|

Brother Sewing Machines – What You Need To Know

Brother Sewing is one of the most recognizable brands in the sewing machine world.

The company we know today as Brother Sewing started in Japan in 1908 as Yasui Sewing Machine Co. Today, Brother is one of the leaders in the sewing machine market bringing new technology to the sewing world. Let’s dive in to see how this company went from repairing machines for making straw hats to introducing the Scan N Cut.

Brother sewing machines, history and current list of machines

This post contains affiliate links. If you click one and make a purchase, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps support the site so I can continue to offer great content to you! Read my full disclosure statement.

Brother Sewing Machine Company – How It Started

In 1908 Kanekichi Yasui started his sewing company. He focused on repairing chain stitch sewing machines for straw hats and making parts for sewing machines. Mr. Yasui was in poor health and his oldest son spent a lot of time helping his dad and would take over the company when his dad retired in 1923.

Masayoshi was just 19 years old when he took over the company. In the 1920s the company started making presses for straw hats using his designs. Around 1926 his younger brother joined him and they started researching sewing technology and mastering how to produce sewing machines.

Two years later the brothers started Yasui Brothers’ Sewing Machine Co. and launched the first Japanese sewing machine. It was a chain stitch sewing and they named it Brother to show that both brothers contributed to the machine. Source The official name of the company changed over the years but for this article, I will refer to the company as Brother Sewing since that’s what the majority of us know it as.

In 1932 they successfully created their first class 15 sewing machine for home use and in 1947 they produced 200 HA1, aka Singer 15 clones. During this time they also changed names and added divisions. They changed the company name to NIPPON SEWING MACHINE MANUFACTURING CO. in 1934 and added Brother Sewing Sales in 1941.

Brother Goes International

The 50s were huge for the Brother company. Masayoshi came to the USA and after his trip, he decided it was time to diversify the company. Brother would start to make knitting machines, washing machines, electric fans, refrigerators, and 80 cc motorbikes.

The Men That Brought Brother Sewing Machines To The USA

Brother USA lists Roy Nakagawa, Max Hugel, and Bernie Etzin as the three who brought Brother sewing machines to the USA. In 1954, Brother International was established in New York. All three were still with the company in 1959 when the FTC brought suit against them and Brother over pricing and giveaways.

I couldn’t find anything on Roy outside of the suit, the name appears to be fairly common and nothing else mentioned Brother Sewing which I thought would at least be worth a mention.

Max Hugel left Brother and went on to work for both Nixon and Reagan administrations in various capacities.

I found Bernie Etzin mentioned in a bio of his son. Bernie started as an assistant to General Eisenhower according to the article but the article also states that there were three Yasui brothers but I only saw mention of two on the Brother websites. Bernie became a multi-millionaire hotel developer.

Outside of Japan & USA

Brother International would make Dublin the home of the European division in 1958 and in 1959 they would open in Canada. In the 60s they would add Paris, Frankfurt, and Amsterdam as regional sales headquarters.

Brother Sewing Machine Advancements

In 1968 Brother purchased the Jones Sewing Machine Company. Brother says that in 1974 they produced the first NC sewing machines. After a bit of reading NC is numerical control a type of programmable automation that uses numbers, letters, and symbols to control a process. I’m not sure how that was used in straight-stitch sewing machines though. Brother also claims to have introduced the first computerized home sewing machine in 1979, Necchi makes the same claim.

In 1983 Brother would add sound to sewing machines for the first time. Computer-controlled embroidery would come onto the market in 1991 and at the same time, Brother would move sewing machine manufacturing to China.

It wouldn’t be until the 2000s that Brother brought new technologies to the market. They introduced the first sewing/embroidery machine with a color screen in 2000. They introduced garment printers in 2005, I still want to play with that. For their 100th anniversary in 2008, Brother Sewing released NV6000D, known affectionately as The Dream Machine. This sewing/embroidery machine brought to the market the ability to see where your design would go on the fabric and a 12×8 inch hoop. They introduced their own embroidery software, PE-Designs, in 2010. In 2013 they gave the world the Scan N Cut.

