Brother SE600 Review, Unique Features, and Major selling Points & Downsides

If you are in need of a perfect sewing and embroidery machine that is worth every penny then don’t look beyond this Brother SE600 Combination Computerized Sewing and Embroidery Machine. Whether you are a beginner or advanced sewer, this machine has every trick up its sleeve to let you create masterpieces. 

The Brother SE600 Sewing and Embroidery machine is one of the most versatile and well-loved machines from the house of Brother. This combo machine will enhance and improve all your projects from making costumes to sewing, quilting, and embroidering. Plus, it is easy to set up as it takes no time to start working.

It has some outstanding features like a larger touch LCD screen with a color display, USB stick connectivity for access to fresh designs, a high number of sewing stitches, a decent number of embroidery designs and lettering fonts and many more to enhance and beautify your project.

Something About the Brother

Before we start the review of the Brother SE600, let’s get to know more about the house of Brother. It is one of the oldest brands in the world that gained popularity from the initial days after its inception. It is a 110 years old Japanese company and its products are widely used in the world. 

All its products are sturdy and powerful. They are made with utmost delicacy and Brother’s sewing machines such as Brother CS6000i, Brother PE770, Brother PE800 got awards for their high-quality performance. Moreover, it has not only made a name in the embroidery world but it is also famous for producing other compact machine tools such as printers as well. 

We have also reviewed the best commercial embroidery machines for commercial projects as well. You can go and check these machines to know more about commercial-grade machines.

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Review of the Brother SE600 Combination Computerized Sewing and Embroidery Machine

Our review of the Brother SE600 has examined whether this product can deliver the high-quality performance or not. And our results show that this machine, although a combination machine, has been able to produce high-class results on both fronts.

In this article, we have highlighted some of the most unique features that make this machine different from the others. We have also enlisted the reason on why you should buy this machine and so on. After reading our review, we believe that you will surely start to love this product. 

If you want to know more about Brother’s embroidery machines then have a look at our article on the best cheap embroidery machines. In that article, we have reviewed some of the best Brother’s embroidery machines.

What’s included in the Box

• Embroidery arm
• 4 x 4 inches embroidery hoop
• Embroidery foot
• Three bobbins 
• Spring action zigzag (on the machine) foot
• Buttonhole foot
• Zipper foot
• Button sewing foot
• Blind stitch foot
• Overcasting foot.
• Monogramming foot
• Twin needles
• Darning plate
• Bobbins (2)
• Bobbin clips (3)
• Six-piece needle set
• Disk-shaped screwdriver
• Four spool caps
• Spool net
• Scissors
• Cleaning brush
• Power cord
• Foot controller
• Machine dust cover
• English/Spanish operation manual and quick start guide

Specs

• Weight: 26 lbs
• Dimensions: 21.2 x 15.5 x 16.5 inches
• Stitches: 103 built-in stitches
• Speed: 710spm
• Computerized/Mechanic: Computerized
• Bobbin: Drop-in bobbin
• Warranty: 25-year warranty
• 4×4 embroidery area
• Bobbin: Drop-in, Quick Set(™) bobbin
• Free arm design to work easily with trouser legs or sleeves
• 7 point sewing feet
• 3.2” Backlit color display
• Automatic needle threader & thread cutter
• Warranty: 25-year warranty

Unique Features 

We have considered many key features of this sewing and embroidery machine, here is our review of some unique features that make this machine a great unit:

The Design

The Brother SE600 Sewing Machine looks awesome from the beginning. It is a modern-day machine with a simple yet robust appearance. It looks sturdy and powerful and the exterior is mostly white but the panel is grey with purple and white accents. The touchscreen is big which provides a robust appearance and the buttons on the front give it a modern vibe. 

Decent Embroidery Area

The machine offers a 4”x4” embroidery field which is decent enough for most home embroiderers. The machine might not be able to accommodate the large designs at once but it doesn’t mean you will never be able to use a large design on SE600 – you can, however, you need to divide your design into a few sections. 

If you don’t like to rehoop, again and again, you can always buy a bigger hoop from the market. Moreover, the embroidery area includes hoops, an embroidery arm, and also the foot. Therefore, you’ll have everything ready to create a beautiful design from the beginning.

Color LCD Touch Screen

The Brother decided to go for a larger, color Sew Smart LCD touch screen display. Its predecessor, the Brother SE400, has a black and white screen with a small view size. Plus, the Brother SE400’s touch isn’t really responsive. However, Brother SE 600’s 3.2″ Sew Smart color LCD touchscreen display is fully responsive — making it easy for you to use and see everything with ease. The touch is excellent; a simple soft push would do the job. 

