop feels like second nature. Just unscrew until loose, drop the fabric into place, pop the inner hoop in, tug the fabric taut, and screw to tighten. The 'snap in place' feature for inserting the hoop into place on the machine guide deserves a quick mention - although the hoop DOES snap-in-place, the snap action is subtle, so don't go crazy trying to force a loud crack from the machine because you won't get one. Basically, the "snap" is a half-feeling, half-sound that you half-sense. And while that may sound confusing and intimidating, I can assure you that I was completely comfortable with the process after my first three or four loads.
Loading the Spool: Loading the spool is so incredibly easy with the automatic threading feature. If you've ever loaded a sewing machine before, you will have no trouble with this; if you haven't, I'm guessing you'll have it down perfectly in less than five minutes. I'm going to miss the auto-threading when I go back to regular sewing on my other Brother machine.
Pausing the Pattern: Once the pattern starts, you can pause the process at any time for any reason. Need to trim the thread tail because it's sticking up out of the pattern instead of sticking out the back? Press the Start/Stop button to pause the program and trim away. Need to check the bobbin because you think it's getting low? Pause the program, lift the foot lever, cut the current thread, pull out the hoop, and check the bobbin level. You can replace the bobbin, if necessary, then pop the hoop back into place, lower the foot, and continue and the machine won't miss a single beat.
I cannot rave enough about this machine. It's easy to learn, easy to use, it practically does everything except wipe my nose for me, it has cheerfully used every downloaded pattern and every type of thread I've fed into it, and the LCD screen is actually surprisingly easy to navigate, considering the natural limitations of a computer stuffed into an embroidery machine. The ONLY issues I have had with it so far was one time when the white bobbin thread leaked through the pattern onto the top (I had wound the bobbin too sloppily and the bobbin thread was tangled) and another time when I ran out of bobbin thread and wasn't paying attention in time to switch out the bobbin and the resulting pattern was incomplete - and you'll notice that both of those "problems" were human error on my part. I hope my video and pictures will be useful to others and I had a very fun time putting them together.
UPDATE (08/23/09): Still as happy as can be with my embroidery machine. I've gone back through the user manual more thoroughly this time and found that not only can it automatically stop when the bobbin or spool is running low, it's also very easy to go to a specific portion of a pattern - you can even move the pattern stich-by-stitch until you get to *exactly* where you want to start, or re-start as the case may be.
Another neat thing I've learned is that the little boxes in the upper left hand corner of the machine represent the three Brother hoop sizes most commonly used with this machine - and when a box is "grayed out", that indicates the pattern is too big for that hoop size. Very neat! I definitely recommend picking up the other, smaller hoop size (Brother SA443 Medium Embroidery Hoop 100mm x 100mm) for embroidery monograms and names on clothing and sheets - the smaller hoop is much more manageable, in my opinion. |
Buy this machine!
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| Date Of Review: August 9, 2009 |
| Reviewed by: Susan N. Cairns, Columbus, Ohio |
| I looked at a lot of embroidery machines before I decided on this one and I couldn't be happier. I already owned a sewing machine, so purchasing a machine that only does embroidery made perfect sense. The instructions in the booklet and on-screen are very easy to understand. The machine does 99% of the work - I just get to sit and watch! How much more fun could this be! |
Brother PE700II - Having Fun!
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| Date Of Review: November 17, 2009 |
| Reviewed by: M. Bellavance, Texas, USA |
This is my first purchase of, and experience with, an embroidery machine. Admittedly, I based my final purchase decision on the few favorable reviews I found, including that of Ana's on this site. Her video is great! My review is not as extensive, but just another 2-cents worth. I really like this machine! The user manual is not exhaustive, but it does give the basics. You will need to do a little more digging to get additional information; such as how to create a space in between words when using the built-in fonts. You use the "underscore" button. That is not identified in the book. But to be able to choose a design, very easily thread the machine, and press a few buttons .... and voila, it starts its work .... wow, it makes embroidery so much fun!
Tension:
Thread tension can sometimes be a bit quirky. You just have to not be afraid to play around with it. You will not break it by altering the thread tension. It's a good way to see how the tension works. I think most people start with a tension of "0", thinking this is the "balanced" tension. Not necessarily. I would start with a tension of 5 and work your way down if that tension is too tight.
