Brother PE800 Embroidery Machine

Brother PE800 Embroidery Machine – Review Summary

Experience

High-quality embroidery designs!

Price

Expensive for newcomers to embroidery.

Ease of Use

Get started making dazzling designs right away!

Support

Plenty of support from Brother!

What we like

Dazzling embroidery designs!

Easy-to-use for anyone interested in embroidery design!

What we dislike

Expensive cost for newcomers to embroidery.

Summary

The Brother PE800 Embroidery Machine is a fantastic embroidery machine. You’ll be creating dazzling embroidery designs as soon as you get the PE800 plugged in! The Brother embroidery machine even comes with an extensive collection of pre-built designs for you to choose from!

All of these features come at a high cost – nearly $800 through Brother’s website and $1000 through Amazon!

UPDATE: As of February 2022, Brother is out of stock on the PE 800 Embroidery Machine and the lowest price on Amazon is nearly $1,400! The Brother PE800 Embroidery Machine is not discontinued, it is just difficult to find.

If you’re ready to step up your embroidery game, then look no further than the Brother PE800! It is very important to note that the embroidery machine PE800 is exactly that, an embroidery machine. It is not a sewing machine and cannot be used as one.

Embroidery machines are not cheap, so you want to find one that will check off all your boxes and won’t break the bank. The Brother PE800 Embroidery Machine, the upgrade from the PE770, provides the opportunity to create dazzling designs using an easy, computerized machine.  

Create dazzling designs!

The Brother PE800 makes life easy for you by offering tons of designs to choose from that are built into the machine’s memory itself! Don’t worry, you also have the opportunity to create and import your own designs.

To get started, you just need to choose a design, then you just let the machine get to work! It’s as easy as that! The Brother PE800 is fully computerized and automatic, making life easy for you. It even has an automatic threader, which allows you to avoid the hassle of threading your own needle. Read on to learn more in our Brother PE800 review! 

Why Embroidery?

You may wonder why we are including an embroidery machine on a sublimation blog. It is simple. Embroidery is one of several alternatives to sublimation printing that is commonly used to decorate garments. And there is no reason to limit your options to just one method – you can certainly use both embroidery and sublimation printing with a single garment or project. As with sublimation, embroidery can be done on different fabrics and it frequently used on t-shirts. Embroidery can be easily done on dark fabrics – a process that is challenging for sublimation. Embroidery can also be done on leather – both real leather and faux leather. You can use it for clothing, hats, and wall hangings, including canvas. There are a few items such as mugs and aluminum, however, where sublimation works, but embroidery does not.

What is included with the Brother PE800?

The box comes with the fully built Brother PE800 Embroidery Machine, no assembly required! The PE800 comes with a power cord that must be plugged in and an on/off switch on the side. The Brother PE800 even comes with a carry handle on top to make moving it a breeze!

In addition, the machine comes with an embroidery foot, a single 5″ x 7″ embroidery hoop, 4 bobbins, a needle set, a cleaning brush, a seam ripper, a bobbin cover, 3 different screwdrivers (all different sizes), 4 different sizes of spool caps, a dust cover, and an English/Spanish operation manual. The machine even comes with a thread net to keep your thread organized and from unraveling on its own. 

Not included with your purchase:

Not included in the box are items such as lettering software, auto digitizing design software, extra embroidery hoops, extra bobbin thread or needles, or any type of scissors. These things can be used with the machine, but must be bought separately. 

How can I use the Brother PE800?

So you decided to pick yourself up a Brother PE800? Great choice! But how do you get started making great designs?

Before going too far, it’s a great idea to start by reading the operation manual! This will help make sure that you have all the right pieces that the  machine was supposed to come with and will outline how to get your machine up and running.

First Steps

Once you have your Brother PE800 setup, you can start by winding the bobbin, similarly to a sewing machine. You’re then going to choose a design and thread the machine with the desired thread. You have to set up the embroidery hoop with your fabric off the machine before you can set the hoop up on the machine and start embroidering!

