Looking at a Brother BAS-415 & Toyota 850

CKDesigns

I need advice. We have run a screen printing business for a couple of years now and would like to try adding embroidery to our shop. Recently we have had several request for embroidery, and do not live close enough to anyone to sub the work out. Another problem is that we are a small shop and would like to keep our cost of the machine to around $3000. I have found a Brother BAS-415 & a Toyota 850 that is within our price range. I know both are old, and assuming both work as they should, if you were in my shoes which one would you choose?

hatplus

If I were you I do not buy those machines.

Because the parts ( no more ). I will go with other brands.

Good luck.

CKDesigns

Thanks for the reply, but here's the Million Dollar question.
What brand/model within our budget do you suggest?

hatplus

I am using 6 SWF for 14 years.

Recently I sold the brother. because of the part and sewing quality

Like small letter (0.25 inch), SWF is better than brother.

You can buy 6 needle compact machine. ( up to 18x12 inch sewing area)

You can check on E-bay or craiglist.

DeepWoods

We've never ran Brother's so I can't say anything about them. Our 850's and 860 have been absolute work horses but....finding parts for the 850 and someone to service it if it ever does have issues could be tough. DataStitch is providing some parts for them but motors & electronics might be hard to come by. I'd suggest keeping your eyes open for a 9000 or 9100 Toyota. Might cost a bit more up front but you shouldn't have to worry about finding parts for them any time soon.

CKDesigns

Thanks for the information.
I have located a Barudan & a SWF machine.
Waiting for more information from the sellers.
They cost a little more but I think we can swing it if they are good machines.

AJST

Brother, SWF, and Barudan are good machines and these older machines that you are looking at were good in their day. There are a few things you probably want to consider if you are looking for a machine this old.

1. Parts - The companies that built these machines may or may not still make parts for these machines. You may want to call the company and ask if can still get parts. The PCB boards are becoming rare and you may end up having the boards repaired. You are looking at $600 to $1200 for a board replacement or repair. As an example... Toyota 850 and 860 have little or no new parts. You will end up getting parts for them from companies that are buying older machines and parting them out.

2. Service - When you get the machine home and it breaks in a couple of weeks, will the company offer service on the machine and is there a repairman in your area that can fix the machine? Most of the companies that sell embroidery machines will not give you free support on used and older machines. You can find some help from them but unless you have a service contract they may not provide support over the phone. Look for a service technician in your area that can service the machine. A lot of technicians will not bother with older machines, and travel cost for a technician is a bear.

3. Training - I don't know if you know anything about operating the machine and embroidery but there is a learning curve to getting it right. I have seen a lot of new embroidery machine owners that start taking orders before they get their machines. You need to get the machine, learn how to use it and then work into the sales. It is not as easy as buying a laser jet printer and plugging it in. You should be able to get training from the people you buy it from or you may be able to find a technician in your area to help you out.

4. Check out the machine - If you do end up wanting to go with an older machine make sure that it works like it should and you can use it.
* Check the X-Y controller and make sure that the frame move freely left and right and front to back.
* On a multi-thread model make sure the head moves freely left and right through all of the needles.
* Sew out at least two or three designs on the machine while you are looking at it. Use several needles and make sure you sew flat and caps on it.
* Make sure that you can load a design on the machine. Depending on the machine there are a variety of ways to load a design into the machine. If the machine does not have an independent way to load a design such as a 3.5 inch floppy or USB you may have to connect to the machine with a computer. Some of these machines require proprietary cables and software on the machine to load a design.

The bottom line is this. You can get a good machine in your budget but there are a lot of pitfalls. Do your homework before you spring for the machine. You dont want a $3000 boat anchor.

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