Timeline of Brother Sewing Machines
Click the image for a full-size easy-to-read version.

Brother Sewing Manufacturing

Brother Sewing did not produce sewing machines exclusively under the Brother name. I have a class 15 machine that has the name Bendix on it but the parts underneath are marked Brother. This is not something that is exclusive to Brother, over the course of sewing machine history manufacturing companies have made machines for other companies.

Generic Sewing Machines

In some cases, the manufacturer made a bunch of sewing machines and then put whatever name was wanted after they were purchased. Think of it like a grocery store brand item. We know Walmart isn’t making sugar but you can buy Great Value sugar because Walmart has paid a sugar manufacturer to put Walmart’s name on their sugar. My Bendix machine is an example of this, it’s a generic class 15 sewing machine but the parts are marked Brother.

Manufacturing For Other Brands

The other way this happens is when a brand hires the manufacturer to make something to their specs. Kenmore sewing machines are probably the most widely known brand that has done this. Kenmore never made their own sewing machines but they did design them. The company would take those designs and shop for a sewing machine manufacturer that could produce what they designed.

Brother Sewing has done both types of manufacturing. I’m not aware of them making generic machines anymore but they do manufacture for other brands though what brands they produce for is pretty hush-hush. There is a rumor that Brother makes the Baby Lock sewing machines for Tacony but there isn’t any concrete proof. The new Brother PQ1600 and the Babylock Accomplish look extremely similar though.

Brother Sewing Machine Models

Unlike my exhaustive list of Singer Sewing Machine Models, there isn’t one for Brother. Brother did not keep or they did not share that information with anyone outside of the company so it isn’t possible to put a list of sewing machine models together. They do have a discontinued section on their website.

Brother makes sewing machines for big box stores and for dealers. There typically is a price difference between these machines and that boils down to quality. Your big box stores are looking for a lot of product and cheap so they can move a lot of product. The dealers are wanting to keep you happy and keep you coming back, WalMart doesn’t care if you come buy another sewing machine. The local dealer cares if you come back and if you say good things about them.

I know not everyone has a local dealer and it’s so easy to grab a sewing machine from Amazon or Walmart. If that’s what your budget allows then please buy one of those, I would rather have you sewing and quilting than not because of budget constraints. You can order from online dealers, I recommend Carolina Forest Vacuum and Sewing and Sewing Machines Plus. They both offer refurbished machines which might help you stretch your budget. Brother has also started selling directly to consumers.

Current Brother Sewing Machine Models

The models below are the machines in stock as of July 2024. There are a few machines available at both dealers and big box stores. If you go looking at machines at different sites you might find a few not listed. I found a few for sale but marked discontinued on Brother’s site and I didn’t want the list to be outdated shortly after it was published.

Current Big Box Store Models

SE2000-Combo Sewing and Embroidery Machine

This wireless-compatible sewing embroidery combo machine works with Brother’s Artspira which allows you to download patterns and draw your own. It has a 5×7 work area and 193 built-in embroidery designs.

SE2000 Sewing and Embroidery Machine

SE700-Computerized Sewing and Embroidery Machine

This machine is smaller than the 2000 with just a 4×4 work area. It also works with the Artspira app and has 135 built-in stitches.

SE 700 Computerized sewing and embroidery machine

CS7000X-70-Stitch Computerized Sewing Machine with Wide Table

As its name suggests it has 70 built-in stitches and it has an automatic needle threader. It also has great ratings for a low-cost sewing machine. It has a 4.6 rating and 37 out of 37 reviewers recommend it.

CS7000-X Brother Sewing Machine

SM3701-37-Stitch Sewing Machine

This is a small machine with 37 built-in stitches and an automatic needle threader. The reviews are mixed on this machine as well. While it has an overall rating of 4.6 the more recent reviews point to a lot of difficulties after a few months.

SM3701 37 stitch sewing machine

PQ1600S

This is a straight stitch only machine. It has adjustable feed dogs, built-in cone holder, and push button thread cutter. It is super fast too at 1500 stitches per minute.

