Embroideries are beautiful designs imprinted on materials, making it a notch higher than the conventional. In this text, we’re more interested in hat embroidery and the best embroidery machines available on the market. Hat embroidery machines are devices designed to perform elegant embroideries.
There are different embroidery machines for various purposes; what you need determines what you look out for in a hat embroidery machine. Most times, finding the best embroidery machine for hats can be challenging. So, we have invested time and other resources to review some top choices, based on the following features, to help you:
- Sewing Field: embroidery machines should have a wide sewing field that can accommodate end to end embroidery
- Color Stop: It aids 3D design and bear embroidery
- Standard Needle number: The number of needles determines the limit to your designs
- Color Changes: A hat embroidery machine must be able to perform automatic color changes
- Speed: This is essential to look out for, especially if you are going commercial
- Machine Durability: The durability of your embroidery machine determines it’s productivity
Top Five Embroidery Machines for Hats
We conducted extensive research where we considered products with high customer engagements, reviews, and product features. We then created an in-detail analysis of these top choices, along with a buying guide. Enjoy the read!
1. Brother PE800 – Editor’s Choice
FEATURES
- 138 Built-in Designs
- 11 Built-in Fonts
- USB Port
- Large Colour Touchscreen
- 5″ X 7″ Embroidery Field
The Brother PE800 embroidery machine is one of a kind that allows you to create neat and scintillating designs. It is made of durable material that makes it last for a long time. The PE800 possesses speed like no other. It is accompanied by a bilingual user manual to help you set up and operate, making it easy to use and understand by Spanish and English-speaking users. An auto threading function and lighting to illuminate the work area, thereby saving time and reducing eye trouble, is also a function of this machine. It comes with two led lights that illuminate.
This sleek embroidery machine has large hoops. These hoops are permanent, which can be quite an issue because the size of the hoop varies with the material used; therefore, not being able to change hoops restricts work experience. EP800 comes with a set of four bobbins, a needle set, cleaning brush, seam ripper, multi-sized screwdrivers, and spool caps as well as a dust cover. It also features a wide sewing range that allows you to design larger objects and also provides you with both offline and online embroidery designs.
The PE800 LCD touch screen display gives you a preview of how your stitch looks like thereby providing you with an editing opportunity before the final design. It is a portable machine that can be attached to a stand or placed on the table with a 25-year limited warranty period.
PROS
- 2 LED lights that brighten the work area
- Automatic needle threader
- Smart color LCD touch screen display
- Bilingual user manual
- Preview ability via an LCD screen display
CONS
- Makes much noise
- Hoops are permanent
- Overheats and tangles thread
- Poor follow up support
2. Brother SE1900 – Perfect Embroidery Machine for Experts
FEATURES
- Large Workspace
- LED light for illumination
- COLOR LCD Touch Screen Display Screen
- USB Port
- Built-in Stitches
- Automatic Threader
- Speed controller
- Eight Sewing Feet
- Adjustability and Flexibility
The Brother SE1900 is the perfect embroidery machine! It has an expansive 5 x 7 embroidery field with a large touch display screen. It has 138 built-in embroidery designs, and more designs can be further imported from other sources and inputted via the USB port. This machine offers a mix of sewing and embroidery in one system giving the ultimate creative experience. It also has 240 built-in sewing stitches and a monogram. You can as well personalize projects with built-in fonts. The feed system is one of a kind as it ensures an error-free sewing experience.
This machine also features My Custom Switch allowing users to design their custom sewing stitches and save them to your embroidery machine for future use. You can combine designs, colors, and a lot more with the SE1900. It has over 50 accessories, a large embroidery field for larger projects, 11 font styles, eight sewing feet, built-in memory, and unlimited embroidery design options. The SE1900 machine is fully computerized, offering multiple options for beginners and experts but mostly for experts. It can be very confusing and somewhat difficult to operate at first, but with the user guide and continuous use, it becomes as comfortable as any other machine.
