Knowledge from Eagle digitizing: Comparing Two of the Most Popular Embroidery Machines; Brother PE500 and PE800

The PE800 and PE535 are very popular embroidery machines and have earned their reputation as beginner machines. Today, Eagle Digitizing tell you what is the similarity between the PE535 and PE800 embroidery machines?

Feature

Before we start diving into the differences between these machines, let's talk about how these machines are similar.

First, the PE535 and PE800 Brother embroidery machines are consumer-grade embroidery machines designed for home use. These are not commercial machines.

They are also not combination machines, which means they are designed to be used strictly as embroidery machines.

Brother also manufactures the SE series of machines where the embroidery module opens and closes when you want to machine embroidery, and is sold as an all-in-one sewing and embroidery combination solution.

Both the PE535 and PE800 embroidery machines are apparently made by the same company, and it's a reputable company, Brother Sewing and Embroidery.

The older brother has been in the business for over a hundred years, so they know what they are doing. They offer a 25-year limited warranty on these embroidery machines.

Technical Specifications

PE535 and PE800 have very similar technical specifications.

Both PE535 and PE800 embroidery machines spliced ​​out embroidery files in PES format.

If you are new to embroidery, you may not know much about the embroidery file format, but once you start shopping for embroidery designs, you will find that almost every designer offers embroidery designs in PES format.

This is a very popular file format for embroidery designs. In fact, you can download any of my designs as well as free designs in PES format.

Both machines require the same weight of spool thread: 90 weight. You can buy 90wt spools on spools or you can wind them on your own, buy pre-wound spools for Brother PE535 and PE800.

Limitation

One limitation of the Brother PE800 and Brother PE535 is that they cannot trim skip stitches.

Jump stitches are stitches between stitched sections in an embroidery design. More expensive embroidery machines now have the ability to trim those annoying stitches because it's sewing the design.

For PE535 and PE800, you will need to go back and trim the jump stitches after you have finished stitching the design.

New Function

A big new feature on the Brother PE800 and Brother PE535 is the machine's ability to remember where you last left off. So if you turn off the machine while splicing the design, such as a power outage, or you run out of line and want to turn off the machine until you can get more, the machine will remember where you left off.

Additionally, both machines allow you to back up stitches in 1, 10 or 100 stitch increments, which helps you make mistakes and need to go back and resume stitching.

Availability

Both the Brother PE800 and the Brother PE535 are available on Amazon. So if you're strategic about when to make a purchase, you can get one at a great price, like when Amazon runs one of its specials.

That being said, if you buy an embroidery machine online, you won't get the support and training that a brick-and-mortar retailer might offer.

But, let’s be honest, machine embroidery isn’t rocket science. These machines are so popular that there are many resources online to help you get started with your new embroidery machine. In fact, there are even Facebook groups dedicated to the PE800 and PE535 brothers.

Brother PE535 vs PE800 Embroidery Machines: How Are They Different?

Since Brother specifies that the PE800 and PE535 have different model numbers, and there's a clear price difference between the two, there's definitely a difference between these machines.

When deciding which Brother embroidery machine you should buy, it's important to understand the differences between models.

Design and number of fonts

Both machines come with some font and embroidery designs. The PE800 has 11 fonts and 138 embroidery designs, while the PE535 only sells 9 fonts and 90 embroidery designs.

It's really not a huge difference. The designs that come with the machines are often pretty tacky and are for testing purposes only. Also, embroidery designs and fonts are not expensive. Just buy what you want.

Screen Editing

Both machines have displays where you can preview the design to be stitched together. They are all color and roughly the same size. Both machines allow you to flip, rotate, duplicate and resize designs on the screen.

It's really not a huge difference. The designs that come with the machines are often pretty tacky and are for testing purposes only. Also, embroidery designs and fonts are not expensive. Just buy what you want.

Hoop Size

The hoop size is the biggest difference comparing the PE535 and PE800 embroidery machines

The maximum hoop size for PE535 is 4"x4", which means the maximum seam area is about 3.8"x3.8". This can be very limited. While most embroidery file designers will usually offer designs that fit this size hoop, you still won't be able to stitch large designs.

The PE800 comes with a 5"x7" embroidery hoop, allowing you to create larger designs. For this reason alone, this machine is worth the extra few hundred dollars.

Many people recommend buying an embroidery machine with the largest embroidery hoop you can afford. However, I wouldn't shy away from buying a PE535, especially if you can find a used one. The resale value of these machines is pretty good.

So if you decide you like machine embroidery and you want a machine with a bigger hoop, you can easily sell your embroidery machine for no less than what you pay.