PQ 1600 sewing machine

LB5500M and LB5500S

The only difference between these two machines is the faceplate and the bonus downloads. The M is Marvel themed and the S is Star Wars themed. They have 135 built-in embroidery stitches, 103 sewing stitches, and 10 fonts. It has a 4×4 embroidery space.

HC1850-185-Stitch Computerized Sewing Machine with Wide Table

This machine allows you to control it with or without the foot pedal, something that is important if you can’t use your foot to run the pedal. It also has an automatic needle threader. It scores a 4.5 on the reviews.

XM2701-27-Stitch Sewing Machine

The Brother XM2701 is another beginner sewing machine. It doesn’t have as good of ratings as other machines at 4.1. Some of the main complaints is that it is cheaply made. Keep in mind you get what you pay.

GX37-37 Stitch Sewing Machine

I’m including this machine since it is currently on the market but I can not recommend that it be purchased. The reviews are so poor for this machine. Typically poor reviews online lean towards shipping issues. These are all about how bad the machine is sadly.

ST371HD-ST371HD Strong and Tough

This machine is supposed to be able to do 6 layers of denim but some reviews say it struggles to do 4 layers. Similar to Singer there are multiple versions of the Strong and Tough and they look similar. What was the giveaway were the reviews, the reviews for this model complain about the ability to stitch multiple layers. It does have an overall rating of 4.3.

XM1010-10-Stitch Sewing Machine

This is a beginner machine. It has just 10 stitches and is very small. It has an overall rating of 4.8.

CP100X-Computerized Sewing and Quilting Machine

I like that this machine has a “throttle” meaning you can set it so that no matter how far the foot pedal is pushed down it won’t go full speed. I have used this myself because I forget to not push it all the way down. It has 100 built-in stitches and a rating of 4.5

CP60X-60-Stitch Computerized Sewing Machine

It is another basic beginner sewing machine without any thrills. The main complaint is the LCD screen doesn’t have a backlight and that makes it difficult to read. The overall rating is 4.4.

CS5055-60-Stitch Computerized Sewing Machine

This little beginner machine has 60 built-in stitches and a needle threader. It says the needle threader is higher end and that it has an exceptional feed dog system. What that means I’m not sure. It has a 4.6 overall rating but three of the low rating from the past year are odd. One said, out of order worked 5 minutes, another seemed like a phishing scam talking about data purchases (it’s a basic machine no way to add designs or anything), and the last one complained that the bobbin winder broke after it fell off the table.

CS7205 -Computerized Sewing Machine with Wide Table

This machine has the throttle feature as well. It has 205 built in stitches and an overall rating of 4.1. There were a lot of reviews about nesting on the bottom, as a reminder if the problem is on the bottom the top thread is causing it.

XR9550-XR9550 Computerized Sewing Machine

The XR9550 has 165 built-in stitches and a backlit LCD screen. It’s not mentioned in the description but it does appear to have the ability to use it without the foot pedal. It has a 4.4 rating and the main complaint I saw was about the case.

Strong and Tough Computerized Sewing Machine ST150HDH

I should know better than to not look at the full model number when researching sewing machines. Similar to Singer Heavy Duty machines, Brother Strong and Tough has several different models and it’s important to look at that number because some are better than others. The ST150 has 50 built-in stitches and the box feed dogs that some of the higher-end machines have. It has a 4.8 rating and most of the complaints is about it being plastic. Sadly, that’s the world we live in today.

ST531HD

I found it odd that Brother didn’t have a product description for this machine. JoAnn did though thankfully! This is an all metal framed machine and has 53 built-in stitches. It also has a finger guard. It has a 4.5 overall rating and most people seem to love this machine. There were two reviews in the last year that said their machines get stuck in reverse from time to time.

CM2160

There are several versions of this machine and they all have the same features the design on the faceplate is different. So if you see one that has the CM2160 numbers but looks a bit different than the one in the photo don’t panic. It’s a basic computerized machine with 60 built-in stitches and an automatic needle threader. It has a metal frame giving it a bit more stability. Most of the reviews talked about this is their second machine for retreats and a couple even called it their primary’s little brother. I thought that was cute.

