Multi-Needle Embroidery Machines: 5 Reasons You Need One

A single-needle embroidery machine is perfect for beginners, hobbyists and people looking to customize designs. Multi-needle embroidery machines do everything a single-needle does, plus so much more. What's more, multi-needle machines are designed to grow with you. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned veteran, the features built into our multi-needle machines allow you to become even more creative and advance your business further.

There are many more reasons why single needles are old news, and now we want to highlight five reasons why you should consider investing in or upgrading to a multi-needle machine - even if you are a beginner or hobbyist.

Reason #1: Saves you precious time

One of the best reasons to get a multi-needle machine is to save time during the embroidery process. Multi-needle machines have some time-saving components that make them a worthwhile investment for anyone who is considering starting or growing a garment upholstery business or simply making their process more efficient.

As you might imagine, the first component is more needles!

Needless to say, multi-needle machines save you time because they have multiple needles. If you want to embroider a colorful design with one needle, you have to constantly rethread the machine. This is because a needle can only support a thread of one color.

For multi-needle machines like the Ricoma 10-pin EM-1010 or 15-pin MT-1501, this is not a problem, as each needle can be assigned a specific color. f you need a special needle for a specific fabric, you don't have to keep switching needles as you would with a single-needle machine.

You can preset different types of needles on the machine for specific projects. For example, on the TC-1501 which has 15 needles, 10 needles can be sharp pointed needles for embroidering regular garments like jeans, jackets and hats, while the other five needles can be set as ballpoint needles to embroider knitted fabrics.

Another advantage of multi-needle machines is their speed, which can help you save time. While single-needle embroidery is usually about 400-500 stitches per minute, multi-needle embroidery like the Ricoma embroidery machine is twice as fast at 1,000 to 1,200 stitches per minute. This means you can double your order in the same amount of time.

Reason #2: Increase Your Embroidery Potential

When it comes to single-needle vs. multi-needle, multi-needle embroidery machines win hands over the types of items that can be embroidered.

If you want to embroider many different types of items and are not restricted, your machine must be tubular. The term "tubular" refers to the fact that the machine has slender independent arms that allow you to insert non-flat items into the machine. Multi-needle machines are considered tubular machines because they have this arm, and without them you won't be able to embroider tubular items like hats, shoes, bags, sleeves, pant legs, and more - otherwise you'll be embroidering across the other side of the garment!

On the other hand, most single-needle machines have a lay-flat bed that only gives you enough room to embroider smaller, flatter garments like T-shirts or non-tubular items. Multi-needle machines also have more clearance under the head so you can embroider bulky items like duffel bags and the like.

Let's not forget all the accessories you can add to a multi-needle machine that you can't add to a single-needle machine.

For example, Ricoma multi-needle machines all come with attachments that single-needle machines cannot support, such as bottle cap attachments.

Additional accessories like the Robot Frame and GEN 2 Hat Hoop allow you to embroider shoes, hats and more. Embroidering these items on a single needle embroidery machine is either impossible or too challenging.

Reason #3: Embroidery for larger, more colorful designs

Why limit yourself to smaller designs with only a few colors, when you can embroider large multi-color designs onto larger items like jacket backs, dresses, and more?

Multi-needle machines have a larger embroidery area and more needles, which means they can create larger and more colorful designs than single needles. The embroidery area on a typical single-needle machine can vary from 4 by 4 inches to 6 by 10 inches, but multi-needle can be larger.

In fact, Ricoma multi-needle machines range from 12 x 8 inches all the way up to 32 x 20 inches! (And even bigger for the extended belt frame). This means that with a single stitch, if your design is larger than the embroidery area, you will have to hoop the garment twice or more to embroider different sections on the same garment!

Additionally, the Ricoma multi-needle embroidery machine supports devices that can attach sequins, create drill holes and cords on your designs.

You won't find unique design customization like this on a single needle machine. Essentially, the sky is the limit when it comes to embroidering designs on a multi-needle machine

Reason #4: Great for Beginners

Contrary to popular belief, multi-needle machines are arguably easier to learn than single-needle machines.

Imagine having no sewing or embroidery experience and going to a craft store to choose your first machine or order it online. Next, you receive the machine, usually stuck with the manual, and leave it to your own device to teach yourself how to use it. Unless your family has sewing or embroidery, the process is often stressful for beginners, leaving many single-needle machines sitting in dark corners collecting dust.

However, with multiple stitches, especially from Ricoma, you get free pre-workout videos and quizzes, followed by free hands-on training,

Reason #5: Gives your best blast to your money!

When you buy a single needle embroidery machine, you usually don't get everything you need right away. But with Ricoma's multi-needle embroidery machine, you'll have all the supplies you need to start embroidering right away.