The home sewing machine has come a long way since the late 1700s when the first sewing machine is said to have been invented. The first machines were simple devices designed to make sewing leather for bridles and other leather goods easier. Over the next 150 years, the modern sewing machine developed through a series of patents issues to several inventors. Rather than coming together fully formed by one inventor, the sewing machine as we know, it was the result of lots of engineers and creative individuals designing different aspects, borrowing from each other’s designs, and keeping what worked best. All modern sewing machines, including the Brother SE400, are descendants of these early machines.
Comparison Table
What Is a Brother SE400 Sewing Machine?
The Brother SE400 Sewing and Embroidery Machine is one of the best combination machines on the market. It is inexpensive for an embroidery machine, but it comes with tons of features. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced craftsperson, you will love this machine. It can tackle complex projects and also sew basic stitches with consistency and ease. This powerhouse will meet most of your sewing needs in one well-designed machine.
Product Specs
The Brother SE400 is one of the brand’s best-selling machines. Brother is a trusted brand in sewing machines, offering a wide range of products for the beginner to the advanced craftsperson. The SE400 is a combination sewing and embroidery machine featuring computerized sewing and a 4x4 embroidery machine. It has 67 built-in stitches and 70 built-in designs.
This machine has five lettering fonts, a back-lit LCD, an automatic thread cutter, and an automatic needle threader. It sports free arm design, 7-point feed dogs, and the ability to import patterns from iBroidery.com. This machine is packed with features and promises to meet all of your sewing needs, from basic straight stitching to complex, custom embroidery.
Its list of features is nearly as long as the much more expensive model, making the Brother model a much more economical choice. It's great for beginners, but it gives you a lot of room to grow.Workspace Design
iBroidery Integration
LCD Display
Accessories
​Accessory Feet
Pricing
The Brother SE400 can be found online at Amazon.com for approximately $350. Occasionally, you will find this item on sale for about $330.
How It Compares
We picked a few similar products available on the market to see how they compare.
- 185 unique built-in stitches: The RSQ9185 comes with 130 built-in stitches including 8 styles of auto-size buttonholes,...
- Automatic needle threader and drop-in top bobbin: This sewing and quilting machine includes an automatic needle threader...
- Included accessories: Included with the rsq9185 is a wide table, 10 sewing feet, instructional DVD and more
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- Modern sewing and embroidery machine, built for robust and easy sewing and embroidering experience.
- 400+ utility, decorative and alphabet pattern stitches
- 40 built-in embroidery designs
The EverSewn Hero is also a combination sewing and embroidery machine. This one is great for traveling or working in small spaces due to its lightweight, compact design. It features an automatic needle threader, 7mm stitch width, adjustable foot pressure, 800spm speed, and an LCD screen. The following are the included features for the EverSewn Hero:
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- 60 Unique built-in stitches: The Brother CS6000i includes 60 built-in sewing stitches, including decorative stitches and...
- Automatic needle threader and drop-in top bobbin: This sewing and quilting machine includes an automatic needle threader...
- Included accessories: The CS6000i includes a hard protective case, wide table, 10 sewing feet, needle set including twin...
The Brother CS6000i is a combination sewing and quilting machine. It has a stitch selector, allowing you to view and choose from a list of stitches. It comes with an automatic needle threader, adjustable sewing speed, a detachable wide table for large projects, and a built-in free arm. There are 60 built-in stitches, including decorative, and seven buttonhole styles. This machine has nine presser feet, including:
The CS6000i also has a back-lit LCD, easy threading diagrams, and a brightly lit sewing area. It comes with a Quick Start guide and complete instructions in 2 languages. There is also an instructional DVD, free phone support, and online technical support.
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- 7.9" x 7.9" Embroidery Field
- 160 High Quality Janome Built In Designs
- 6 fonts for monogramming
The Janome Memory Craft 400E is a truly top of the line embroidery machine. It has a 7.9” x 7.9” embroidery field and tons of features. This embroidery-only machine has 160 built-in designs, six fonts for monogramming, and a USB connection so you can import more designs. It also comes with an extra wide table, and there are four additional hoop sizes available.
The 400E boasts a sewing speed of 400-860 SPM. It allows for on-screen editing functions such as enlarge, reduce, rotate, flip, drag and drop, arc, combine, copy and paste, grouping, corner layout, single color sewing, and zoom. It offers adjustable speed, flexible stitch traveling, direct jump to desired stitch point, auto-return post thread break, adjustable hoop positioning, built-in advanced needle threader, automatic thread cutter, an easy set bobbin, bobbin winding plate with a cutter, bobbin thread sensor, and a full-color LCD touchscreen.
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Conclusion
After reviewing several comparable machines, the Brother SE400 is an outstanding choice if you are in the market for a combination sewing and embroidery machine. It has a long list of features, is easy to learn and use, and the company provides solid support. It receives a solid 5 Stars.
The Brother model outperforms a similar machine by Eversewn due to their lack of customer support and provided instructions. The Janome machine is a more professional level embroidery machine and offers more sizes and options, but if you are sewing from home for pleasure or occasional profit, the Brother model should meet your needs.
Plus, it has the added benefit of being a combination machine, whereas the Janome machine is only for embroidery. The Brother SE400 is lightweight, and yet strong, combining the portability of a cheaper machine with the higher-quality of a professional system.
The bottom line is, you will not be disappointed in the Brother SE400 combo machine. It’s a combination of low price, and lots of features earn the highest recommendation.