CP80X

This beginner-friendly computerized sewing machine has 80 built-in stitches, an automatic needle threader, and an aluminum frame.

  • JoAnn – $150
  • Brother – $219 (comes with preview quilt software)

Current Dealer Models

FB1757T Sewing Machine with Quilt Extension Table

Brother lists this as a dealer exclusive but it is on the JoAnn website with the same model number. It is a no thrills sewing machine though, it has 17 stitches and that’s the end of its features. lol However, it does have excellent reviews with an overall 4.9 rating.

SE1900 Combo Sewing Embroidery Machine

This sewing embroidery combo machine has 138 preloaded designs, a 5×7 embroidery area, and allows you to create and save your own stitches, even in free motion mode. It has a USB port and it works with the Brother Scan N Cut for applique. It has a 4.8 rating and the two “downfalls” were no pre-loaded USB sticks and it doesn’t have the cut thread feature.

PS500 Pacesetter Quilters Sewing Machine

I found the opening line of the product description interesting, “For those that love high-tech features when they’re mending or sewing, the Pacesetter PS500 Sewing Machine is a must-have device.” The high-tech portion jumped out at me, not everyone wants high-tech and the fact it talks only about mending and sewing but not quilting is something to think about. It does have a good amount of throat space at 8.3″ and has automatic thread cutting. It has a 4.8 rating on Brother (Brother’s ratings are pulled across the internet) and a 4.9 rating at Sewing Machines Plus.

NS80E Sewing Machine

The NS80E is a metal framed machine that has a start/stop button allowing you to operate it without the foot pedal. It has 80 built-in stitches and weighs 14 pounds making it travel friendly.

NS2750D Combination Sewing & Embroidery

This is a licensed Disney machine. It has 138 built-in embroidery designs and 35 Disney/Pixar designs. It also has 240 built-in sewing stitches and it comes with a knee lift plus an automatic thread cutter. The NS2750D has a 5×7 embroidery area but comes with a 5×12 hoop so you can do a bigger design by moving the hoop. It has a 4.4 overall rating but none of the reviews are newer than a year.

XJ1 Stellaire Innov-ís COMBO

This combo sewing and embroidery machine has really great features on both sides instead of just focusing on one or the other. To make it easier to use it has 24 built-in tutorials. It has the My Design Snap app that allows you to line up your embroidery work accurately, a 9.5×14 embroidery area, an 11″ throat, and sew straight laser guide. It also has over 700 built-in embroidery designs. The XJ1 also works with the Artspira app and Brother Scan N Cut.

Stellaire XJ2 Combination Machine

I didn’t see it listed but I wouldn’t be shocked if this is also a slow cooker, kidding. This machine is loaded with 889 embroidery designs, 760 sewing stitches, 9.5×14 embroidery area, and an 11.25″ throat. It also is wireless capable so it works with the Artspira app, and will alert you when it’s time to switch thread.

NQ3550W Combo Embroidery Sewing Machine

This combo machine have 258 built-in embroidery stitches, 291 sewing stitches, and you can edit right on the LCD screen. It is also wireless capable so you can use the Artspira app and transfer designs wirelessly.

BM3850 Sewing Machine

This little beginner sewing machine has 37 built-in stitches including a satin stitch for applique. It weighs a whopping 6 pounds so it is perfect for traveling. It does look like a big box store machine but it is a dealer exclusive per the Brother website.

SM1704

The SM1704 is listed as a dealer exclusive on the Brother website but is only available online at JoAnn. We typically think of JoAnn as a big box store but that doesn’t mean that’s how Brother views them. This little machine has 17 built-in stitches and is a mechanical machine. It’s meant for on the the go sewing but it doesn’t have a needle threader.

SM2700

This machine has a 3.9 rating making it too low for me to normally include in lists of sewing machines. There aren’t a lot of reviews though so the 1 star brought the overall rating down and that one appears to have been damaged in shipping. This is another basic sewing machine for on the go sewing but it does have an automatic needle threader. It is also a dealer only exclusive per the Brother website.

