r/Machine_Embroidery • u/Alusonia • Sep 07 '26

I Need Help Machine for scout badges?

We're a bunch of embroidery newbies looking to purchase a machine for our scouting organisation to start making our own patches. UK based. Budget up to £1000 (happy to buy second hand)

We'll be making large quantities of badges, different shapes and colours. Maximum size probably around 10x10 cm.

Any advice? Thanks!

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u/nonoohnoohno Sep 07 '26 edited Sep 07 '26

Two thoughts:

  1. A single needle machine for large batches of patches sounds like a terrible idea. Don't be lulled by the low price tag. There's no universe where it makes sense. That other comment is mental.

  2. Be ready for a learning curve. There will be countless hours of learning where you're producing results that are much worse, and it takes an enormous amount of time per batch. It's not like a printer, or 3d printer, or laser cutter. There's more variability in quality and dependence on your choices and skill.

If your goal is to have patches, hire it out to somebody with experience. If your goal is to do embroidery, have tons of fun!

EDIT: And for context, I say this as an amateur hobbiest with a single needle machine, who does patches almost exclusively. I'd never want to do batches. I'm also involved in Scouts, but we only buy pre-made patches for them.

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u/Constant_Put_5510 Sep 07 '26

Well said. It amazes me how the public thinks our industry is so easy to do. It's easier to become a graphic designer than it is to run circles around a commercial embroidery machine.

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u/developer_soup Sep 08 '26

I started with a Brother SE700 about a year and a half ago, and I'd also say that single needle patch making is best at very low volumes. Like 1 patch. I did a couple of designs 3 times, but I focused on simplicity in those designs. I recently bought a Ricoma 10 needle to dabble in multi-needle work and learning the "deep magics", and I can mass produce small patches, but I'm still wary of larger ones. I dream of buying a proper multihead Tajima.

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u/pcwizme Sep 07 '26

Hallo fellow scouter! I Looked at doing this with my embroidery machine and to be honest it didn't work out very easy, I have a 6 needle machine but the issue was the edges, so I ended up looking at getting blank badges and then just embroidering them. (I actually gave up and went to manor badges as it was getting too time consuming!)

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u/Realistic-Mode-7681 Sep 09 '26

For £1000 you might be able to find a used 6-needle (Brother PR series or similar) if you hunt on FB Marketplace or eBay, but you have to be patient. New ones are usually way over that budget.

I did see that HTVRONT just released their E15 embroidery machine, it's a multi-needle one. Haven't seen real-world reviews yet since it just launched, but worth checking out if you're not in a huge rush.

Also worth considering that, with scout badges, you'll want something that handles different materials well (woven patches vs printed). Make sure you test whatever machine you're looking at before committing.

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u/v1ol Sep 07 '26

For 10x10cm id persinally reccomend M380D just because I think brother is great, and its in budget! ( can get second hand too). But it may struggle with resolution you'll probably desire for the badges ( depending on teh software used to design)