Different types of fabrics and items are all embroidered similarly. Whether it’s a hat, t-shirt, or towel, you start by hooping the fabric or item using the embroidery hoop.

Keep in mind your working area!

For items smaller than your hoop size, like hats, you’ll want to use a tear-away stabilizer or peel-and-stick stabilizer along with pins to keep the item in place. You can use a grid outline to align the center of the stabilizer with the location on the hat where you want the design to go. For items that are large enough for the hoop, you just simply hoop the fabric and can start embroidering right away! 

For a more general embroidery guide, click here! Easy as that!

Brother PE800 Review – Included Features

Whether you’re looking to start a business, find an upgrade from your current embroidery machine, or just starting a hobby, the Brother PE800 Embroidery Machine has plenty of great features!

Some of the key features include:

• A 5″ x 7″ embroidery field for your larger projects!  
• 138 built-in embroidery designs including scrollwork, quilt patterns, and florals. 
• A USB Port which can be used to import your own designs from compatible sources, such as iBroidery.com, and store it in the machine’s built-in memory. 
• 11 Built-in fonts for monogramming and lettering, ranging from English to Japanese, as well as Cyrillic. 
• 10 frame design shapes.
• 14 frame design stitches and border styles. 
• 650 spm maximum embroidery speed.
• A 3.2in LCD color touchscreen that allows for easy editing of designs, lettering, resizing, rotating at 90 degree angles, flipping, and recoloring.  
• An easy-to-use, automatic threader with a numbered, follow-along threading diagram right on the machine. 
• Built-in tutorials, helpful tips, and instructions on the touchscreen.  
• 25-year limited warranty.
• Free customer support over the phone or by email! 

FAQs

Some commonly asked questions about the Brother PE800:

Can this machine be used as a regular sewing machine?

No, this is an embroidery-only machine. 

What accessories does this machine come with?

This machine comes with one 5″ x 7″ hoop, 4 bobbins, a needle set, a cleaning brush, a seam ripper, a bobbin cover, 3 different screwdrivers, 4 different sized spool caps, a dust cover, and an English/Spanish owner’s manual.

Can you make your own embroidery designs with this machine?

No, this machine has built-in designs and a USB Port to import designs, but making your own embroidery designs needs to be done with an entirely different software that is not within the machine. 

What is the file format for the Brother PE800 Embroidery Machine?

The Brother brand uses the file format “.pes” for this machine and all their other machines. 

Can this machine embroider on leather?

Yes, this machine can embroider on leather as long as you use the correct needle. 

What kind of fabric can be used with this machine?

Any kind of fabric can be used as long as its thickness is less than 3mm (approximately ⅛ in).   

Can you use a MacBook with this?

Yes, you can use any type of computer with a USB Port. 

Can you import photos to the machine to be embroidered?

No, imported designs must be digitized embroidery designs. The machine is not able to embroidery photos that are imported unless they are in a .pes file format.   

Does the PE800 have the ability to reverse and redo or go back over stitches in case the thread breaks?

Yes, the machine has the ability to move back and correct areas where the thread broke. You can skip forward and backward in increments of 1, 10, or 100 stitches to go back to the exact spot where the thread broke. 

Does the machine come with any other embroidery hoops besides the 5×7 one?

No, the machine does not come with any other sized hoops, but you can separately purchase and use more hoops.

Can you use a hoop that is bigger or smaller than 5×7?

Yes, you can use a larger or smaller hoop, but the machine will still only embroider at the maximum size of 5×7, or any size smaller than that. 

What software do you use to convert formatted designs onto the PE800?

There is no specific software used for the Brother Embroidery Machine PE800. The software is used on the computer before being transferred to the machine. As long as the file format is correct (.pes) any software can be used to format designs. 

What should you do when there is tension trouble?