Embroidery Only Machines

Embroidery-only machines are not my specialty. I have included them because I know quilters use them and I want this to be a resource for your research. I also only include single needle, sewing machine type machines. The multi-needle industrial-style machines are so far above my knowledge that I’m not comfortable even mentioning them.

Innov-is NQ1600E Embroidery Machine

This is a pretty large machine with 6×10 embroidery area and an 8.3 throat. It has a bobbin and top thread sensor and an automatic bottom thread cutter. It has 198 built-in designs and a USB port to add more.

NQ1700E Embroidery-only Machine

This machine is Wifi capable and uses both the Artspira app and iBroidery. It has both top thread and bobbin sensor and a bottom thread cutter. The NQ1700 has 258 built-in designs and a 6×10 embroidery area. It has a perfect 5.0 rating on SewingMachinesPlus and a 4.4 on Brother. The only negative review in the last year on Brother was one that simply said, very unhappy with the machine.

Stellaire XE1 Embroidery Machine

This is very similar to the XJ1 above without the sewing functions. It has a 11.25″ throat instead of an 11″ throat but the embroidery functions are the same. It’s rating is 4.8 overall and the one complaint that I saw was lack of a camera. That reviewer would have preferred it over the Snap app.

PE 900

The Brother PE900 embroidery machine is wireless capable, has 193 built-in designs, and has a 5×7 embroidery space. It is compatible with the Artspira App and has a built-in thread cutter as well as needle threading.

Essence Innov-ís VE2300

This machine almost made me schedule an eye exam because I read the description and then looked at the photos and was confused. The Innov-is VE2300 has an 8×12 embroidery area and an ultra-sonic pen to help position your design. My brain said it was like a stylus but the picture shows something more like a handheld scanner. It also has 318 built-in designs, built-in thread cutting, and 11.25″ of throat space.

Stellaire XE2 Embroidery Machine

This machine has a ton of built-in stitches, over 780 with 101 of them being Disney. It has wireless capabilities meaning it will work with the Artspira app and Scan N Cut DX. It has a couching embroidery foot to make 3-D designs, very popular right now.

1250E Deluxe Embroidery Machine

I love that Brother has adopted wireless technology with so many of their machines so you don’t need a USB stick to transfer designs. That also means this machine is compatible with the Artspira app. It also allows you to do a thread sort to keep thread changes down. It includes 190 embroidery designs and a 5×7 embroidery area.

PE545 WLAN Embroidery Machine

The PE545 has both a USB port and wireless capabilities. It also has 135 built-in stitches, a 4×4 embroidery space, and built-in tutorials. This machine is the only one I saw mention that it has built-in memory. It also allows you to drag your design on the screen to position it where you want it.

Frequently Asked Questions About Brother Sewing

Before we go I wanted to cover some questions that get asked a lot.

Is Brother better than Singer? Is Brother better than Janome? Does Brother make good sewing machines?

I’m lumping all of these questions together. I’ve covered Brother vs Singer in a separate post. Brother, Singer, and Janome all make sewing machines that will serve you well in your quilting and sewing journey. Some models might last you longer, might fit in your budget better, or might have more local support but all of the companies have good machines.

Are Brother Sewing machines made in China?

Brother has manufacturing facilities in China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

Do Brother and Baby Lock use the same bobbin?

The majority of sewing machines today use class 15 bobbins. Be sure to check your user manual to make sure you are using the correct bobbin.

What is the best sewing machine?

The one that you will use! I do have some recommendations if you are interested.

Other Sewing Machine Companies History

If you want to learn more about other sewing machine companies check out these articles.

Singer Sewing Machine Company

Necchi Sewing Machines

Baby Lock Sewing Machines

Brother Sewing Machine Models - A Comprehensive Guide Confused about which Brother Sewing Machine model to pick? Don't sweat it! Check out this detailed guide comparing current models, features, and prices for big box stores and local dealers, helping you make an informed choice.

Similar Posts