PROS
- Versatile and durable dual-purpose machine
- Multiple options of built-in sewing stitches, embroidery designs, and frames
- Features fonts for monogramming, and buttonhole styles
- Large work area
- LCD screen for preview and editing before stitching
CONS
- Expensive model
- Not beginner-friendly
3. Brother LB5000S – Best Customized Hat Embroidery Machine
FEATURES
- Interchangeable Star Wars Faceplates
- 100 Included embroidery designs
- Built-in USB port
- 103 Built-in sewing stitches
- Automatic needle threader
The Brother LB5000S comes with four removable character faceplates, and you get to pick between Princess Leia, Darth Vader, and R2D2. It has a built-in USB port that allowed you to import embroidery design and stitch them to the machines. It has up to 80 built-in designs, ten digital downloadable, and additional digital downloadable designs with instructions for the design retrieval box. The LB5000S provides you with nine built-in fonts (6 English and 3 Japanese) for monogramming.
The LB5000S comes with 103 built-in sewing stitches, including decorative, utility, and quilting stitches. With the color smart LCD screen, you can preview and select your stitch to give you a correct error free experience. With its interchangeable character faceplates and a Star Wars logo faceplate, fully equipped with the best embroidery design and editing features. It has changeable thread colors, automatic threading, and letters can be in an arc, and designs move with a touch of the finger on the LCD screen. It has variable speed control and drops feed for creative free-motion sewing. Included are seven quick-change sewing feet, with spring action zigzag, buttonhole, overcasting, monogramming, zipper, blind stitch and button sewing feet. The spring action zigzag foot is designed with a longer foot, and, combined with the longer 7-point feed dogs, help provide smoother fabric feeding. LB5000S is the best option for any creative adventure.
PROS
- Multiple stitch features
- Very affordable
- Interchangeable Plates
- Very Durable
CONS
- The LB5000S is weak against heavy fabrics even with a new needle
4. Brother SE600 – Best Hat Embroidery Machine for Beginners
FEATURES
- Sew smart color touch LCD
- 4″x4″ Embroidery field
- Automatic needle threader
- 103 built-in sewing stitches
- Super bright LED-lit work area
- Embroidery lettering fonts
- Free arm for cuffs and sleeves
- A USB port to import designs
- Jam- resistant Quick-set drop-in bobbin
The Brother SE600 is a two-in-one machine that functions for both sewing and embroidery machines and allows you to maximize your creativity. It has a 4” x 4” sewing field, which is not as large as some other products but is still very much efficient. It has multiple customizations that ensure smooth and streamlined sewing.
The smart color LCD screen allows you to preview your designs and make the needful edits. It will enable you to change individual thread colors, move letterings, and display. The SE600 is a hat stitching machine 90% user-friendly with up to 80 embroidery designs offline and a USB port to input online models. It features 103 built-in stitches, controls for speed, drops feed, and free-motion sewing ability. It’s expanded needle to arm workspace gives more room for more extensive and bulkier projects.
The Brother SE600 is, therefore, is a professional cap embroidery machine that comes with spring action zigzag, zipper, buttonhole, overcasting, blind stitch, button sewing feet, monogramming, and seven quick-change sewing feet. It also comes with a 25-year limited warranty with free technical phone support for the life of the product.
PROS
- Quiet/Smooth
- Much easier to use than previous products
- Great stitch quality
- Thread cutter works excellent and pulls threads to the bottom side
- Very affordable
- High speed
- Very strong, can go through 10 layers of heavy material and smooth interfacing
CONS
- The machine does not seem like it will last for a long time
- Horizontal thread with caps is hard to use
- Embroidery sewing field is only 4×4
- No software for embroidery and inputted designs are not helpful
- Feed dogs are not exactly useful
5. Brother SE400 – All-in-one Hat Embroidery Machine
FEATURES
- Computer connectivity for importing models and updating your machine (USB cable included)
- Easy threading, with an automatic needle threader
- Super easy bobbin winding system
- Quick-Set drop-in top bobbin
The computerized SE400 is a combination of embroidery and hat sewing machine designed to help you give your work a customized and unique look. It features 70 built-in embroidery designs, 67 built-in sewing stitches, 120 frame pattern combinations, and five embroidery lettering fonts; this machine is an all-purpose embroidery machine that fits all your needs in one place. Computer connectivity enables you to make future updates and easily import new designs to increase your embroidery library directly from your computer. It has an automatic threading system that threads the machine by itself by just using the lever. It comes with a built-in thread cutter, a secure wind system, with a wide array of accessories. Even with all these features and abilities, it is highly affordable, the perfect do-it-all machine for any designer.
