"First off, I normally don't write reviews. But after checking this machine over and having a chance to sit down and sew with it for awhile, I feel I need to. I ordered my Brother CS6000i after reading reviews (pros and cons) and comparing the machine's features to other machines. It was on my doorstep in less than 48 hours (thanks, Amazon!) and arrived perfectly safe. I primarily do clothing construction and alterations and this machine is wonderful for that! I was factory-trained at Pfaff back in 1985, so I understand very well how sewing machines work. I would like to comment on some ill advice that has been given in some of the negative reviews concerning this machine. DO NOT USE METAL BOBBINS. The bobbin case is plastic and metal bobbins will scar plastic and damage this part and then the correct bobbins won't work well. This machine does not use the clear plastic class 15 bobbins, it uses the SA156 - they are not the same. Over and over the manual says that if you use the wrong bobbins, poor thread, damaged or wrong needle, or thread the machine incorrectly (top or bottom) that you will have problems -- that is going to happen with ANY machine, not just this one. Forget some of the youtube videos that are poorly done and just read the manual! (You can download a copy directly from Brother and see for yourself how well it is written. I did that before I ordered the machine.) I watched a youtube video where a young lady was demonstrating how this machine works and I had to turn it off very quickly - she had it threaded wrong before she even got to the needle. It's sad that somehow the ones who follow that kind of information will blame Brother for a defect that didn't exist. I've only had the machine a few days, but I've read the manual from cover to cover and put this machine through every single stitch it does and it sews beautifully. I've tried it on knits and cottons. How it will hold up over extended use remains to be seen. Throughout the manual it is stated to use only the SA156 bobbin, good quality thread and the correct needle for the fabric you are sewing. 99% of all sewing problems are related to those three things as well as especially keeping the race area clean, so I repeat that advice because it matters. This machine sews beautiful buttonholes! The default needle position for the straight stitch is in the left position. Yes, that surprised me a little, but the basic foot (J) is also aligned to that position, so if your eyes follow the open line on the foot, that's where you will look. No straight stitch foot comes with the machine (I think those should be basic with EVERY machine, but at least it is available as an optional accessory). But, because there is no straight stitch foot, having the straight stich in the left needle position may help to eliminate skipped stitches on some fabrics. The straight stitch needle position can be moved from left to right by increments in the default stitch pattern (00)by adjusting the width setting - a convenient feature for sure! If you prefer the straight stitch in the center, just change to pattern 01, but keep in mind that the basic foot J has the thread slot to the left, so unless you change to a different foot that has the thread slot centered, this may actually annoy you. If you need a 1/4" seam, go to pattern 37 or 38 and the needle will be aligned properly to the edge of the basic foot (J) without needing to use a separate 1/4" foot. It can't be any simpler than that. I like that you can drop the feed dogs and control the sewing speed. (Now, if we could just get away from universal pressure and go back to mannual pressure adjustment I would be ecstatic!) I used a level on the extension table to adjust the feet and now it is very stable on my sewing table. One of the reasons I chose this machine was because it was light weight and easy to transport. It's not so complicated and loaded with things that I will never use yet it has so many useful stitches that it is beyond basic. I know that because it is lightweight there is less metal, but there is less metal in most of today's machines, even the pricey ones. One of the things I would advise is to buy a surge protector if you don't already have one and plug your machine into that. Computer elements are sensitive to power surges and this will protect your machine. Keep in mind that this machine only has a .65 amp motor. It's not built for heavy industrial sewing so don't expect it to. Depending on how well lit your work space is, you may want more light. There are two lights in this machine, both LED: one is right in front of the needle (love that!) and the other is on the left side of it. The machine's default position is needle down. You can change that to needle up if you prefer and then just use the needle down position for turning corners and such. That, too, is a really nice feature! This machine is so user-friendly! This is going to be one of my favorite machines to sew on. The machine can operate without the foot control (not something I will probably use), but there is something to be aware of about the way this foot control is designed. It's lightweight, too, and for someone who is dealing with physical problems that make it difficult to use their feet, try using the foot control under your arm. It works quite well that way. Thumbs up, Brother - you did a good job on this machine. I'd buy another in a heart beat! Note: I've since worked on a project that was a double layer of upholstery vinyl (embroidered edges). It never skipped a beat. I just used the the regular foot (J) and it worked beautifully. Normally, I would have used a teflon foot for this kind of work, but at present I don't have one for 7mm, but this machine handled the work just fine. (Another thumbs up!) 4/16/13 - Last week I finished the top to a baby's quilt that had a lot of applique in it. The stitches are amazingly perfect and consistently so. I could not be happier. This machine made it so easy to do! The more I use it, the more I like it!"
