bit-tech Shopping: Brother SE270D Computerized Sewing and Embroidery Machine

Rating: 10

Time with product: 1 Months

Strengths: Easy to use. Easy to follow instructions. Great pattern selections. Even a beginner can sew on this machine.

Weaknesses: Self threading feature does not always work.

Summary: I have been sewing for many years and I received this for mothers day. WOW I was really impressed by what this machine could do for the money you are spending. I would really expect to spend more for this machine. Yes you will need to buy add on's but really it comes loaded with enough for anyone to begin and enjoy right out of the box. I have looked into adding more designs but i have more than enough for now. The nicest thing is its easy of use.... Don't forget its a Brother so quality is also there. Yes it was a great mothers day.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 2 Days

Strengths: Easy to used; tons of usefull functions and designs to choose from

Weaknesses: none

Summary: This sewing machine comes with so many useful functions and designs that makes sewing a joyful experience. User friendly design is also an outstanding feature for making a piece of art work done.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 3 Months

Strengths: Several types of stitches;Embroidery is easy to follow off the LCD Screen;Overall the directions are fair and easy to follow;Assembly is easy to follow.

Weaknesses: Thread tesion is very sensitive to embroidering. If the tension is not just right, the job turns out pretty sloppy.Bobbin thread tension is also very sensitive to the embroidery of the machine.

Summary: The machine is overall a great product for the price.You do get several stitches to choose from, foot attachment, and several embroidery designs that are easy to select and look great when everything is done right. It is a wonderful machine for someone just starting out like myself. I have used a high-end brother embroidery machine at a baby boutique that I use to work at, and this SE270D is not as forgiving when it come to the thread and bobbin tension. I also found that the bobbin winding is really no good when it comes to the embroidery. I had to go ahead and purchase some prewound bobbins so that the bobbin tension would be correct for the embroidery and the design to turn out nice. Again, there is a lot of trial and error, but overall you can't beat it for the price. I would recommend it to anyone just starting out; go to sewforum.com for answers to all the little quirks to get your work to come out just right. Jennifer

Rating: 8

Time with product: 3 Days

Strengths: Sewing machine with 67 stitches + embroidery capabilities with possibilities for purchasing additional embroidery patterns - great value for the buck

Weaknesses: limited to 4 by 4 embroidery space; have to purchase the PED software to get additional patterns (to connect machine to laptop)

Summary: This is the cutest machine with amazing capabilities. I am not new to sewing machines, but I am new to embroidery machines. The main reason I purchased this one was because I needed a new sewing machine to do basic sewing for the home, but also wanted to try my hand at machine embroidery wthout putting myself in the hole in case I decide it is not something for me. Well, Amazon had a great deal on it and based on reading the reviews I decided to try it out. As soon as we had it open and plugged in, we followed the directions on its help screen to get the machine ready. It was nice to have the manual, but also to have the direction right there on the machine, so you knew exactly what to do. The sewing is straightforward, but you have to make sure you have the right size bobbins. I had initially some problems getting the thread to thread onto the bobbin properly as mine kept coming out uneven, but I just didn't have the bobbin pushed all the way against the latch, so it was smooth once I made sure it was tight against the latch. The sewing is no problem at all, you have the option of using the button on the machine to turn it on and off or using the foot pedal. You can't have the foot pedal plugged in if you want to use the buttons.The embroidery was pretty easy, though I have done only a monogram so far. I attach the embroidery unit and followed the directions on the manual and it was very straight forward. Of course, I will now need to go buy more colors and padding and etc to do any more embroidery projects, but I am very much looking forward to it given how it was easy the first time.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 4 Months

Strengths: So, so, easy to use, even for a beginner

Weaknesses: None yet. I have been using the machine for about 4 months with no issues

Summary: I am new to sewing. I have always been interested, but I made the mistake of starting out on a $100 machine which was too hard for me to use and I became frustrated easily and gave up. This machine is incredibly easy to use! So easy to thread I have made several dresses for my daughters, some Christmas throw pillows, and I monogrammed a blanket for my friend's son. I would totally recommend this machine!