Best Commercial Embroidery Machines [2023 Reviews]

What is the best commercial embroidery machine on the market today? There’s a lot of options available, and narrowing down the buying decision to get the right one for you can be difficult.

To help you in your search we have selected 5 top-rated machines and put them through their paces. For our findings at a glance just head to the summary box below.

For full, comprehensive reviews of each of our picks keep on reading. (We have also provided an in-depth, commercial embroidery machine buyer’s guide that can be found here).

Top 5 Comparison Table

Commercial Embroidery Machines Reviewed

There are different makes, brands, and models of commercial embroidery machines sold today. Their designs vary from rudimentary digital operation to large, multiple needle industrial style machines.

Nonetheless, the different machines on offer can be appraised based on their design quality, durability, and work-performance.

This appraisal can also be used to filter out the best models. This is exactly what we have done to provide you with this top 5 review round-up.

1. EDITOR’S CHOICE: Janome MB-4S Commercial Embroidery Machine Review

This is a high-performance, single-head computer-controlled commercial embroidery machine whose machine head comes with 4 embroidery needles and can achieve a maximum working speed of 800SPM.

It also comes with an inbuilt computing device that is pre-loaded with 50 embroidery designs and 10 monogram fonts for 2-letter or 3-letter monogramming in logos. The maximum design size of these is set at 240millimeters (mm) by 200mm.

Design Hoops

The maximum size of embroidery design is set by hoops. The following 3 hoops are included with this machine:

• M1 hoop – 240mm by 200mm
• M2 hoop – 126mm by 110mm
• M3 hoop – 50mm by 50mm (this is used for embroidering hats)

Each of these hoops has 2 frames and 2 setting plates. The inner hoop frame can easily be set on the outer frame and tightened together using a quick-release mechanism.

The setting plates are bolted to the inner frame, one on either side, and the plates allow the hoop to be clipped to a frame sash, which is called the hoop supporter in this machine.

Apart from the aforementioned Janome hoops, this model can also use standardized Tajima hoops because it is built to be compatible with 6 industry-standard Tajima embroidery hoops.

Working Speed

The lowest working speed of this machine is 400SPM, and the needle used is the Number 11 DBxK5Q1-NY model (also recognized using its Janome part number, which is 770811000). This is designed to make lock stitches, as well as minimize skipped stitches.

The working speed range can be regulated by choosing one of the 5-speed levels: 400, 500, 600, 700, and 800 SPM. This speed selection can be done using a sub-control panel or an LCD touchscreen.

Embroidery Bed

Regarding the type of embroidery bed, this model has a cylinder bed that is suitable for embroidering flat fabrics and tubular clothes such as trousers and sleeves, as well as allow for embroidering of small three-dimensional products such as hats and caps.

Recommended Threads

The recommended threads to be used with this model are rayon threads and size 80-120 spun polyester (or even cotton) threads.

The recommended thread brands to be used with this model are Gütermann Sulky, Janome, Mettler, Madeira, Pearl Yocht, and Robison-Anton threads.

The recommended stabilizers are the tear-away, cut-away, and water-soluble stabilizer, as well as the iron-on stabilizer (which is placed on the wrong side of the fabric so that when ironed, it is fused to the fabric).

This machine is best suited for surface embroidery. Still, it can do counted-thread embroidery as well. It can also be used for sock embroidery if a sock hoop-kit is purchased separately.

The rayon, poly-sheen, and polyester threads of each of these brands have been given a unique code, called a brand number, which is hard-coded to the logic head.

These brand numbers range from 1-8, and one only needs to refer to the instruction manual to know which brand number to input for the desired thread, for example (e.g) the poly sheen Mettler thread is assigned brand number 7, while the Gütermann Sulky rayon thread is assigned brand number 2.

Also, one must keep in mind that sewing short stitches is one of the reasons for thread breaks, and to minimize this occurrence, this machine can ignore short stitches.

Included Items

This compact model is shipped in a semi-assembled state in a package. In the standard package, you will receive the embroidery unit, assembly hardware, along with an Instruction Book and an accompanying Instructional CD-ROM. The following list of accessories is also included.