You can easily edit your designs and preview them in full color. There are 80 built-in designs in the machine. If they aren’t enough for you, you can always refer to its USB 2.0 connectivity that will let you upload more designs from the internet. Of course, you can download your own designs too which you have created, and preview and edit them the way you want to. 

The touch screen allows you to select any settings with a small soft touch on your screen. Plus, it lets you change the types of stitches, choose the color, watch the tutorials, and much more. 

What’s great about this fully responsive touch screen is that it is highly perceptive. You can even note down the subtle changes in your design on this screen. You can see the small color changes in your patterns on its full-color LCD display that are, otherwise, hard to point out. 

High Number of Built-in Stitches

There are 103 built-in stitches which is a good number for most home embroidery projects. Although there are some embroidery machines with more stitch options, this unit will certainly fulfill most of your requirements. The stitches include simple utility stitches, and decorative stitches like the Greek key, waves, feathers, scrolls, and scallops. 

Its manual has appropriately divided the various utility stitches into groups as per your sewing needs. You can check the manual on how to sew through these stitches and choose the stitches type from the LCD touchscreen.

If you’re using thick fabrics for stitching, you don’t have to worry because it has got a decent needle-to-arm length that would be good enough for stitching heavy fabrics without any problem. 

Moreover, the machine comes with 10 one-step automatic buttonholes. They are at the back of the buttonhole foot. Its button sewing foot will make it easy for you to attach the buttons and it comes with a built-in free arm that will help you in sewing circular objects like jeans, cuffs, or caps.

Some Thoughts About Drop-In Bobbin

The SE600 comes with a drop-in bobbin system that has simple settings. You just have to slide the small door open on the machine to put your bobbin. However, you have to purchase your own pre-wound Brother bobbin and also ensure that you have used the bobbin thread that is compatible with the machine because any old thread won’t work on this machine. Moreover, you don’t have to draw up the bobbin thread yourself because the machine will do it automatically once you begin your project.

The Embroidery Designs

The machine comes with a whopping 80 built-in designs and 6 lettering fonts with a few Japanese characters to give your items astounding beautification. You will also have the option to make use of the internal memory to save your designs. Although it has 512GB memory, you can only save 10-12 designs only because 80 preprogrammed designs are already saved. 

Automatic Needle Threader, Automatic cutter, Automatic finisher

This machine comes with an automatic needle threader so that you don’t have to put a lot of strain on your eyes. This feature is much needed for people who find it difficult to push the thread through the needle bar and it will automatically thread the needle quickly and efficiently at the touch of a lever. Now, you can bid farewell to tweezers and magnifying glasses.

The machine has an automatic finishing option which means it will automatically stop once the work is done. And there is also an option of the thread-cutter to avoid messy stitching once you have completed the job.

Effective Lighting System

Now, you won’t be held back by low light conditions as the SE600 features a great built-in lighting system. The work area is brightly illuminated through LED lights. Plus, the LED lights will come in handy to identify the subtle changes in the dark fabric and also during free motion quilting in which everything needs to be done carefully.

Different Sewing Feet

The machine comes with 7 sewing feet which is a good number to personalize your projects. The foot choices include Buttonhole, Overcasting, Button fitting, Monogramming, Zipper, Zigzag, and Blind stitch. However, there isn’t a walking foot which would have been handy when the fabric gets stuck in the dog feeds. Also, there is no quilting foot for dedicated quilters. Nonetheless, you will be equipped with an embroidery foot for embroidering or monogramming.

Adjust Sewing Settings With Buttons

The machine has a start/stop button that starts and stops the process of stitching and there are three colors that would appear on the button. If the button turns red then the sewing will stop. On the contrary, if the button turns green, the sewing process starts. And, whenever the button turns orange it means that it is time to wind the bobbin thread. 

There are four buttons on the front of the machine and also a slider to adjust the speed of the sewing. One button is for adjusting the needle position. When you push this button, the needle will rise or fall as per your need. And, if you push the button two times, you can move the needle in and out of the fabric. 

There is one button for sewing in the reverse direction. Another button is called the small scissors button that will be used for cutting threads that pops out of the fabric once you complete the project. There is also an option of automatic thread cutting that could be used instead of this button. 

Furthermore, there are three sewing speed options with a maximum sewing speed of up to 710 stitches per minute and the slider will be used for adjusting the sewing speed.

Sewing Plus Embroidery Machine

One of the major selling points of this product from Brother is that it is a sewing cum embroidery machine and plus, it is a fully computerized machine which means every operation on this machine will be done through the magic of your fingers on the touch screen. Because it is a combination machine, you won’t have to pay extra dollars to buy separate embroidery or sewing machines. 

