Brother CS6000i Sew Advance Sew Affordable 60-Stitch Computerized Free-Arm Sewing Machine
by Brother
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List Price: Our Price: $149.99 You Save: $299.01 (67%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $124.00 (click here) Category: Art and Craft Supply See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Brother CS6000i Sew Advance Sew Affordable 60-Stitch Computerized Free-Arm Sewing Machine
Customer Review: love this!
Summary: 5 Stars
First of all, let me admit that I've never had a new sewing machine before and I've only been sewing a year and a half. Hence, I don't have a lot to compare it to.
That said, I am in love with this machine. I mostly do art sewing - I've had this machine about 2 months and have done two finished pieces and multiple practice pieces. How wonderful not to have to fight with my sewing machine to do the job! I just press a button and it sews!
My favorite parts so far: I love the push button sewing and especially the little slide thingy that allows me to adjust the speed. I do thread sketching and that slide thingy lets me go incredibly slow when I'm sketching a part that requires a lot of precision and speed up as fast as I want on the easier sections. Much more precision to it than a foot pedal.
I also love having such a variety of stitches at my fingers. I know that its not a lot compared to the expensive machines but compared to my $20 goodwill machines, it feels expansive.
It was incredibly easy to start sewing on this machine. I was sewing in about 10 minutes. The instructions are easy to follow and some are right on the machine. The drop in bobbin makes that part especially simple - I think it might be impossible to screw that up. The "needle threader" takes a few tries to get (the thread keeps slipping off the hook unless you are at just the right angle) but once you get used to it, its a nice feature.
I like how it tells you which foot to use with which stitch. I love the price. Mine came with a free quilting foot and walking foot which I've already used.
Cons: Its pretty lightweight. I've only had the heavy old ones and have read peoples opinions about light machines moving around on the table and didn't see what the big deal was. This one is light enough to lift very easily (a good thing) but when I was sewing a blanket, the weight of the blanket kept moving the machine. I think that might not be a problem with smaller, lighter pieces of fabric. It didn't do that with my smaller projects. Also, the attachable larger base thing (can you tell I haven't been sewing that long?) doesn't really fit closely. It works okay but is sort of warped or something so isn't totally smooth. Fortunately, that part is at the back right so it doesn't get too much in the way.
One really nice part. I bought this because I had a piece due for a show in less than a week and my old machine bit the dust. I was won over by the reviews on this and looked all over town for one to try. No luck. Only available online. I ordered it with two day shipping and got the machine at my doorstep in LESS than 24 hours. That was just great.
Customer Review: So Far, So Good!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am brand new to sewing and bought the Brother CS6000i in early March of 2011 after I had enrolled in an Intro to Sewing class and after having read a review on "Sewing Machines for Beginners" at [](The review of this Brother machine on this site is seriously comprehensive. I encourage anyone who is considering purchase of the CS6000i to read it through.) So, I've been sewing on both the Brother at home and Janome Sewist 500 in class.
Here are some likes and dislikes so far comparing the Brother to the Janome:
Brother - I like the auto-winding bobbin where you simply line up a notch on the bobbin to the spring (?) on the winder so that it 'locks', then wind some thread around it 5-6 times; it's is a little more timely than the ...
Janome - where you need to thread the bobbin through the top left eye and hold it 'up and away' and taut to ensure it threads tightly enough.
Brother - I like the stitches better than the Janome. The setting for a straight stitch at '3' on the Brother is similiar to the length of '2.5' on the Janome. And they seem 'cleaner' - but that may be because I'm new and not used to the foot pedal.
Brother - the ability to set speed is a real help especially for a beginner who still needs to feel out how to use the foot pedal. There is also an option to use the 'on' button to sew if the foot pedal is not connected to the machine whereas on the...
Janome - there is only the foot pedal option and I sometimes found I was going too fast and would lose control; or too slow and got stuck especially on sewing the zipper.
The light on the Brother is not great. They like to advertise how bright it is, but I personally didn't find it that bright at all. I haven't figured out the auto threading yet, however, I'm fine threading by hand as long as the thread is cut on a bias!
It did a nice job on my stitching a patch to my jeans (I switched the needle with a size 14 needle which arrived in the accessory pack.)
And the zipper foot seems to be easier to manage/sew with on the Brother compared to the Janome. I even ripped out the Janome stitches on the zipper and re-did all the stitching on the Brother and it seemed a helluva lot simpler than in class.
I'll see how it does once I'm an 'intermediate' sewer and more adventurous.
Thank you, Amazon.
:)
Customer Review: 5 stars - for the money
Summary: 5 Stars
Bottom line - it isn't a $[...] machine and doesn't sew like one, but it is enough like one to make the price feel like a big bargain!
I am a sewing machine junky, or so my husband says. I didn't really need a new sewing machine last year, but my 8 year old wanted to start sewing. I had the $1000 machine and I had the older harder to use models. I needed something fairly cheap, but easy to use so that she could get her shot at things.