Brother CS6000i Feature-Rich Sewing Machine With 60 Built-In Stitches, 7 styles of 1-Step Auto-Size Buttonholes, Quilting Table, and Hard Cover (Compare Deals from $139.88)
"I have been sewing for about 40 years and am just getting started as a volunteer sewing instructor for 4-H. After much research and reading many reviews I purchased three Brother CS6000i machines from Amazon.com for my club. I sew contantly, mostly making dance costumes and clothes. This is not the machine I would select for ME as I need a more "heavy duty" type of machine. I currently own a Brother Innovis 500D and it is satisfactory for my use, but I would like better. However, the price for what you get is what sold it to me. I gew up and learned to sew on an old Singer, owned my own Singer until it broke, then owned a Brother, a Viking, and a Baby Lock. So, I know a bit about sewing machines. The CS6000i seems to be a great machine for beginners or for those who will give it average use. It also has some nice features for quilters. For my club I wanted something that would be easy and quick for my 3rd - 6th grade students to learn and use. I wanted a one step button hole maker, a drop in bobbin, and few decorative stitches. In addition, I really wanted a computerized sewing machine that would tell my students what foot to use with each stitch selection - however, this "wish list" item would be decided by cost. The CS6000i fit the bill and it has the computerization I really wanted for my students. The auto needle threader was a bonus, but is difficult to learn...but works well if one can figure it out. I like it but my 9 year old daughter prefers to thread the needle manually. I have yet to try it with my students - that is for next months classes. One of the machines had tension trouble right away. I rethreaded and changed the bobbin a few times, adjusted the upper tension, with no luck at fixing the problem. Then I remembered reading a review about the thread type. I switched threads and it worked. The funny thing is the other two machines will work with the thread I took out. Oh well, rule of thumb, these machines may not like some types of thread. Bobbin winding. Two of my machines had trouble winding the bobbin evenly. The thread would not go to the top of the bobbin on its own. When I compared the three machines I immediately notice that on two of them the metal Thread Guide (step 1) was bent in toward the machine and one Thread Guide was straight up. It was no surprise that the two machines with the bent Thread Guides were the ones that would not wind the bobbin evenly. My guess is that this piece can bend during shipping or with the cover. This is a really thin peice of metal and it was very easy to move it back into a straight position. Once that was done the bobbins wound evenly. It was a good thing that I had three machines to compare. Inserting the bobbin. Two of my machines insert easily - like it should. With one of my machines I have to make sure the thread catches in the metal part under the first plastic strip (which looks like a long flat toothpick). If the thread does not catch, the bobbin thread will not have any tension and your stitches will never be right. (This is mentioned in the manual with pictures.) I quickly learned how to hold the thread at the right angle to get it to catch. I can also apply a bit a pressure (hold down) to the small plastic piece while inserting the thread and it will catch. The cover. I agree with most reviewers that commented on the cover that it is almost worthless. There is no bottom to it and you can not cover the machine with thread in it. Yet, I have found a way to adapt it to what I need in my class. To save on the cost of thread we use cone thread (more yards for the cost) and I have a cone thread holder for each machine. Since the thread is now on it's own stand and not on the machine I can cover the machine with it threaded (thread and thread stand are on the outside). Obviously, this would not work well if you had to move the machine. This is a light weight machine which means it has a lot of plastic parts. Plastic does not last as long as metal. True, plastic parts do not cost as much as metal to replace, but labor charges are still the same. I don't expect my machines to last more than 5 years - either due to plastic parts, computer wear, or student use. It comes with a 25 year warrenty, but look at what that covers. The real warrenty is 1 year, just like many other machines. When this machine breaks it may be more cost effective to replace than to fix. Remember, just like a car, keep mantainace and cleaning fees in your budget. Your machine should last longer with proper care and mantainace. I gave the CS6000i five stars because I think it is a great machine for the price. When the club can afford it we will purchase a 4th machine. For my sewing club I think the Brother CS6000i is the perfect fit. However, time and use will be the true test. It would be great if everyone could update their reviews a year or two later."