Brother SE600 file format

The machine is compatible with a few formats among them are .pes, .phc, and .dst. These formats are for embroidery data file transfer only. If you have an embroidery data file other than these formats then we advise you not to use it in this machine or your machine will not work properly. For decorative stitch memory only .pmx, .pmv, and .pmu stitches data files are compatible with this machine

No Embroidery Software Pre Installed

This machine doesn’t have any embroidery design software installed in it. You have to purchase the software to get the best out of this machine. Without software, the machine is useless because you won’t be able to create or download the designs to personalize the projects. 

So, if you want to purchase the software for your embroidery machine, check out our review of the best embroidery software to download. 

How is the Noise Level?

When we tested this machine, it produced minimal sound at a low stitching speed. However, when the stitching speed reached the peak, the sound produced by the machine was high but it wasn’t really a noise because noise is something that is unpleasant and unacceptable for the ears and this machine didn’t produce any high levels of unacceptable sound. You can hear what the other person says when the machine is running at optimum speed.

Can the Stitch Setting Be Changed?

Most stitch configurations can’t be changed. However, there are a few stitches that allow you to change their settings. You can change their configuration via the option on the LCD. There are preprogrammed settings for the width and length for every stitch that can’t be altered. 

What About The Ease of Use?

Although the machine is easy to use, if you’re not fully aware of the computerized machine, it might be a tricky machine for you. However, its interface is user-friendly and once you start to regularly use this machine, you won’t have any problems.

Which Fabrics are Compatible with this Machine?

The Brother SE600 embroidery and sewing machine are capable of adjusting all types of fabrics such as normal weight fabrics like taffeta and flannel; thin fabrics like a loan; thick fabrics like georgette and challis; heavy fabrics like jeans and stretch fabrics like tricot.

What’s with the Needle Breakage Issue?

There is this problem of needle breakage when you first start embroidering on this machine. It might be due to various reasons. When the design which you’ve uploaded is not digitized correctly then it could cause the machine to jump many times resulting in the breaking of the needle. 

Another reason could be the use of stabilizers that are not compatible with your fabrics type. For example, when you are embroidering heavy-duty, tight-weave textile you need to use the correct stabilizer, or else the thread gets bunched up resulting in needle breakage. You should always refer to the manual which has all the information about the needle size. 

Is it Good for Newbies?

It is excellent for newbies. First, it has a user-friendly interface. Plus, there are so many features in this machine and they are so simple to use that it will only take a few days for a newbie to start loving this machine. It is one of the most popular machines among new users. 

However, the combination SE600 might be difficult for non-tech-savvy people. But, there are videos on YouTube and the Brother website which will help them a ton. The online content would ease the learner through the initial phase.

How Much is the Warranty?

When it comes to warranty, most of the high-end machines offer a warranty of a few years. But, as far as the Brother SE600 Sewing Machine is concerned, you’ll get a humongous 25-year warranty. This should not be a surprise for avid Brother users. Most of the Brother products come with a 25-year warranty. 

Keep in mind that the whole machine warranty will be covered for one year. And, for the next 5 years, the circuit board warranty will be provided; and for the whole 25 years, the warranty for the chassis of the machine will be offered. In these time frames, the brand will fix all the problems related to the machine and can also replace the parts if necessary. However, if you have abused or misused the product for any reason, you will not be entertained. 

The Major Selling Points 

• Perfect 2-in-1 sewing and embroidery machine. Offers great value for a combination machine.
• Excellent stitch quality. Easy to embroider complex designs
• Full-color touch screen. The touch screen is big and easy to edit designs, and for changing settings
• Smooth running. Doesn’t make noise even at full speed
• Offers USB connectivity to import a design from the internet
• Comes with an extendable free-arm design

The Downsides

• Not the fastest machine around. It will take time to embroider complex designs that require delicate touches
• Comes with too many Japanese characters in the embroidery designs which could be a headache for those who don’t know about the Japanese language
• If you are a beginner, initially it will be difficult to understand the working of this machine because it is a fully computerized machine

Final Verdict

The Brother SE600 embroidery and sewing machine comes with a wide variety of basic and advanced level features that can enhance the experience of embroidering. It offers you great value for money. There are hardly any downsides related to this machine.  

The great thing is that not only you can sew and monogram, but you can also quilt and embroider with this Brother SE600 combination machine. Although it might take a little bit of time for a beginner to get used to its setting, once you know how this works, you’ll love it. 

Overall, we found this unit a great product that is worth spending money on.

If you want dedicated machines for embroidering hats and T-shirts, we have also reviewed some of the Best embroidery machines for hats and T-shirts. You can go and check that out to know more about these machines.