I researched fairly heavily and landed on the Brother CS6000I.
First, the machine was reasonably priced and came with tons of equipment. I like that I didn't have to go buy a flat table for quilting or all the various feet involved with that. I also appreciate the hard cover that came with it.
Second, it is easy to use. The bobbin winding is well marked, as is the threading of the machine. Picking the right stitch is easy - and there are 60 to choose from (kind of sort of - arguably, there are only about 58 or so, but that is getting picky.) There is a speed control, which was great for DD since she could set things up to stitch slowly at first. The manual is readable, but still a sewing machine manual, so a bit limited in usefulness.
Third, it is lightweight - and easy to move around.
OK - cons -
It doesn't feel like there is as much room to the right of the needle as some of my other machines. I think it has to do with the shape of the body - the curve kind of eats into your space if you have half a queen sized quilt rolled up so you can stitch on it.
There isn't much light, despite the fact that the brag about how bright the light is. However, I have a desk lamp set up to light the back of the machine and another on the left and I have all the light I want. It really isn't a big deal.
It doesn't have some stitches that I like - like a good blanket stitch for putting on binding. However, I have found other stitches that essentially do the same thing.
Anyway - I didn't get my daughter to use it as much as I intended. But, I have made several quilts on it this year and have enjoyed it much more than I ever expected. The money was well spent and knowing what I know now, I wouldn't hesitate to buy this machine again.
Customer Review: Works great!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a beginner sewer and I have to say that I couldn't be more pleased with my Brother CS6000i. I read thru the instructions first thing, which were very easy to follow and had understandable pictures to go with each step. I plug it all in and away I went with sewing my first tote.
Some of the features I really like are...the cover over the bobbin is see thru, so you can see exactly how much you have left(my MIL's sewing machine doesn't have this, so its a perk for me, since her's was the first sewing machine i used).
Since I'm new to sewing I haven't quite gotten a good feel for how much pressure to put on the foot pedal when I start sewing....(i tend to like to go sloooow) So being able to set the speed for the machine to slow and not have it go any faster no matter how hard i step on the foot pedal is a BIG plus for me.
I also like that you don't have to step on the foot pedal to use reverse. You can just hold the button it and it'll go on its own.
The LED light is nice and bright, letting you see just what you're working on.
A few things that could use improvement.
It would be nice if the LCD screen was lite up....
The "storage compartment" is really just some empty space that just so happened to get labeled "storage compartment". It would be better and more functional if it slide out like a drawer.
The cover that comes with the machine functions just as it should....but(and maybe this is just me) it would be nice if there was a little space in the styrofoam(there is a layer of 'good' styrofoam glued into the top of the cover) for a spool of thread, so that the cover can be put on the sewing machine while there is a spool on the spool pin.
Also maybe it just needs some more use...but my needle threader kinda gets stuck sometimes....and No, I'm not using thick thread or the wrong needle...
So far I haven't used any of the fancy stitches...but I'll get around to it. One thing that did impress me was how well the machine did when i put (medium/heavy weight) fabric that was folded three times thru it(handles for my tote). It didn't have any problems going right over the thick fabric.
Overall I think this product is perfect for any beginner.
Customer Review: First sewing machine I've owned and love it.
Summary: 5 Stars
My 31 year old son bought this and is giving the review for this.
The automatic needle threader is a blessing.
The instructions on the machine for threading a bobbin are great for those that forget things easily. The light is good.
I almost didn't find the sewing tray extension except I had kept the box encase I needed to return it, and decided to use the box to help someone move out of their house with. Low and behold there it was in a extra cardboard box. It is really handy when used.
Hemming pant legs and everything else is easier to sew with the accessories box off. I wold recommend getting extra Levi's needles because they will break your normal needle if you aren't careful.
The only problems I've had is trying to hem Levies and going over seams, this will give you an error code even with a different needle. To fix this, I just skip over the seam and start sewing again. Also, really thin material will sometimes jam with the thread wrapping around and tangling up where the bobbin is, so you have to pull it a long gently.
Besides being patient on error codes, I love this machine.
When I ordered mine I bought it with the Brother 5300 Universal Sewing Machine Carrying Case because the original cover looked flimsy. It only covers the top and is awkward to move without a bottom piece and a hole in the side of the case to reach the handle already on the machine.
I took the packaging Styrofoam from the shipping box, cut off the extra pieces and padded the bottom of the Universal Carrying Case, and took the Styrofoam top protector from inside the original carrying case out (it's glued in there pretty good) and place that on top of my sewing machine before storage. The Styrofoam placed in the bottom of the case makes it so it dose not shift when moving and gives you two storage spaces on one side, and a large one on the other side of the machine for putting stuff like the plastic sewing kit with scissors sold at stores.