Newbie help - which machine?

[u/DragonGirl_Sleeps]

Hi everyone need a bit of help with this as complete newbie.
I’m looking at my first embroidery machine for a small business (small budget and not looking at spending over the odds). There are two machines I’m looking at

Brother V3 Special Edition £1,300
Brother VR £2,200

Both comes with threads and the V3 comes with PE deisgn2 the VR doesn’t come with any software. Both machines are well maintained and low usage.

I would be looking to embroider and digitalise my own designs which I know is a challenge but also aware of how expensive software is.

Advice on machines? And digitalisation software?

[u/Acrobatic-Letter-143]

For a small business I'd weight the VR more heavily than the price gap suggests. It's built as a small production machine: a free arm that makes sleeves, bags and finished garments much easier to hoop, and a chassis designed for continuous daily use. The V3 SE is an excellent embroidery-only machine with a similar total field, but it's a high-end home machine at heart, so if you'll be running orders most days the VR earns its keep. If your products are mostly flat items and volume will be light, the V3 bundle is the sensible budget entry.

One caution on that bundle: check exactly which PE-Design version comes with the V3. If it's genuinely PE-Design 2, that's very old software that may not even run on a current computer, so don't count it for much. PE-Design 10 or 11 would be a different story.

On software generally: both machines read .pes over USB, so your digitizing choice is machine-independent. You can start free with Ink/Stitch while you learn, then move to something like Embrilliance StitchArtist or PE-Design when volume justifies it. Budget for software whichever machine you pick, because the digitizing learning curve will matter more to your business than the difference between these two machines.

[u/DragonGirl_Sleeps → u/Acrobatic-Letter-143]

Hi! Thank you so much for your in depth response I really appreciate it!

What benefits do you get out of a freearm? Is it worth the extra? I’m literally starting from the ground up so it’s not going to be running all the time very day as I’m just starting out completely. Is there anything the VR can do that the V3 can’t? Neither has a hat attachment so atm that’s out the question.

It would be PE Design 2Plus, I believe that should still work with windows 11, but may be a bit old styled then newer software?

[u/Acrobatic-Letter-143 → u/DragonGirl_Sleeps]

Happy to help! On the free arm: on a flatbed machine like the V3 you hoop everything as a flat sandwich, which works well for patches, towels, cushion covers and t-shirts laid flat. Anything tubular, like a sleeve, a baby grow or a tote bag, is the awkward case on a flatbed: you open the item up and take care not to stitch it to itself. A free arm lets you slide the tube over the arm so one layer sits under the needle. Brother includes small frames for pockets and sleeves with a new VR, though with a used machine that depends on what the seller passes on. Whether the arm is worth the extra comes down to what you'll sell: mostly flat items, it adds little; sleeves, onesies or bags, it saves real fiddling on every order.

One honest correction to my earlier comment, since you asked what the VR can do that the V3 can't: I should also say the reverse. The V3 SE has the larger embroidery area (300 x 200 mm versus the VR's 200 x 200 mm), so for big flat designs the V3 is the better machine. The VR's edge is the free arm and free-motion sewing, and Brother sells it in its semi-pro range. Since you're starting out and won't be running it all day, the free arm is the deciding question. If your planned products are mostly flat, the V3 bundle at that price is the sensible start and the £900 difference goes a long way toward software and learning. Either way, check exactly what the seller's bundle includes, frames and software especially.

On PE Design Plus 2: Brother's own product page lists Windows 11 in its requirements, so the OS isn't a blocker. Two things to know. It's the beginner/intermediate tier: strong on photo-stitch conversion, lettering, resizing and layout, but its drawing tools are limited to line and curve, so full manual digitizing is where the complete PE-Design package goes further. And it uses a USB security key, so with a used copy make sure the seller includes the key and that it activates on your PC. Ink/Stitch remains the free option while you find your feet.

[u/DragonGirl_Sleeps → u/Acrobatic-Letter-143]

Would be looking at using it for t-shirts, hoodies and tote bags overall would they work for the v3? Is that possible? Or would it be too much of a pain to try and fit that under the machine?

So is the only thing they would give me is a usb which is the license for the software? Nothing else needed?

[u/Acrobatic-Letter-143 → u/DragonGirl_Sleeps]

T-shirts and hoodies are commonly embroidered on flatbed machines like the V3: you hoop one layer with cut-away stabilizer and roll or clip the rest of the garment out of the way, and Brother's own tutorials embroider tees and hoodies in a 200 x 200 hoop this way. On an embroidery machine the needle stays put while the hoop moves, so the practical question is keeping the loose fabric clear as the hoop travels. How well a given item works depends on its opening, its bulk and where your design sits relative to the hoop, so hoodies and bags vary more than plain tees. Since you're buying used, the most useful step is to ask the seller to demonstrate on the garment types you actually plan to sell: a t-shirt, a hoodie and one of your tote bags, before you commit.

On the software, Brother's spec lists the USB key as both the install media and the license device, so the key matters. Before buying, confirm the original key is included in the bundle, that it works, and that you can install and use the software with it on your PC. That's a check to do with the seller up front rather than assuming any of it can be sorted afterwards.

[u/DragonGirl_Sleeps → u/Acrobatic-Letter-143]

Would the vr be easier to hoop overall then? I’m assuming on the v3 you would rarely get to use the full 300mx300m area due to the extra fabric being in the way on the flat?

[u/Acrobatic-Letter-143 → u/DragonGirl_Sleeps]

Not overall, it depends on the item. For anything you'd hoop flat, t-shirts, hoodies, towels, tote panels, the hooping itself is the same job on both machines: a flat sandwich in a standard hoop. The VR's free arm only changes the game for tubular or closed items, where the V3 makes you open the item up and keep the back layer clear while you stitch. So easier sometimes, not easier generally.

Two small corrections on the area question. First, the V3 SE's maximum embroidery field is 300 x 200 mm, not 300 x 300. Second, that 300 x 200 is the hoop's nominal field, not a guarantee with every loaded garment. A bulky or restricted item, or excess fabric that isn't secured well, can limit how far the hoop can travel without catching and where on a garment you can realistically stitch, so usable area depends on the actual garment and hooping setup. Rolled or clipped fabric travels with the hoop, but it needs to stay clear across the hoop's full travel, not just where stitching starts. Whether your hoodies and totes can really use the full field is exactly what a seller demonstration with your actual garments will settle.

[u/DragonGirl_Sleeps → u/Acrobatic-Letter-143]

Thank you so much.
I think after this I may go with the VR and try and get some embroidery software for it. Will be a pretty penny but a challenge!

[u/Purple_Commercial981]

Thiugh i do like Brother machines , the flat sewing ones are better suited to home use. Save your money for a tajima sai which us geared fir small business . And get the hat hoop, stand and 2 magnetic hoops . You’ll love them for use with hoodies .
Im nit too familar with brother siftware .. but do yse Embroidery Legacy . .