If you select the bonus value package from Sewing Machines Plus you will also receive the following items:

• lettering hoop holder
• 100mm by 60mm MB-4S hat hoop,
• 121mm by 25mm J8 Number-7 lettering hoop,
• MB-4 extension table,
• and a 66mm by 66mm J6 Number-9 lettering hoop.

The machine also comes with an optional display device, the 5.7-inch backlit LCD screen called remote-control screen (RCS).

Also, this model features a clam-shell skeleton construction; and its weight and volumetric shape raise its center of gravity, and can cause it to topple if it is placed on an inclined surface, and for this reason, the machine must be placed on a flat and leveled surface.

The Assembly Process

The initial assembly process involves setting up the spool stand by inserting the 2 thread guide poles into their respective sleeves located on this stand and then screwing this stand to the horizontal arm of the machine.

The thread guide poles hold the thread guide bar, which holds 5 thread guides. The thread guide features a tension leaf and a hole through which a spool thread passes and is then held in tension (by the tension leaf) before it is inserted into the eye of the needle.

This thread guide thus serves to create a path for the thread as it passes from the spool to the needle. The spool stand has 9 spool pins where thread spools can be fitted.

Each spool pin has a felt ring where the thread spool rests on. There are 8 spool pins in front of the thread guide poles, and this is where thread spools that can be threaded to the embroidery needles are placed, and these threads go through the 4 thread guides at the front of the thread guide bar.

At the back of the rear, thread-pole is the spool pin – with a felt ring – for bobbin winding, and its spool thread goes through the rear thread guide before reaching the bobbin tension disk and ultimately the bobbin itself where it is wound.

This model can hold 9 thread spools, each of a different color. The bobbin used is 1.4 times larger than the standard bobbin, and this allows it to hold more thread, which translates to fewer disruptions (due to needing to change or rethread bobbins) during stitching.

Also, the bobbin tension disk has an adjustment screw that allows for tension of the bobbin thread to be set manually, while the rear thread guide allows for independent bobbin winding.

There is a thread cutter provided for cutting the bobbin thread after the bobbin has been wound properly.

Built-in automatic thread cutters

There are also built-in automatic thread cutters that can cut the embroidery and bobbin threads during the embroidery process, and this allows for threads to be trimmed when the machine has finished embroidering a letter and needs to perform a jump to start embroidering the next letter.

This automatic thread trimming is usually paired by programmable jump so as to allow flexible stitch traveling. For instance, when embroidering a 3-letter logo, the programmable jump and thread trimming allows the machine to embroider the first letter, then jump to the last letter before returning back to sew the second letter.

Moreover, this is supported by the adjustable hoop positioning which allows for opposite sections of the embroidery area to be stitched in sequence.

Adjustable thread tension

Thread tension in each of the embroidery needle can be adjusted using a tension dial, and if the thread kinks, there is a pre-tension dial that can tighten the thread to eliminate the kink.

Because each needle has its own pre-tension and tension dials, this machine has 4 pre-tension dials and 4 tension dials.

Relatedly, this machine comes with a handwheel that is used to raise or lower the needle-bar that holds the embroidery needles. Raising and lowering this needle-bar also changes the thread tension, and this necessitates manual thread tension adjustment.

In this machine, the embroidery head can move, and this is possible due to its precisely-controlled drive shaft that runs on ball bearings.

Foot Pedal, Bobbin Control

There is a foot pedal that is used to regulate the amount of power reaching the motor. There is also a small motor for bobbin winding, and it runs at 2000 revolutions-per-minute (rpm).

This ensures that bobbin winding is fast, and this winding is done after the bobbin has been secured to the bobbin spindle and a thread is pulled through the bobbin winder thread guide and inserted into the bobbin.

Once an adequate amount of thread has been wound, the winding is stopped by the bobbin winder stopper, and the thread between the bobbin and the bobbin winder thread guide is cut by the bobbin thread cutter.

