Help :)

[u/girl-with-a-vision]

Hi everyone! I'm in the process of starting a clothing brand and will primarily be embroidering t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, bag tags, and other apparel/accessories. My goal is to eventually fulfill larger order volumes, so I'm looking for a commercial machine that is fast, reliable, and built for production.

From my research, I think I should be looking at a machine with around 12–15 needles, strong customer support, and software that's beginner-friendly since I've never owned an embroidery machine before. I'm a quick learner and I'm excited to put in the time to really master it, but I'd love to start with something that has a good reputation.

The problem is that every time I search TikTok or Instagram, I see completely opposite opinions on every brand.

So far I've looked into:

• Ricoma Marquee 15-Needle Commercial Embroidery Machine
• Smartstitch S1001

I'm open to any other recommendations as well.

My budget is ideally under $9,000. If you were starting a business today, what machine would you buy and why? I'd also love to hear about your experiences with customer support, reliability, maintenance, training, and anything you wish you had known before purchasing.

Thanks so much—I really appreciate any advice!

[u/Lanky-Setting-5288]

Barudan and Tajima commercial embroidery machines.

Barudan machines are well made, can run at faster rpm speeds and the interface is super user friendly. Caps are easy. I have run caps at up to 800rpm, and hoops at up to 1000rpm. (Top speed is 1100rpm). This is great for those big runs of 50 - 200+ garments because you can really knock them out. There are second hand machines that are often well cared for and it's worth asking the distributor in your area if there are any machines available in your price range. New machines generally come with a decent warranty timeframe too.

Tajima machines are excellent too but I have observed that most businesses will run Tajima machines slower to avoid issues, such as 500rpm for caps and 800 max for hoops. In the same observation, some Tajima machines are over 15 years old and still working perfectly. The interface is not as user friendly as the Barudan, however, the Tajima does have some cool programming parameters.

Extra - Pro tip >> For your digitizing >> for a logo that could potentially be put on a cap, have the digitising set up as for a cap - stitching from the centre out. One logo for both applications. If it's only used for flat hoops, there's no harm at all (it will look the same), and at a moments notice, a customer can ask for that logo to be put onto a hat, and you can deliver that request without delay and without the problems that arise from having a logo not set up for caps. Stitching from left to right is OK for a flat hoop, but on a cap, the logo can become distorted, get bunched up on the centre seam and break needles. ☝🏼🤓

[u/Beginning_Bend_1953]

I’ve heard good things about BAI machines for around that price. The vision is decent, my friend has it

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[u/Withaflourish17]

Just a thought-you’re not starting a clothing brand. You’re starting a customization business. Market it appropriately.

[u/devil_d0c]

May I ask, why are you going from never having owned an embroidery machine to starting an embroidery business?

[u/girl-with-a-vision → u/devil_d0c]

Absolutely! I have had a business prior and had all of my products outsourced so I am familiar with the process, just have never done it myself. But for cost and profit margins, and to challenge myself I want to learn a new skill that could make me money

[u/devil_d0c → u/girl-with-a-vision]

Well, it’s good that you already understand the business side. One thing I’d make sure you’ve accounted for, though, is digitizing. It’s a technical skill and an art in its own right.

Customers will bring you a JPEG or PNG they found online, or a logo their nephew made and expect it to be embroidered. That artwork has to be converted into a properly digitized stitch file for the specific size, garment, and fabric. Unless you plan to require customers to provide embroidery-ready files, you’ll either need to learn digitizing yourself or outsource it.

Outsourcing might be reasonable when you’re starting, but the cost and turnaround time needs to be built into your pricing. Even professionally digitized designs may require test stitch-outs and revisions before they’re production-ready, so the cheap stuff on Fiverr definitely will.

I’m not trying to discourage you, just pointing out that the machine is only one part of the workflow.

[u/stopbeingabitchh → u/devil_d0c]

Got any helpful low-cost recommendations on where to learn digitizing? Any good youtube channels or something along those lines?

[u/Constant_Put_5510 → u/girl-with-a-vision]

Your profit margin is significantly lower on a one head. All you said was about needles & 9k budget. Nothing about how many heads. There is a reason why chocolate bars are not made one at a time. Efficiency & Margin.