Unlike other products, this embroidery machine features built-in tutorials and functions on the LCD screen to help you with the operational parts as well as a user manual.
PROS
- Easy switch between sewing and embroidery
- Nice preloaded fonts
- Touch screen functions and icons are easy to use and understand
- Numerous stitch options
- Self-threading needle
- Beginner-friendly
CONS
- Patterns take up too much memory
- It requires software before embroidery functions
- Manual has very little information
- Limited hoop size
Buying Guide
When faced with the task of getting embroidery machines, we are left unsure about many things. What product to purchase? At what cost would you get your preferred embroidery machine? The factors put into consideration when getting an embroidery machine?
Well here is a guide on the things to look out for when getting an embroidery machine;
Cost and Value
Cost is an essential factor to consider. As much as you would like to stick to a budget, you must get value as well. An embroidery machine, especially for commercial purposes, is considered an investment, the price range of the embroidery machine depends on the tasks you want to carry out with it, just like any other machine, features and abilities determine the price range. Put your requirements, and your budget limit together to get a quality machine that is also affordable.
Sewing Field and Hoop Sizes
Different embroidery machines use different embroidery field dimensions and hoop sizes. A lot of them are limited to a small range, mostly of about 4 inches square, which limits freedom, especially with more substantial project work. Getting a machine with multiple hoops will be beneficial and a top choice when getting an embroidery machine.
Design, Embroidery Library and Connections
A feature of many machines is a wide range designed library, and some have more models than others while some models are prettier Catchy designs in the library is something to look out for to avoid a boring piece at the end of the day. You can also download new ones online, which would require an actual computer connection, but make sure your embroidery machine has a USB port. It makes the inputting of designs much more accessible.
Display Quality
A good reason you shouldn’t settle for just any embroidery machine. Having a clear view of your design helps to reduce error, while some offer a preview setting via an LCD touch screen display system some only provide a tiny window with no clear picture of most times without color.
Dual Purpose
If you are the kind of person that likes to switch between tasks, getting an embroidery machine that is also a sewing machine is an addition. A multi-needle embroidery machine will do a good job when designing hats
Extra Features
Along with the regular functions, some embroidery machines come with additional features and modifications that would increase your overall work experience, some of these features are;
Automatic thread tension, thread tension, onscreen editing, speed amongst various others.
These are essential things to look out for when searching for the best hat embroidery machine.
FAQ
We will be looking at some common questions asked about the reviewed products.
Q. Can the USB work from an Apple Mac? Or just a windows computer?
A. Yes! It does.
Q. Is the 4x4 hoop size big enough for your monogramming needs? I have three teenage daughters who are wanting lots of things monogrammed
A. It is possible but not exactly convenient.
Q. Which fonts are available (for example, Times New Roman, Arial?)
A. The fonts vary in products, some by eight some by 5.
Q. What kind of needles should I use with this machine? What brand is better?
A. Organ needles are what is installed in the embroidery machine when you bought it.
Q. What else do I need to buy to get started if my initial goal is to embroider names on 15 baby hats? What thread? How much of it?
A. If you are you doing all the names in 1 color? I use Sulky thread.
Q. Does this machine come with a regular sewing arm as well as the embroidery arm attachment?
A. Yes, it does.
Q. Does this come with an instructional DVD?
A. Yes, in fact, it has help that makes it easy to operate.
Q. Is it compatible with Apple computers for downloading
A. Yes, I googled “downloading embroidery files from MAC to Brother SE400.”
Q. Does this machine come with everything needed to make a patch of my design (like something designed in photoshop?), or is a program required?
A. No, it does not come with a program on how to make a patch.
Final Verdict
We have done our research, and our top 3 embroidery machines are PE800 with a rating of 9.9, SE1900 with a score of 9.7, and LB5000S with a rating of 9.5. These top 3 products have proven to be of the best values, possessing the best features, and providing the best of the embroidery experience. These products have multiple functions that suit the demands of hat embroidery, and they are effective, efficient, and, most importantly, affordable prices. The PE800 is a bit higher in price in comparison to the others but matches it’s the price with value and quality and was nominated based on the budget pick. These three products come with all the features included in the buying guide. We can as well say they are the best hat embroidery machine.