Thereafter, the fully-wound bobbin is placed in its bobbin case where a rotary hook captures the embroidery thread and pulls it down through the bobbin case where it interlaces the embroidery thread with the bobbin thread. The rotary hook used is the full rotary type.

USB Connectivity

Machine control is achieved using 2 control systems, the RCS, and the sub-control panel. New embroidery designs can be transferred to the inbuilt computing device by a USB storage device that needs to be plugged into a USB port located at the rear-end of the bottom left side of the upright arm.

Just above the USB port is the RCS connector socket which receives the connector cable of the RCS unit. This RCS unit needs to be mounted on its mounting arm and secured in place by a screw knob. This mounting arm is fitted to the left side of the upright arm.

As mentioned earlier, this model comes with an inbuilt computing device that needs to receive input from a peripheral device, which also displays output data relayed by this computing unit.

The Control Panel

The machine comes with an inbuilt sub-control panel fitted to the left side of the upright arm, just above the mounting arm of the RCS unit.

This sub-control panel can operate the machine even when the RCS has not been installed, hence showing that the RCS is an optional component.

In this sub-control panel, there is a small rectangular LCD display screen, screen brightness adjustment dial, and control buttons. This LCD screen is 63mm by 12mm.

The control buttons are the MODE button, TRACE button, ENTER button, and the 4 (up, right, down, left) ARROW buttons. The MODE button is used to select one of the six machine modes: embroidery pattern selection, needle-bar number, color section, ready to sew, stitch count. and my-setting modes.

The TRACE button allows for tracing of the design to be stitched on the embroidery area, without actual stitching being done.

This allows one to confirm that the cloth will be embroidered at the right spot and in the right sequence. This embroidery area can be lit using 4 powerful light-emitting diodes (LED).

The ARROW button allows one to set the selected mode to a specific value, e.g set the stitch count, and select the right embroidery pattern, needle bar, and thread color.

For this reason, the arrow button is also described as the jog button. To confirm the selection, the ENTER button is pressed. This sub-control panel allows for 13 colors to be chosen from, as well as set the sequence of embroidering the fabric using different thread colors.

This machine supports automatic color change so that multicolored embroidery designs can be stitched using the 4 needles without stopping the machine to rethread any of the threads.

It comes with a large 5.7inch LCD touch-panel, START/STOP button, bobbin winder button, auto thread cutter button, MODE button, TRACE button, ENTER button, and 4 jog buttons, as well as a bobbin winder indicator and an additional USB port.

It also provides additional functionalities using the following buttons: stitch back button, carriage return button, and stitch forward button.

The Carriage Plate

The embroidery arm of this machine is a carriage plate. The hoop supporter is secured to the carriage plate by 2 thumbscrews.

This setup allows the carriage return button to reposition the carriage plate back to its neutral position, or to the position, it was during stitching before the machine stopped because thread breakage was detected (and the issue then resolved).

This is a dubbed auto-return post thread break, and it adds to the adjustable hoop positioning functionality of the carriage operation.

Apart from an alert that the thread has broken, the machine also stops stitching after their thread-break detector notices a broken thread.

Embroidery Patterns and Designs

The embroidery patterns and designs are stored in the memory device of the computing device. This machine can work with Janome-compatible embroidery files, and the inclusion of the RCS allows for the editing of design files.

The memory storage capacity of its computing device is 3MB which is enough to store 100 embroidery design files or 1,500,000 stitches.

These design files can be created by the embroidery software, Digitizer MBX V4.5 or later versions, which provide digitizing software capabilities, as well as support editing of design files to produce embroidery files.

Digitizer MBX is used to generate 2 formats of embroidery files: the ‘.Jan’ and ‘.Emb’ master data files, with each format containing the object-based embroidery design data, including object data, fill pattern, thread color, and design dimensions.

The ‘.Jan’ format is specifically made for use by Digitizer MBX software, while the ‘.Emb’ embroidery format is compatible with Wilcom embroidery software, and it allows for designs made using the Wilcom software to be stitched by this Janome machine.