"This is my second experience with sewing machines. My first was a toy Singer sewing machine that I just returned because it was was dead on arrival (well, shortly after actually). That was a Christmas gift for my daughter - a great idea, and though we had not thought of giving her one ourselves (my wife does not sew either) she was very excited about it when she opened it. Unfortunately when I called the Singer toy sewing machine support line they recommended returning it because they suspected a faulty part that they did not have in stock. That turned out to be a lucky break for us. So we ventured to Sears to check out what else was available, where we saw the Singer 7442 and a few cheaper models. It seemed like it would be nice to able to do more than just simple stitches, and the prices were not all that different ($140 - 200). A quick look at Amazon at the 7442 lead us to this Brother. Because the reviews were slightly better for the Brother CS6000i (and because I had just returned a Singer, and was not all that excited about getting another of that brand) I bought the Brother. After using it for a few days I am very happy with this purchase. I gave it five stars, because for the price it really is a very nice machine (which you can read about in other reviews here). Easy to use, with lots of options that actually work and do make it easier to use. It does seem to have high quality parts where it matters. It is fun for her to have the wide variety of stitches, and the one step button hole feature might be useful if she gets more into sewing. But nothing is perfect, and so here are the downsides that I did not see much written in other reviews are: It comes with a cheap (bottomless) cover that can't be called a case. It can't even really be called a dust cover since it has a hole near the top so you can reach the handle of the machine to carry it. It doesn't hold the additional pieces of the machine either. Brother should have just just saved that poor tree instead of including this 'case'. I'll be storing the machine and the additional parts in the original box and foam packaging. Although that is a quite a bit bigger than really necessary, it will provide much better protection than the 'case'. It's too bad they didn't spend just a little more on the box packaging and give up on the 'case' idea. They could have made the box a very functional and protective storage mechanism if they just made it easier to pack. The machine is constructed with a fair amount of plastic (though it seems to be metal in the places where it matters). The 25 year guarantee gives me some hope, but in general when I think of something made of plastic with electronics in it, longevity does not come to mind. When I was looking at the antique Singers (401a, etc), all made of metal, still working after 30-40 years, I felt a pang of anguish for our society that has shifted from making and buying high quality long-lasting products in the US to off-shore produced planned obsolescence. What a waste of resources, pity about pollution through the whole process, not to mention the jobs. I will be surprised if the LCD and electronics in this system are still working in even 10 years (I'm going to try holding on to the receipt for the life of the 25 year warranty because I bet it will come in handy at some point). Maybe I'll tape it to that cheap cover.... The manual is quite good (without really knowing anything about sewing I was able to get the machine set up and sewing in about an hour), but would be much better if it were specific to this model. There are many places in the model where it says, "Or you can do this if your model has this feature." Well, there are times when I'm reading it when I'm not sure if my model has that feature, and it takes some time to figure it out. It really seems like Brother should be able to print different versions of the documentation for their different machines at not much extra cost. I would pay a few more dollars in the overall price to have a customized user manual. On a positive note, every time I've hit one of those sections so far, this model does have the feature."
