(Last Updated On: October 24, 2022)Sewing machines have been around for 1829.
I remember, my mom’s old Singer sewing machine. Those things were so good that people tried of using them manually motorized them and they exited for a very long time.
However:
Considering how sewing has changed leaps and bounds, we needed sewing machines that could understand the patterns and commands with a single touch.
Say hello to the age of combination computerized sewing machines!
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Brother SE400 Detailed Review (2023)
This is the review of Brother SE400 Combination Computerized sewing machine for professionals & beginners, which is no doubt one of the bestselling sewing machines on Amazon, by a bestselling brand.
Before we discuss the sewing machine in detail, let us take a look at the most prominent pors and cons.
Pros
- Sew, quilt and embroider functions.
- Backlit LCD Touch Display offers access to 67 unique stitching styles and 70 built-in embroidery designs.
- Computer connectivity to import just as many embroidery designs as you want.
- One-touch automatic thread cutting.
Cons
- Frequent breaking of needles.
- Machine gets too much noisy.
Let us first talk about the cons, because the pros and much more than the cons of this machine.
Frequent Breaking of Needles
This issue has been reported by not one but many customers who purchased this product on Amazon.
There is some malfunctioning that occurs with a few machines and there are a handful of customers who complained that their Brother SE400 keeps on breaking the needles.
This is not only a problem that impacts your sewing pace (because you have to stop every now and then to apply a new needle), but it also takes time, pain and irritated people who spend top dollar to buy a computerized sewing machine.
However:
There are 2,500+ customers who do not have any problem like this. Between the merch that you pay for and Amazon: the shipper and delivering end of the whole deal, there is a lot of grey area and you never know who is to blame.
There are many problems that occur only when the product leaves Amazon warehouse or when it reaches back to Amazon warehouse because some customer didn’t like the product (after causing a little damage to it).
Considering that 2,500+ happy customers do not have any such issue, we can give a benefit of doubt to the product.
Machine Gets too much Noisy
Well:
This is the problem that we can agree to. In our brief testing of the product, we have noticed that machine gets very noisy because everything below the needle plate needs tightening after some time and if you do not tighten them, not only the machine will be very noisy but it might even refuse to sew.
Read : Sewing Needle Sizes
This problem is however unique because except one or two customers, no one else faced the same issue.
Now, that we are done with the cons, let us take a look at the pros and you will get a better idea why so many people bought this sewing machine and gave it an overall 4.4/5 rating.
Sew, Quilt and Embroider Modes
What do you use a sewing machine for?
The answer is sewing. However, sewing is the most basic function of a sewing machine. It is not the only thing that one might want to do with a sewing machine.
People love applying embroidery designs and make patches with a sewing machine that can be used for embroidery.
Then there are mothers and housewives and professional tailors who use this for quilting. It is sewing two or more layers of a cloth together and fill some fabric or cotton to make a thick, insulated layer that you can use to protect from cold.
This sewing machine not only offer all three modes that are most frequently sought after, but makes it super easy to use.
There is a computer, there’s a motor, there is a touch display. Just touch the pattern you need or command you want to give, and your machine will work out the exact same pattern for you.
So, before I explained each of these separately, it is important to know that your machine can do anything that you can image to do with a sewing machine.
Backlit LCD Touch Display
Not only you can see everything on the big LCD display, but it is a touch display and backlit too.
You can rest assured that you can easily control your computerized sewing machine with this display without any difficult in reading or seeing words and images on the screen.
The light blue light of the display does not hurt the eyes and from that display you can access 67 unique sewing stitches as well as 70 built-in embroidery designs.
Also, you get access to 5 embroidery lettering fonts to embroider a message.
On top of this there are 120 frame pattern combinations that you can choose when you’re about to embroider. If you were wondering, this embroidering capacity is the reason why this is called “combination computerized sewing machine”.
Computer Connectivity
In case you are not satisfied from the embroidering combinations and patters provided with this machine and you want something different and more unique patterns, you can always connect this machine to a computer (via included USB cable) and download just as many designs as you want.
There are websites like https://www.ibroidery.com/ that have lots and lots of embroidery designs and combinations. You can download them on your machine and use them whenever you want.
One Touch Automatic Thread Cutting
There is a built-in push button threads cutter that just needs one touch to cut the thread. You do not need scissors or any sharp object to cut the thread.
It cuts top and bobbin thread with one easy and swift move, not to mention the easiest bobbin-winding system that this machine comes with.
Brightly Lit Workspace
I’m not talking about the old fashioned Singer machines that did not have even a decent and well-lit workspace, but even in these days automatic sewing machines the sewing space is not well lit.
However:
This is not the case with Brother SE400. This has a bright workspace with a blue LED light. It is perhaps one of the few machines with very clear and visible workspace.
Spacious 4” x 4” Embroidery Area
The embroidery area of Brother SE400 is a big 4” x 4” frame that gives you enough room and freedom to go wild and crazy with your imagination and embroider whatever you want with ease.
7-Point Feed Dogs
If you’ve been into sewing you must know the importance and functions of the feed dogs. Food dogs are the metal teeth visible right under the needle.
They move when we sew and with a gentle gripping on the fabric they move it along the movement and pass through the machine to create a tight and high quality stitch.
With this machine you get 7-point feed dogs that make it super swift and easy to move the fabric without missing a single stitch.
Automatic Needle Threader
I don’t know whether you remember or not, but I remember mothers and grandmothers with thick spectacles on their eyes because threading the machine was not easy.
They always used to call kids to have thread though the eye of the needle and you do not need to do this at all.
With a simple and swift touch, you can thread the machine and you are good to go.
Read : Sewing Machine for Kids
Easy Bobbin Preparation
Apart from threading the needle/machine the other big worry that every sewing and embroidery enthusiast faces is bobbin-winding.
That takes time and effort in case of manual winding,
However:
SE400 comes with a very easy and convenience bobbin winding system that prepares the bobbins with a few swift movements.
Apply the Needle that Way You Like
What I find best about this machine is the freedom that it offers to you. You can park the needle in a way that suits best your purpose and your practice of sewing.
Up or down, whichever way you apply the needle you will have ease of work and it will be 100% functional in each positions.
Design Friendly Machine
Well:
This is not a new feature, but it is something very important and all small features work to make this one, big and different feature.
That feature is the ease to embroider whatsoever you want to.
If you embroidered patches on your jackets, shirts and other stuff, this is the kind of embroidery machine that you need.
All you need to do is to use computer to load your design on this machine, then thread the needle with a simple touch, apply the bobbin and that too is so easy to prepare and just hit the button.
(Read
Machine will let you print, choose or skip any colors that you want and you will embroider a patch with unprecedented ease.
Verdict on Brother SE400 Sewing Machine
Just like many other sewing machines out there, this one is also not a perfect one. Apart from the two commonly reported issues, there is another problem is with replacing the needle. Sometimes it gets too loose and other time it gets too tight.
However:
Where we give this sewing machine (Brother SE400) a good rating is in terms of ease of use, innovation, attention to detail and saving money.
For the cost of one good machine you get a sewing machine with three different functionalities and too many choices to pick from.
I also recommend you to check its advanced version, Brother SE425 Sewing Machine Review.
The freedom it offers you to embroider whatever you want, is simply appreciable. What I love the most is the variety of designs and choices that you get with machine and on top of that it enabled you to connect it to the internet and get whatever design you like to embroider it perfectly.