The RCS allows for easy drag and drop editing of the design files, with the following editing capabilities provided: rotation, flip, and design resizing. The stitch data files are saved in ‘.Jef” and ‘.Jef+’ formats, while the machine function data is saved in the ‘.jpx’ format.

Warranty

This high-performance embroidery machine is supported by a limited 12-month warranty. The manufacturer also guarantees a 25-year warranty against poor workmanship and defective construction, i.e a warranty against defects in machine construction.

Bottom-line

Janome MB-4S is a high-performance multi-needle, single-head computerized embroidery machine that has 4 needles, 9 spool pins, thread tensioning dials, and thread guides.

It also comes pre-loaded with 50 embroidery designs and 10 monogram fonts for 2-letter or 3-letter monogramming in logos whose maximum design size is set at 240mm by 200mm.

The machine operates at a working speed range of 400SPM-800SPM and supports embroidery area tracing USB connectivity, and automatic change of thread color.

Moreover, this model has an inbuilt computing device that needs to be connected to a peripheral device to receive input and send output data.

The built-in peripheral device is the sub-control panel, and its functionalities can be taken over by the RCS unit, which also features capabilities that optimizes the operations and capabilities of the embroidery machine.

Its embroidery files come in two formats; the ‘.Jan’ and ‘.Emb’ formats, while the stitch data files are saved in ‘.Jef” and ‘.Jef+’ formats and the machine function data is saved in the ‘.jpx’ format.

These aforementioned features and the high-performance-to-cost ratio of Janome MB-4S makes it the best commercial embroidery machine in this review.

• Related Content: An introduction to the commercial embroidery machine

2. Bernette 70 DECO Commercial Embroidery Machine

This is a single-needle, single-head computerized embroidery machine that features a drop-in hook system, touchscreen pen, auto-adjustment of press foot pressure, semi-automatic needle threader, and thread sensors of embroidery and bobbin threads.

It also comes pre-loaded with 208 embroidery designs and 7 lettering fonts for 2-letter or 3-letter monogramming in logos whose maximum size is set at 260mm by 160mm.

Bernina Internation AG

This embroidery machine is manufactured by  Bernina International AG as part of the Bernette 7X series of embroidery machines. As a result, it comes with free embroidery software called the Bernina Toolbox, which has 300 embroidery motifs.

Moreover, one can access Bernina Cloud to preview and download 300 embroidery designs and 100 lettering fonts that are compatible with this model, and then store them in a USB drive that can be connected to the machine so that any of these designs and fonts are loaded into the machine.

Design Hoops

It can be used for surface embroidery and counted-thread embroidery, and comes with 3 embroidery design hoops:

• L B70/B79 hoop – 260mm by 200mm
• M B70/B79 hoop – 180mm by 120mm
• S B70/B79 hoop – 70mm by 50mm S B70/B79

Each hoop can be clipped to the embroidery module. This contains the embroidery arm and pantograph that holds the hoop, as well as the guide rails where the arms slide the pantograph when moving the embroidered material sideways.

Needle Type

The type of needle to be used in this machine is the Crewel or Jersey embroidery needle, and the felt needle. The needle used could be size 70 or 75 for light-weight fabric, size 80-90 for medium fabric, and size 100 for heavy fabrics.

Also, the embroidery needles can use rayon or polyester threads, and the hoop supports the use of the tear-away, cut-away, and water-soluble stabilizers.

Moreover, it has a spring-tensioned embroidery foot that is fitted to the needle bar so that it can press down on bulky clothes such as a Terrycloth to allow the needle to make stitches.

Additionally, Bernette bobbins come with a self-tensioning mechanism that maintains tension in the bobbin thread. Of note is that this machine operates at a working speed of 850SPM.

The Control Panel

Moreover, this model has an inbuilt computing device that is connected to a control panel that features a 5-inch LCD touchscreen that is used as a display device and to input instructions to the computing device.

This model features automatic hoop detection which detects the hoop secured to the embroidery module and then displays the appropriately-scaled embroidery area on the LCD screen. It also supports the onscreen editing of embroidery files.

Unlike Janome MB-4S, this model does not feature a detachable controller, and its touchscreen display screen and sub-control panel are built into the control panel.

