If you're shopping for your first embroidery machine, I'll save you the research: the one I'd point a beginner to is the Brother SE2000.
Why the Brother SE2000 is my pick
It comes down to balance. The SE2000 is the only machine in this price range that does three things at once:
It sews and embroiders. A lot of entry-level machines are embroidery only. If you're just starting out, having one machine that does both means you're not buying a second one six months from now.
The 5x7" hoop is big enough to matter. This is the thing beginners underestimate. A 4x4" hoop sounds fine until you want to put a design across the back of a shirt or on a tote bag, and suddenly it isn't. 5x7" covers most of what you'll actually want to make.
The price is reasonable for what you get. It isn't the cheapest machine out there, but it's the cheapest one I'd tell a beginner to buy - because you won't outgrow it in a year.
It also threads itself, connects to your wifi, and works with Brother's free Artspira app so you can send designs to it from your phone. Those aren't the reason to buy it, but they're the reason it stays easy after you buy it.
What about the other machines?
Here's what else I've used, and why none of them is the one I'd start on.
Brother SE700
Good machine, and it's the current replacement for the old SE600. It sews and embroiders like the SE2000 does. The catch is the hoop - it maxes out at 4x4", and that's the limit you'll hit fastest. If your budget genuinely won't stretch to the SE2000, the SE700 will absolutely get you started. Just know you'll be shopping again sooner.
Brother Skitch
The Skitch is embroidery only, with a 4x4" hoop. It's small, it's app-driven, and it's genuinely fun. But between the size limit and not being able to sew, it's a second machine or a hobby machine - not the one you build on.
Brother PE900
The Brother PE900 is an embroidery only machine. If you already have a sewing machine you love and just want to add embroidery, this is worth a look. If you don't, you're back to buying two machines instead of one.
Bai Mirror multi-needle
I love this machine, and it is absolutely not a beginner machine. The Bai Mirror is a 15-needle commercial-style setup - a different price bracket entirely, and a lot more complexity than anyone learning embroidery needs. This is where you go when you're running a business and single-needle thread changes are costing you hours. Not where you start.
Who should skip the SE2000
If you already own a sewing machine you're happy with, you're paying for a feature you don't need - look at an embroidery-only machine instead.
And if you're already selling embroidery and doing volume, a single-needle machine will slow you down no matter which one you buy. That's a multi-needle conversation.
For everyone else who's starting from zero, the SE2000 is the machine I'd buy again.
See the Brother SE2000 in action
Check out everything the Brother SE2000 has to offer in this video:
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