"Recently, my loyal White 3270 machine gave up the ghost. Of course, this occurred when I had several orders for skirts, and I was in need of a machine that was economical yet had several different stitch styles. After some browsing through Amazon, I came upon the Brother 6000i. The consumer reviews sang the machine's praises, and $149.00 later, my machine was on it's way. Let me make this clear before I start my review: I am, at best, a novice seamstress. I am steadily improving my skills, so this review is going to be from the perspective of someone who uses maybe 1/4th of the features that this machine is capable of performing. For the advanced features, I will simply refer to the instruction manual (which comes in both English and Spanish versions, by the way). Physical Appearance and Weight This machine is snazzy-looking and weighs considerably less than my dearly-departed White. The corners are rounded, and the dark blue and white coloration is pleasant. The 60 different stitches that the machine is capable of are printed on the face of the machine in dark blue ink, and easily readable. In terms of durability, the light weight does make me dubious; however, I do not plan to drop kick the machine to test whether or not it would survive. Included in the Package This is my first "electronic" sewing machine. That is, the machine is programmable. There is a digital display; you use the various buttons on the machine to program the desired stitch and functions. Maybe I am just easily impressed, but I find the ease with which I can select the stitch I want to do very convenient, especially as compared with my last machine. The machine includes a nice assortment of presser feet, including a quilting walking foot that can be used on slippery fabrics. There are 7 different button hole settings, zipper insertion, darning, and twin needle stitching support (!!). The package itself includes: -an oversized accessory table that attaches to the machine to support larger items, especially quilts. -several different presser feet, including some of the higher-end (read: super complicated sewing techniques I don't know) ones. -oil, a brush, and a spare bobbin. -spare needles. -an electronic pedal. -a power cord. -a hard cover to store the machine when not in use. Ease of Use I will make this simple: the machine is cinch to use, and with electronic speed control, a dream come true for my novice abilities. Without reading the manual, I was able to figure out how to thread the machine, how to thread the bobbin, how to choose the stitch that I wanted, and how to make it go. One of the neat things about this machine is that it can be operated with either the foot pedal (plug it in) or a button on the front of the machine (do not plug in the pedal). While I prefer to use the pedal, if you have issues with being able to depress the pedal, or maybe just no room to use it, you are able to still sew! Winding a bobbin is easily accomplished through the automatic bobbin-winding feature. The box states that the machine has a "drop-in bobbin", which is mostly true; you still need to slide the thread through a few loops to get it started. In terms of picking up the thread, I had no issues. As a matter of fact, I was able to begin sewing with no problems whatsoever; the machine performed exactly as desired. In terms of the non-tangible features, there is a 25-year warranty! Given how happy that I am so far with this machine, hopefully I will never have a need to invoke said warranty. Knowing that it is there is definitely a plus. Finally, the instruction manual. There are a lot of pictures to explain how to use the machine. As I said before, I do not use many of the features available (at least, yet), but if I needed to, the manual is very thorough. There are actually two separate manuals, one in English and one in Spanish. There is a small piece of paper included, also, which states "Uses common replacement accessories: Bobbin: Class 15 plastic bobbin; Needle: standard sewing machine needles". While all of this information is available in the manual, including a quick reference piece of paper is convenient; I can simply stick the paper in my bag so that I do not have to worry about flipping through the book to find out this information. Overall For the price, this machine is EXCELLENT! Let me say it again: if you are looking for an economical, light-weight, comes-with-many-spiffy-features machine, this one is for you. Amazon is currently selling this product for $149.00 with free Super Saver shipping (free two-day shipping if you have Amazon Prime). I recommend this machine for both the beginner or the pro seamstress/seamster (?? not sure the male prefix!). With all of the features and items included, you are sure to produce lovely items."
