List Price: $899.99
Sale Price: $549.99
Today's Bonus: 39% Off
I owned this machine for several months by now, and its amazing.
As with any technological product (no matter if its a cellular or a sewing Machine) there's a learning curve for it. Do research, read manuals, ask around.
I did a ton of research before buying this particular model. It could sew and embroider. most of the machines just came with either 4x4 hoops or 4 x 4 and 5 x 7 hoops. the large hoop for large projects are a plus. and last but not least, the price range of it, compare to other brands that do the same was the selling point hundred of dollars less than the others. WOW.
Machine Related:
The sewing/embroidering part is big, yes BIG, making quilting or sewing big projects easier. But if you did a little research on this particular machine, you already knew it was big and that you will need ample space for it. When in sewing mode, its not bigger than any regular sewing machine, but with the embroidery arm attached this thing is huge, as to accommodate the big hoop that came with it.
Mine is sitting on a desk by itself and my regular sewing machine and serger are in another desk.
Its very bright, which means that working on it is less of a task, more of a joy.
Sewing part:
Include most of the presser feet you might need to start any project right away. A beautiful selections of stitches lost of stitches to task and embellish your fabric. its true, there are not hundreds of them, but there are plenty.
making button hole is easier.
Threading system helps those of us that struggle with needle eye :-)
Embroidery part:
-Right out of the box, it comes with a software that allows you to do a ton of embroidery designs included. the hoops, 4 x 4 and 6 x 10 were the most easy to install that I have tested. just snap on place and ready!
there's a certain order to do things to avoid mistakes that are "user error", not machine related. and that's why there's a manual for it. manuals are your friends, READ THEM!
-it includes designs both small and big to be used right away and you can download more via internet
it read all design formats: PES, HUS, DST, VP3, FHE, etc, although XXX is Singer native.
Speed control, back up and forward stitch buttons, to customize your user time, as fast/sow as you want, back up to restitch or forward to skip ahead.
I do have cons, but all of the fixable.
the spool stand that comes on the machine, its a common complain. i don't know what it is, but thread tends to tangle on the path, making for the breaking threads and needles. a thread stand behind the machine solve it. Or, as i heard from many users, putting the spool in a cup behind the machine works wonders.:-)
it says to sew with the tension on "s" and embroider with it on "E". you will soon learn that you need to adapt this as tension relate to fabric and thickness of it. I embroider with it a little on top of the "E" and a little below the "S" for sewing.
The software that comes with it is as simple as it gets. you can create sayings and re-size designs, change colors, and that's it. But again, i knew this. I knew that Singer sell additional software for it. ALL machines come with this type of software unless you buy them with a bundle. You want to do more? prepare to pay more.
Final thought: embroidery doesn't come cheap. Not even closed. Whether you want to create a small business or be creative around the house (my case) you are going to be buying LOTS and LOTS of stuffs: the special thread (I get mine here, poly Threadart brand, and Metro from their site.), stabilizers (all kinds: cut-away, tear-away, water soluble), needles, more designs, and if you want to be creative, additional software that will allow you to create or modify designs (I use Wilcom and Embird).
Need help? there is plenty of it on the web, including great support pages, forums and groups (I belong to 2 amazing ones on Facebook)
I love my XL-400 and will recommend it 100% to my friends or anybody willing to hear me. Sorry if other haven't had a great experience with I will advise to have patience and READ THE MANUAL! :-)
P.S. November 5th, 2012: I added a few pictures of projects I have completed with my XL-400. I have found out that some designs might look pretty but doesn't embroider as well as others. same thing for the type of thread, bobbin thread and stabilizers yo choose.
P.S. 2 January 11th, 2013: since people keep asking me and repeating their cons, I thought I add some points:
You need a PC/laptop in order for this machine to embroider (not to sew)but you can use the software without the machine, after you turn it on and open the software, just turn the machine off and use the software.
The included software is not an elegance program but instead of a tiny LCD screen you get a big one (as big as your laptop/PC screen) that let you work on your design right there.
I have several machines and a serger (brother, viking and singer) and all of them have a small space for feet change, not just the embroidery machines, but the sewing also. and the XL-400 is the taller of them all (well, except for the quattro, but that a league of its own)
It doesn't have speed bobbin control. I have never seen a machine with speed bobbin control. guess never need it, since all machine ideally come set to wind bobbin as tight as required.
about the thread breaking, I did mention that (happens to me in my brothers also) and mentioned also the cup technique and the ease of a thread stand. I use it as 3/4 of the speed, never less, never more, never a problem. try a diff brand of thread. What work for me, might not work for you and vice-versa.
-The noise emitting from the machine, this I can not say anything since mine its not quiet but I don't find it THAT loud either ( inserting the bobbin upside down, since 15J bobbins have one side curve and the other straight, increase the sounds AND the breakage, but since it is user error, is fixable ;-)
"DOES NOT INCLUDE AUTOMATIC THREAD CUTTER" no, really, it doesn't, it never said it did. get a tiny embroidery scissor, a curve scissor or a duck scissor. or all three! you can never have too many scissors.
the hoops are flat and plastic. take care of them.
me? still in love with my machine...
