Brother CS6000I 60-Stitch Computerized Free-Arm Sewing Machine with Multiple Stitch Functions Review
4.5 from 5
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 (0 - 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.
Brother CS6000I 60-Stitch Computerized Free-Arm Sewing Machine with Multiple Stitch Functions Overviews
The CS6000i from Brother is a 60 stitch computerized free arm sewing machine with multiple stitch functions. The machine features an LCD display for computerized stitch selection. The built in stitches include utility stithces for mending and garment construction, decorative stitches, heirloom stitches and quilting stitches. This machine has a one step automatic buttonholer with 7 styles of auto-size buttonholes built-in. The machine also has built-in super-wide 7mm zigzag and decorative stitches. The CS6000i is easy to thread with the automatic needle threader and our one-step quick set drop-in bobbin. Included with this machine are accessories for zipper insertion, darning, twin needle stitching, quilting, as well as an oversized accessory table to increase your sewing area for large projects and quilting. The quilting feet include a walking foot for accurate stitching of slippery fabrics or multiple layers as well as a quilt guide for precise evenly spaced quilt lines. The CS6000i also has a drop feed so you can create free-form or traditional quilt patterns. The machine can be operated without a foot control using the built-in one-touch start/stop and reverse features. You can also choose your most comfortable sewing speed with the electronic speed control. Accessories are included for quilting, zipper insertion, darning, twin needle stitching, buttonholes and button sewing. The machine is lightweight and protable and includes a hard cover to protect your machine when it is not in use. Instructions are bilingual in English and Spanish
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*Product Information Stored: Jan 12, 2010 19:24:24
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