"I had tried 4 other new machines before this to replace an older Singer I have. This Brother is way beyond superior to all of the others and has more features, yet is easier to thread, wind bobbin, load bobbin, and sew with. It also comes with more accessories, including a quilting table, and it runs with a nice, smooth action with easy controls. The foot pedal is wider/bigger, so easier to locate and press on. I tried two Janome models (not high end) that cost as much or more than this. After them a Toyota that does have nice stitches but is not easy to control! It sews really fast no matter how softly you press on the pedal and kind of clunks as it goes--strong, yes, but over the top for "normal" mending or sewing of fabrics. The Janomes didn't hold up well and had trouble passing across fabrics, and one of them (similar models) seemed it stalled or held up before moving along. One Janome had trouble with jeans, and neither had features anywhere near like this machine. I had tried another manual one in between that was supposed to be marvelous and sew leather and upholstery, but those things just don't run smoothly and are hard to control. They also have the metal front load bobbins, which I hate. On the Brother CS6000i, the machine has extras like instead of just holding the bobbin thread in place by hand, there is a channel you feed it through below where the bobbin sits, with a cutter on it, so it starts the bobbin for you. This concept holds true for installing the bobbin in the machine. You drop it in and pull it through a channel like other bobbins, BUT you go a step further and pull it through an extra channel with a cutter on the end. At this point you do NOT have to pull the bobbin thread up with the needle (in most sewing situations): it begins sewing and pulls it up by itself. There is a quilting table included in this model, plus a quilting foot, and many other feet, a tool kit, oil, and a screwdriver that is far better than usually come with this price machine. The screws on this machine have a much wider slot than any machine I've owned and the driver is wider--point being it seems to go the extra mile with everything on it. It comes with a solid plastic cover that fits down over with a hole in the side where you reach into a groove in the machine to lift it. The machine's groove (hand grip) takes the place of a floppy top handle. Those always irritated me because they get in the way of the thread when you go to move the machine. This grip does not. This has a manual tension adjustment--on top only, as far as I can tell. (On manual machines you can also adjust tension in the metal bobbin holder). Perhaps you can this, but I think it's "just" a top dial, and mine came set maybe at 3.5, so I had to move it up to 4.5 or so to get both top and bottom threads to look smooth. It worked great, though, and the stitches are uniform and consistent. I hemmed some jeans for my husband with one of the heavy duty machines I tried (Toyota) and had a heck of a time getting past side seams. I now have hemmed my own jeans with this and the side seems aren't as big, but it breezed right past. What a relief!! So, hey, I actually hated sewing until I decided I need to make a few quilts, but this machine is probably 300% better than any of the others I tried and has surprisingly better features than I ever imagined it would. I can't find a thing about it I don't like and will keep it forever. I even ENJOYED hemming jeans today! (That's nuts, for me!)"
"I shopped around for a new machine and almost went with a world famous name brand, until I really read the user comments. The famous machine very similar to this one, was getting comments having to do with the timing of the motor which is manufacturer error solely and not an easy thing to get fixed which with a brand new machine you shouldn't have to do in the first place. With this Brother machine the negative comments IMHO have to do with people not reading or following the directions. I have been using this machine daily since it arrived and so far I just love it! The needle threader works fine, I have no trouble with it at all. I have tried every single feature of this machine, all the stitches, the buttonholes. One of the only things I find kind of "cheap" is the markings on the button hole attachment, while some are marked the others on the sides are not and are a royal pain to try to read on white plastic, it wouldn't cost that much to dab some paint on those markings or to make the thing out of metal. I find that threading the machine is extremely easy to do and the bobbin is a snap to wind and put in place. My only other complaint is the work light, it really is not very strong at all but that can be got around. This is a true value, a great home machine, an extension table which I find invaluable, a cover to keep dust off, several sets of needles,bobbins,punch,screwdriver and just about every attachment made for this machine. The only attachment I bought separately was the 1/4 inch quilting foot, which I really didn't need but it's nice to have, and I only paid $9 for that. I will most likely shop around for a carrying case for this machine, it's worth protecting. I learned on a 1942 famous name brand S and then was given a 1979 second hand machine, another famous name brand with a K which has been nothing but a mess all these