P.S. 3 February 13, 2013: Apparently Amazon had a bad batch of these machines. They even put up a message that they were reviewing/revising the machines they had in stock.
Sorry for those that got one lemon machine.
I still hold unto my review of MY machine as an excellent one, worth getting it.
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Bought this machine despite all of the people who complained about it I love it it does many things my Viking machines did not do and it embroiders as well if not better than both of them. I spent thousands of dollars on both of them and less than eight hundred on this one and I believe I got the better deal on The XL 400. It works just as well has a bigger area for quilting , embroiders a bigger area, has needle up and down, sews by itself with out the foot pedal is extremely easy to use, I can use any format and do not need to use the Singer software can use most of the software out there With my Vikings I needed to buy their software and couldnt run the machine without it And there is much more good about this machine that I can't go into here If you have the opportunity to buy this machine do so Oh by the way I am a real person who quilts everyday and on the weekend I quilt all day long for two or three days and I use the embroidery function to quilt the quilts with many designs.Best Deals for SINGER Futura XL-400 Computerized Sewing and Embroidery Machine
I've been using sewing machines for most of my life. I own five machines. This is my second embroidery machine. My first and last Singer machine.I ordered my machine on Dec 29th and received it on the 9th of January. I have the Brother SE 400 and was going to get the PE 700, but I was brought in by this ones hoop size. From the beginning it gave me problems. The tension was completely off, the only way I could get it to sew was putting the netting on the thread. I found this advice after scouring the internet seeing what was wrong with the machine. The machine would CONSTANTLY tell me the wrong hoop was attached. I'd have to start up and restart the machine several times before it would register the hoop. It would skip stitches. I was embroidering the SAME EXACT PATCH copy pasted four times, and it sewed them all VERY differently.
I e-mailed them. No response. It took me three business days to make it through Singer's customer service. THREE days. I was on hold for an hour and a half the third day (two hours the day before). The woman (who was very nice) gave me a laundry list of things to try. I went out and bought all new thread, all new bobbin thread. When I get home, I can't get the machine to start. It just incessantly beeps at me. After turning it off and on 20 times, it finally settles, but then I can't send anything to it.
I've been tweeting about my problems. Singer FINALLY gets in contact with me via Twitter asking me to send them a FB message with me problem. I do. They send me information to what they say is a manager. I send a video of what the machine is doing. I am again sent a laundry list of things to do. None of it works. I never hear from them again.
I have NEVER EVER dealt with such deplorable customer service in all my life. I am willing to accept that I received a faulty machine. It happens! I just wanted a replacement. It has been over a week since I last heard from Singer. I went ahead and ordered the Brother and am sending back this awful machine.
This is a very cautionary tale. If customer service means nothing to you, God speed and I hope you never have to contact them.
Honest reviews on SINGER Futura XL-400 Computerized Sewing and Embroidery Machine
I purchased this machine for the larger embroidery field, having outgrown the four by four stitch field on my Brother SE-400. I really wanted to love this machine. Unfortunately, there were issues from the beginning. The thread never did feed correctly off the spool holder. It constantly gave me broken thread warnings when thread was not broken. The ten by six hoop could not hold the fabric firmly and could not be adjusted further. Several times the beginning thread was not even sewn into fabric. The stitch was not as pretty or neat as the stitch on my brother. I did the same small project on my brother as on the Singer in a stitch by stitch comparison, the Brother stitched the entire project without any problem, after one false start with the thread not sewing, three broken thread warnings, and some not so neat stitches on the Singer, I knew I wouldn't be keeping this machine. I will be returning this and ordering the Brother PE-770. I didn't mind the fact that the computer had to be connected to the sewing machine for it to run the software but did think the software was a little difficult and would take some time to learn.Update on return: Sent request for return on Wednesday afternoon, Machine was picked up Thursday evening and my credit card account was credited by Monday morning. Once again, wonderful customer service from Amazon.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for SINGER Futura XL-400 Computerized Sewing and Embroidery Machine
Let me begin with background to establish my experience and validity of this review. I have been sewing for 27 years I have used Singer machines made in 1931 all the way through the 21st century. I make clothing, quilts, crafts, home accessories and household items, as well as alter/tailor those same items. I know how to repair basic malfunctions of a sewing machine. Embroidering is completely new to me. With that said here goes.I purchased this machine because it has been 16 years (yes she said 16) since I have owned a NEW machine. All of my machines (9 of them) have been given to me by frustrated people who didn't have the time or inclination to be patient with this craft and their instrument to accomplish their objective have fun sewing. For me, after two months of ownership, this is a GREAT machine. I needed a machine that would do basic stitching, buttonholes, give me a large quilting area and now embroidering. Because I am new to this piece, I did not want to spend thousands of dollars on a machine to find out it was not for me.