Assembly & Dimensions

 

Unlike Janome MB-4S that requires extensive assembly, for this model, one just needs to place the thread on the spool pins, insert the needle, and connect the embroidery module to the machine bed.

The fully-assembled machine is 509mm long, 200mm deep, and 314mm tall; and it rests on the machine bed.

The vertical throat space (space between the underside of the horizontal arm and top surface of the raised bed) is 5inches which is enough to hold the quilted fabric. The unit features a clam-shell construction.

Included Items

In the shipping package of Bernette 70 DECO are the following items:

• 3 bobbins
• a spool net
• 4 spool discs (large, medium, and 2 small discs),
• felt disc, brush/seam ripper and lubrication,
• spare spool pin and needles,
• dust cover and screwdriver
• power cable, as well as an English instruction manual.

Automatic Thread Cutting

This machine supports automatic thread cutting using its thread cutter, and allow the machine to perform jumps during stitching.

As expected, this automatic thread cutting is usually synchronized with programmable jumps so as to allow flexible stitch traveling.

Bobbin Control

To wind its bobbin, one needs to pace the bobbin on the winding unit at the front of the machine, and then pass a spool thread through a thread guide and onto a thread pretension before inserting it to the bobbin.

To stop bobbin winding, a bobbin winding stopper is used, and the thread cut for the bobbin to be transferred and placed in the bobbin case under the throat plate (hereby called the stitch plate).

Embroidery Patterns & Designs

This machine can work with design files that have been loaded using the ART-Link or Bernina Toolbox software. These design files can then be edited to generate 2 formats of the embroidery files.

Warranty

This high-performance embroidery machine is supported by a limited 24-month warranty on electrical components, and a 10-year warranty against poor workmanship and defective construction.

Bottom-line

Bernette 70 DECO is a single-needle, single-head computerized embroidery machine that features a drop-in hook system, touchscreen pen, auto-adjustment of press foot pressure, semi-automatic needle threader, and thread sensors.

It also comes pre-loaded with 208 embroidery designs and 7 lettering fonts for 2-letter or 3-letter monogramming in logos whose maximum size is set at 260mm by 160mm.

It can be used for surface embroidery and counted thread embroidery and comes with 3 embroidery hoops.

• Related Content: Best Janome Sewing / Embroidery Machines Reviewed

3. BEST BUDGET: Janome Memory Craft 400E Review

The Memory Craft 400E is a more affordable single-needle, single-head computerized embroidery machine that features a top-loading full rotary hook bobbin, touchscreen pen, thread guides, USB port, and thread sensors of embroidery and bobbin threads.

It also comes pre-loaded with 160 embroidery designs and 6 monogram fonts for 2-letter or 3-letter monogramming in logos whose maximum design size is set at 200mm by 200mm.

Janome America, Inc

This compact and well-designed embroidery machine are made by Janome America, Inc; and its model number is MC-400, with the MC standing for memory craft and the E indicating that it is a dedicated embroidery machine.

This model is a dedicated embroidery machine that debuted in 2016 and is not suited for sewing, and just like Bernette 70 DECO, it comes with an embroidery module where the hoop is clipped into, and its embroidery bed is the raised type.

Design Hoops

It can be used for surface embroidery and counted-thread embroidery, and unlike the 2 afore-reviewed models, it only comes with a single square hoop – the 200mm by 200mm SQ20b standard hoop.

Still, one can fit any of the following 3 optional hoops to this machine:

• SQ14b – 140mm x 140mm hoop,
• A rectangular 200mm by 140mm hoop
• RE10b – 100mm by 40mm hoop.

This embroidery module contains the embroidery arm and pantograph, as well as the guide rails where the arms slide the pantograph when moving the embroidered material under the needle. It also has a spring-tensioned embroidery foot.

Speed Range

Additionally, this model operates at a working speed of 400SPM-860SPM. Also, like Janome MB-4S, this machine supports adjustment of working speed and flexible stitch traveling.

Control Panel

The unit features a large full-col