You can easily change your tension settings using the touchscreen. You can adjust it until it is at the setting you want. 

What is the difference between the PE800 and the PE770?

The PE800 has a larger, colored LCD screen, whereas the PE770’s screen is smaller and not in color. The PE800 also has more built-in designs and features, as well as more editing options on the machine.  

Pros & Cons

The Brother PE800 has some great functionality, but how does that compare with the drawbacks? Is this the right embroidery machine for your needs?

The PROS:

Brother is an extremely reputable brand and, unsurprisingly, the company offers great support. This is especially evident in the way they reply to every negative review on their website. You can even contact support by email or phone Monday through Friday!

This machine is a step-up from older versions of Brother embroidery machines in terms of the amount of workspace for you underneath the throat of the machine. There is not much set up required and it is relatively easy to use.

If you are new to embroidery, the manual makes it easy to learn how to get started! The color LCD touchscreen makes the machine even easier to use. The machine itself offers a lot of designs to choose from, but a major pro is the ability to import your own designs using the USB Port.   

The CONS: 

The main drawback of this otherwise great printer is the price. If you shop around a bit, you may notice that the price seems to fluctuate a lot on third-party sites such as Amazon. It offers a lot of features for the price you’re paying, but is still one of the more expensive machines available.

The Brother PE800 also has a limited workspace to just that 5″ x 7″ space for embroidering. This may be more of enough space for your projects, but it is something worth keeping in mind!

The machine does come with bobbin thread, but you have to buy the embroidery thread separately. You cannot free stitch on this machine and you are only able to embroider the designs that are programmed in the machine or imported.    

How do other people feel about the Brother PE800?

Based on the approximately 42 Brother PE800 reviews on the Brother website, the machine has an overall customer rating of 4.5 stars! On Amazon, with over 2,200 global ratings, the overall rating is 4.7 stars out of 5! That’s incredible!

4.7 Stars!

The Brother PE800 reviews love how easy the PE800 is to use! It’s a highly recommend embroidery machine for beginners. They rate the screen quality and overall touchscreen interface highly. 

People loved the ability to edit and change designs right on the machine’s touchscreen. A lot of people also thought the designs that come on the machine are usable and appealing. However, a lot of reviewers say that in order to get the most out of the machine, you must read the owner’s manual.  

Negative Reviews

Most negative reviews came from people who experience some small defect or problem with using their embroidery machine. These reviews are far and few between!

Alternatives to the Brother PE800

• Brother SE600: This machine is cheaper than the PE800 and is a sewing and embroidery machine combination. It has less built-in designs and fonts, a smaller embroidery hoop area, but the same sized LCD touchscreen as the PE800. 
• Janome Memory Craft 500E: This machine alternative is generally more expensive than the Brother PE800, but it does have more built-in designs, a larger maximum embroidery size, and a larger LCD touchscreen. It comes with more than one embroidery hoop and a USB Port to import your own designs, but it does have less built-in font options. 
• Brother PE535: This alternative is cheaper than the previous two alternatives. It is a sewing and embroidery machine combined, similar to the SE600. It has 125 built-in designs and 9 fonts; more than the SE600, but less than the PE800. The touchscreen size and maximum hoop size are the same as the SE600, but it has no built-in sewing stitches. 

Brother PE800 Review – Our concluding thoughts!

The Brother PE800 Embroidery Machine gives you the opportunity to create amazing embroidery work! The box comes with everything you need to get you started, but you can get the software and accessories to grow and expand your skills and your machine’s abilities. You can easily use different types of fabrics on this machine. While you may choose to use the designs built into the machine, you can get creative and import your own designs easily. 

With great reviews, and a wide set of features, you really can’t go wrong with the Brother PE800. The cost may be prohibitive – but if you can swing it, you’ll end up with a great embroidery machine!

If you’re looking to up your embroidery game, then get ready to become familiar with the Brother PE800 embroidery machine!

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Last update on 2023-05-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API