years. I was going to go with a new machine, famous name S because I was comfortable with the name and trusted it but I have since found out that the machines are not what they used to be. I decided to take a chance on this Brother and so far I am really glad I did. I feel I got real value with this. Let me just say here that if you are going to be working with lots of heavy fabrics then stop being cheap and spend the money to get a machine built to do that, don't complain that this machine breaks or messes up. If you want to do normal home sewing or quilting then this machine has what you need to accomplish those tasks. UPDATE Feb. 2015 Just finished my first quilt on this machine, had no trouble at all. Followed the directions on using the correct needle and good quality thread, gave it one cleaning just to be on the safe side,wasn't a bit of nothing in there but any machine needs cleaning. Took the advice of not using canned air to blow the lint into the machine and used a small paintbrush and a vacuum. Didn't care for the little brush that came with it. Maybe I am one of the lucky ones and didn't get a so called lemon I don't know but so far the machine has been able to handle everything I've thrown at it. I saw where one person had a bit of trouble with it moving some on the table, I had that happen too so I got some of that kitchen drawer liner, can't think of the name of it to save me, but it's the waffle type rubber stuff. Put some of that under my machine and it ain't moved since. :)"
"I am new to the sewing world and had a difficult time trying to figure out how to thread it. My husband had to try to figure it out. Once you get passed the threading part, which the machine automatically threads the needle, sewing became a breeze. I was amazed at how quiet it sews. I am still learning how to measure accurately and straight but for the most part the machine guides you. It offers many types of sewing functions and comes with different needles to get you started in case the one needle breaks. For me, that was a plus! Over all I am amazed with the machine and hope to learn to quilt soon. I will update you at a later time once I get the hang of it. Shipping was prompt as I recieved it a day early! Replacement needles can be bought here on amazon for a low price. Thank you! UPDATE 11/30/12 - Threader needle eventually bent so getting thread through the needle is impossible. Will be contacting Brother for replacement part or looking for it online. So far machine works fine for quilting. Working on my 3rd quilt. Will be keeping you posted. UPDATE 12/1/2012 - contacted Brother regarding the Threader piece and yes they would cover the repair under warranty at an authorized Brother dealer. Unfortunatley for me that's about an hour and 15 mins away. Brother would not send me the threader for free; I had to pay for it. So much for warranty.. Anyway, The Threader assembly comes off easily as it slides off. Waiting for replacement arrive in the mail so that we can fix it. 12/7/2012 - Replacement threader assembly arrived a few days ago and after a few threadings the middle needle bent again. So I had to go back to the old method of maually threading it with a threader. Also, this machine did not last very long. I was sewing this morning when the dogs decided to shred up the bobbing thread. Despite my best efforts to clean everything out it continued to shred and then eventually broke two needles. This was my breaking point and decided to package it up for return to Amazon. This is really bad timing considering I am making quilts for my niece and nephew and time is running out. So I had to run to Sears to purchase the Singer 2010 which seems to be working smoothly. Well, I have tried to keep you updated with my experience with this machine. If you are reading this chances are you're probably confused as the reviews are very mixed. I went based on the positive reviews, too. Despite what I wrote about the Brother Machine in my original posting, I admit that I loved some of the following features: * Brother offers the walking foot and many of the optional feet in addition to the basic accessories. * Awesome grid. It provides the 1/4 mark for sewing whereas the Singer does not. It made quilting easier. * The set up for winding the bobbin is fool-proof. I do wish the Singer made it that easy. * 60 built-in stitches What I did not like: * Found the extension arm to be unstable during my quilting. When trying to push the material through the machine the legs on the extension arm would fold in making it more difficult. Yes, I am only a month in of learning to sew, but now that I have the Singer I am able to make some comparison. * Threader assembly failed to work * Warranty is only covered if you take it to an authorized dealer. Be sure you have a dealer close by * Dogs shredded bobbing thread on multiple occasions eventually leading to needle breakage and ruined fabric * Built-in light is not very bright All in all I really did try to enjoy this machine. I wanted it to work and be able to provide a final positive review, but I can't. My journey and updates end here. I hope my review is somewhat helpful to you. I wish you the best!"
Brother CS6000i Feature-Rich Sewing Machine With 60 Built-In Stitches, 7 styles of 1-Step Auto-Size Buttonholes, Quilting Table, and Hard Cover (Compare Deals from $139.88)
