Brother SE700 Review: The Best Entry-Level Sewing and Embroidery Machine?

If you've been wanting to try machine embroidery but can't stomach a $3,000+ price tag, the Brother SE700 is worth a serious look. It's a combination sewing and embroidery machine that does everything a standard sewing machine can do, with the added ability to stitch out embroidery designs, add monograms, personalize home décor, and embellish just about anything you can hoop.

It's not the most powerful embroidery machine on the market, but for a beginner, it delivers a lot of capability at a very accessible price.

Product Features

3.2" LCD Touchscreen A full-color display that lets you browse and select designs, resize them, rotate them, and preview exactly what your finished embroidery will look like before you stitch. It's intuitive and easy to navigate.

4"x4" Embroidery Area This is the standard size on most entry-level embroidery machines. The SE600 makes rehooping easier than average when you need to align a design across multiple hoopings.

80 Built-In Embroidery Designs Seasonal, floral, and kids' designs come pre-loaded on the machine. You can resize, rotate, or mirror any of them with a tap.

USB Port for Importing Designs You're not limited to the 80 built-in designs. You can download thousands of designs from embroidery shops online and load them onto the machine via USB. No cord needed — just a drive.

103 Built-In Sewing Stitches Everything from standard zigzag stitches to decorative options and an automatic buttonhole stitch.

6 Monogramming Fonts Easily adjust size and letter arrangement on screen. Additional fonts can be downloaded and imported as well.

Free-Motion Sewing Support Drop the feed dogs and draw your own designs with thread. Great for free-motion quilting and creative thread painting.

Automatic Needle Threader Pull the thread through the guides, pull down a lever, and the needle is threaded. Simple and fast.

Drop-In Bobbin with Clear Cover No removing a bobbin case. Just drop it in, and the clear cover lets you keep an eye on your thread level while you sew.

What Comes in the Box

• SE700 machine

• Power cord and foot control pedal

• Machine dust cover

• English/Spanish operations manual and quick-start guide

• Needles, 3 spool caps, spool net, cleaning brush, small embroidery scissors, 3 bobbins, and bobbin thread

• 7 presser feet: zigzag, buttonhole, blind stitch, zipper, overcasting, monogramming, and embroidery

• Detachable embroidery arm

• 4"x4" embroidery hoop

Pros

The price. Embroidery machines can easily cost thousands of dollars. The SE700 is a fraction of that and performs surprisingly well for the price.

Genuinely easy to use. The touchscreen walks you through the embroidery process. You don't need to take a class or watch a pile of tutorials just to get started. This is one of the most beginner-friendly embroidery machines available.

USB design import. Just download designs, load them on a USB drive, and plug it in. No cord, no computer required at the machine.

Continuous improvement. The SE700 is an upgraded version of the popular SE400, with improvements in both performance and ease of use.

25-year limited warranty with free online and phone support through Brother.

Cons

4"x4" embroidery area. For smaller projects like onesies, hats, and towels, this is usually enough. But for t-shirts, larger bags, or any project where you want a bigger design, you'll hit the limit quickly. If you think you'll want more space, consider stepping up to the Brother SE1900, which offers a 5"x7" embroidery area.

Needle breakage at high speeds on thick fabric. You may need to slow down when stitching through multiple layers or heavier materials.

English and Spanish only. Instructions are available in those two languages only, which may be a consideration for some buyers.

My Take

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The Brother SE700 is the machine I recommend most often to people who want to explore machine embroidery without a massive financial commitment. It's affordable, easy to learn, and genuinely capable for the type of projects most beginners want to tackle. Brother's quality and support are also hard to beat at this price point.

If you're ready for a bigger embroidery area or more advanced features down the road, the Brother SE2000 is a natural step up. But as a starting point, the SE700 gives you a lot to work with.

Have you used the Brother SE700? I'd love to hear what you've made with it in the comments!