THE MACHINE:
As others have said, yes there is a learning curve. I am a computer geek, but this software is not so difficult that you cannot literally take the machine out of the box and sew. It is very very basic. I did months and months of research and knew that I was not getting all the preloaded software required to do more complex embroidery again, i would rather pay as I go and learn. READ THE DANG MANUAL! It took me about 2 hours to read the manual, play around with different aspects of the funtionality. Took me about 1 hour to learn how to do basic embroidery. I think that is a fairly decent curve.
I have discovered that not all embroidery is equal. smaller designs mean slow down the speed or yes, the thread will break, the needle will jam, etc. Yes you have to use the right stabilizer not all material is created equal. YES, you have to use the right needle just like with regular sewing, the right size needle means more effective sewing with less trouble. I can only imagine the people complaining about thread breakage, jamming, etc. are not looking at ALL of the items that make for good output. Just like you can't sew jeans with a number 9 needle, you can't embroider a fabric with more stretch than a standard cotton with the same needle. Your thread will break. It's common sewing sense.
For whatever reason, yes occaisionally the software will say the hoop size is different than what you have so what. You just click continue and it fixes itself. It does not mean you can't sew a beautiful design. This only happens to me on the basic installed software that came with the machine, not the Autopunch or Hyperfont. So am thinking it is a flaw in the software, not the machine.
As far as the stitching the lines are consistent, evenly spaced, easily adjustable, and it is quiet. If i had issues embroidering where the stitches skipped or something puckered that is operator error, due to sewing too fast, or not using the right stabilizer. If I fix me, the machine does what it is supposed to do.
Multihooping takes practice again, not the fault of the machine, it is an operator error. READ THE DANG INSTRUCTIONS people.
LOVE LOVE the fact that it has a large hoop, means less multihooping generally needed.
One glitch i had, and not sure why, after using the reverse button, a clunking noise started happening. I ultimately opened up the bobbin hook, jiggled some stuff around, maneuvered the needle up and down and it corrected itself. I don't know why this happened except maybe i reversed back and forth to quickly and didn't give the machine time to catch up. It has not done it again but i will keep an eye out for it. This was the ONLY issue I have had that was maybe machine related.
The large opening has allowed me to quilt beautifully without all the struggle i have had with other machines that have a smaller area. this is a huge plus and one of the reasons i decided on this machine. Yes the machine is big, but I read the specifications before I purchased. Hmmm.. imagine that reading about the product. Amazing things can happen if one reads stuff.
Overall, yes I would recommend this machine. Yes there is a learning curve, yes you have to be patient. But this can turn out beautiful products, and do all your basic sewing as well.
UPDATE FEB 7, 2013
Funny I had a very negative comment under my review that disappeared. I was preparing to respond. Anyway, I have had this machine now for about 4.5 months. Maybe i have been lucky or more patient than others, this is still an excellent machine. I will say again, as I did before, when I do things out of order, or get impatient, the error messages show up on the machine. I have had not problem correcting/bypassing/ignoring them.
I have downloaded designs from various websites and have had no problem with the software accepting the ones I have chosen. My favorite so far has been embroiderydesigns.com. I have found that the quality of the end results depends a lot on: thread, stabilizer, speed, quality/age of needles. I would not expect this to be any different from any other machine although I cannot compare.
Some things I have learned:
1. thread breaking: this happened to me, i rethreaded, got the message again, rethreaded, again. etc. I am not afraid to open up the guts of a machine. What I learned, since this was new to me on the single thread through the enclosed top part of the machine, my thread broke and i pulled out what i thought was the remnant. However, there was a piece left inside. Therefore, the software/machine kept reading it as a thread break. Once i cleared it, I did not have the message again.
2. stupid clunking: this seems to be an enigma with the bobbin holder. Every once in awhile i have to unscrew the plate, pull out the bobbin, clean out the "rabbit fur" as my daughter calls it, put it all back, and it is fine. Small annoyance but I can move past that the machine is super quiet when sewing a regular stitch, which I love. It also does fantastic general stitching overall.
3. Wrong hoop size: this is happening for me if I try to work the steps of embroidery for this machine out of order. But i can hit escape and it goes away. Trying to figure out how it does not go away, as people have complained and I can't make it stay there, so i really have no solution, although I was hoping to find a miracle answer.
4. YES! join the yahoo group! those folks have been at this longer than new owners and have figured out the quirks.
5. Invest in the software add ons in small bits at a time. This is critical. There is a learning curve with every piece of this machine software. Buy too much at once and you will be overwhelmed.
6. Design from scratch this is what I love the most. I have been able to import graphics from our church, clubs, etc. and create beautiful designs to make as patches, logos, gifts. This has been the most surprising benefit for me, and so much fun for all in receipt of the end result. but this takes patience in editing and design. You can be a computer whiz, like some others have reported, but the design and function of THIS machine take a learning curve. I don't know how many times I can stress this fact.
I will update again, but for now, after an extended period of use, I have NO regrets about the purchase of this machine. I wish others could love it as much. Blessings for now!
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