Bobbin/Safety:
I have had some bobbin issues, but not because of a defective machine. If the bobbin case is off kilter, or the tension is not right, or several of other issues like this, the machine has a safety feature and will not move until you figure out what's wrong.
Thread Issues:
I have only used Polystar polyester threads because they are 50 wt. (which the Brother machine is set up for at the factory), and they came in a great package deal offered by the same seller of the machine. I have used a few Robison-Anton rayon threads, and most of them have done ok. One particular color just didn't ever work right, though. There probably is debate about whether this machine should use 40 wt threads; but I think most threads will work well. Just try them out. Some threads or thread brands may just never work; but there is a such a vast array to choose from, so it shouldn't be a problem to find something you like.
Now, some intricate designs that use a mass array of colors will have some difficulty being read by this machine. I purchased a design collection of beautiful jungle animals; some of these designs include 22 or more color stops, and incorporate at least 10-15 different colors. This machine could not read most of those colors, and attempted to find the right match. So, I ended up with a rust-brown sun and a bluish-green elephant! Ok, so, it took several hours of my own color-matching process to get it worked out ... this was also the reason for the purchase of the additional Robison-Anton threads.
Many machines, however, may have this issue, and it isn't a total failure on the machine's part. Just a color-program issue that to some may be inconvenient. For me, it just lends to the learning process and I found it kind of empowering to figure out how to color match.
Cool Machine:
This machine tells you what's going on every stage of the embroidery process. The USB port is awesome as it offers the ability to transfer hundreds (or thousands) of designs from your computer to the machine. Not all at once, though. It cannot store too many designs in the memory. But you can put your images on a disk or save them to your computer, and retrieve them whenever you want.
I probably said some of the same things as were already stated. But this is my overall experience, both great as well as challenging. For the money, this is a great machine. Really, it does some of the same things a machine well over $1,000 can do.
BTW ... there is a online store where you can purchase this machine for $699.00 with free shipping, no tax. I don't know if I can name the place here ... but keep looking. I bought mine there, no problems or hassles. I buy from them for most of my embroidery supplies.
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Brother home embroidery machine
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| Date Of Review: May 31, 2010 |
| Reviewed by: Millard F. Johnson, Martinsville, IN |
I am a total novice, so I started with no knowledge at all. I agree the manual needs improvement. This machine has a USB port and there is nothing in the manual that tells me how to use it. There is nothing that tells me what needle to use with what.
Now the machine itself is wonderful, really pretty intuitive. I give the machine five stars and manual 3 stars.
Yes, I would highly recommend the machine. I love it. First time I tried, needle broke, but from then on I am embroidering everything in sight! |
Vague instruction book
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| Date Of Review: February 12, 2009 |
| Reviewed by: L. Chancey, |
| I am new in the embroidery machine world so I found the instructions that came with the machine very vague. Not knowing what in the world they are talking about made it difficult to figure things out. I went online to different websites and got a basic education and can now at least stumble through a basic design. The instruction book with the machine doesn't explain what all the computer-like screens are for, what they do, why you would want to do a certain thing...nothing. I found out accidently on a website that the underscore is used for making a space when using the fonts. Basic info like that should be included with the machine. But as far as performance goes, I love it! Once I got it to DO something, it worked flawlessly and made some beautiful designs. |
Allbrands only offers store credit
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| Date Of Review: September 22, 2009 |
| Reviewed by: W. Wesley Grate, Fairfield, OH USA |
| I bought this from Allbrands through Amazon and after 2 weeks the machine could not "sense" when the presser-foot was down and so never allowed sewing to continue. Aside from the headache of not being able to use the machine, I learned that Allbrands does not refund.. only store credit is issued. PLEASE check the return policy of any 3rd party vendors on Amazon. Wish I had. |
Lack of patients
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| Date Of Review: November 18, 2009 |
| Reviewed by: Norma B Shenesky, Linden, NJ |
| I received this machine and have not yet been able to get it to work properly. It was 1 1/2 weeks old and I took in in for service. Inside the machine, thread was all jammed up. There was also a little piece of plastic that the thread a catching on, the service man filed it down. The auto threader is also not working - I emailed Brother and they gave me a phone # to call during the work week - well since I also work, I can't call them needless to say, I am not a Happy Camper!!! |
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