Brother 1500Q

A dealer nearby has a "preloved" Brother 1500Q. I'm frustrated with the small harp on my Viking Emerald & also with my walking foot which is a generic, not a Viking part, & it's not doing a good job at all. A Viking walking foot is about $130 online; but I'm wondering if it makes sense to invest more in the Viking given the small throat. So -- does anyone have the 1500Q, & do you like it? Should I go take a look-see? I really don't want to upgrade to something with computer screens & embroidery etc. -- I love the simplicity of a mechanical machine. I deal with screens & software enough at work! So a used straight stitch machine is an appealing idea.

Enabler here, go take a look see. Take it for a spin. Bring a typical quilt size sandwich with you and really test it out. Leave your check book and/or credit card at home. Tell the dealer you need 24 hours to sleep on it and you will definitely let them know either way before the 24 hours are up.

Good luck.

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Originally Posted by DeniseSm

Enabler here, go take a look see. Take it for a spin. Bring a typical quilt size sandwich with you and really test it out. Leave your check book and/or credit card at home. Tell the dealer you need 24 hours to sleep on it and you will definitely let them know either way before the 24 hours are up.

Good luck.

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I had thought of taking a sample sandwich but a quilt-size sandwich is a better idea! The Emerald is just fine for piecing but for quilting there's a lot of wrestling.

I have a Brother 1500S. I really like it. The throat on mine is about 8.5 inches. I can sitch in the ditch with or without walking foot. I am just starting to pratice free motion and have found it very easy to get the top and bobbin thread tension correct.

Thanks for starting this thread, Claire. I have the same issue of frustration with my Viking Emma, which has a harp of about 7" I think. I did purchase the Viking brand walking foot after much frustration with a generic foot. It has the interchangeable parts, so I have about 165 in it. I like the way it works, and it is very nice for garment sewing as well and I have quite a few othe feet that I like which are generic, but work OK with Emma. But I really lust after either the Brother 1500 or the Juki 2010 machines. Bigger harp space is the main thing, but the needle up/down options, faster speed and knee lifter lever is also very desirable. At this point I am afraid to go a dealer and sew on them because I fear I will have no sales resistance at all! A mechanical quilting machine is all I need and those two seem pretty much equal. I've been watching Craigslist to no avail. Let us know what you do, Claire.

I'm an enable also! I have to agree with Denise, go with a quilt sandwich and take her for a spin. I have the Babylock version of the Brother and absolutely love it. I too stitch in the ditch without the walking foot. I have to say that my machine has made a world of difference when it comes to FMQing.

definately go check it out. If it's in your price range you will be so much happier with the larger throat space. I had planned on getting the 1500 but ended up with the juki 2000qi. Absolutely love it. Still have my other machine for dec. stitching, etc but the space is just wonderful on the juki

I have the 1500. It makes a wonderful stitch and is easy to use. When I upgrade to a machine with a larger harp space for the frame then I will use the 1500 for piecing and still do some off-frame quilting with it.

I generally have mine on a frame but I'm getting ready to quilt a couple of quilts and will have it off the frame for those.

I see this thread is enablers only! I called them to see if they still had it, and they do; but they tell me it is a 1500S, not a 1500Q, and a floor model, not a trade-in. The sticking point is price -- they want $800 for it, and there are new 1500S's available online for $650. So it's not a bargain. But it would be a chance to test drive & see how I like it. My Viking dealer is great but as far as I can tell their machines with more throat space are all embroidery machines, & machine embroidery isn't my thing. (As you see from my avatar, though, I do like hand embroidery.) I might be able to negotiate on price with the Brother. But now I know how much they are asking I'm not feeling like it's an opportunity that can't be missed. :(

I might go look anyway, though, now I'm all enabled, and everything ...

seems a bit high- I think Amazon has them for about 550.

As long as you realize that this machine only does straight stitch. You can use it with a standard foot or with a walking foot to go forward and backwards. Or, you can sew free motion. If memory serves, the feed dogs cannot be lowered but can be covered to disable them. It really likes oil (at least my Pfaff equivalent machine did) and it was a bit of a challenge to get the bobbin loaded. Speed is pretty amazing, and the table space is nice as is the built-in cutter. Pay attention to the noise. Mine was much noisier than I anticipated, but DEFINITELY go check it out.

The dealer should be willing to negotiate. I would not pay that much.

I would be afraid to buy a used one. I had two....just sold one with a Gracie frame...and on both of them the needle up/down feature had quit working which was a bummer for having it on a frame. You can buy one cheaper online, but what do you do when you need service? It can sew faster than you can drive....but when FMQ, you will probably not be able to go full blast. I use mine a lot when I have a lot of long seams to sew when making aprons...it will flat out move. It has a pin-drive setting that allows you to control the feed of dogs....in other words you have more than the setting of feed dogs up or feed dogs down....there are settings in between. I do like mine....I just don't think I would buy a used one.

If I were going to spend that much, I'd go for a new Juki instead of the used Brother. Love mine!

For the Viking - the walking foot with the snap on feet is awesome. It can also be used on the decorative stitches and in reverse if needed. I lucked out with mine and got it at 40% off. Still pricey, but it was worth it.

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Originally Posted by Claire OneStitchAtATime

I see this thread is enablers only! I called them to see if they still had it, and they do; but they tell me it is a 1500S, not a 1500Q, and a floor model, not a trade-in. The sticking point is price -- they want $800 for it, and there are new 1500S's available online for $650. So it's not a bargain. But it would be a chance to test drive & see how I like it. My Viking dealer is great but as far as I can tell their machines with more throat space are all embroidery machines, & machine embroidery isn't my thing. (As you see from my avatar, though, I do like hand embroidery.) I might be able to negotiate on price with the Brother. But now I know how much they are asking I'm not feeling like it's an opportunity that can't be missed. :(

I might go look anyway, though, now I'm all enabled, and everything ...

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Mine is the PQ1500S....and that's probably what the machine is. I think I would go try it out....you can always order it on-line, if you still want it.

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Originally Posted by MartinaG

As long as you realize that this machine only does straight stitch. You can use it with a standard foot or with a walking foot to go forward and backwards. Or, you can sew free motion. If memory serves, the feed dogs cannot be lowered but can be covered to disable them. It really likes oil (at least my Pfaff equivalent machine did) and it was a bit of a challenge to get the bobbin loaded. Speed is pretty amazing, and the table space is nice as is the built-in cutter. Pay attention to the noise. Mine was much noisier than I anticipated, but DEFINITELY go check it out.

The dealer should be willing to negotiate. I would not pay that much.

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The feed dogs on the 1500 can be lowered, if that's the machine you're talking about.

I've had my eye out for a used 1500 for a while now so I can put it on a frame. I can't see spending full retail on one, and with it being a mechanical machine I know hubby can fix it if something happens.

They don't seem to come up for sale very often. I just barely missed out on it's predecessor - the 1300 - on Craigs List.

If it's the quilter you are after, make sure the number starts with PQ, Brother has other models numbered 1500. I found that out posting here about the PQ1500 without the PQ and got a bit of advice from owners of a different brother machine.

There's a PL1500 for one. It's the first 2 letters that identify most.

The one I have and love is the Brother PQ1500S. It is straight stitch, has thread cutter, needle up/down, knee lift for presser foot, and came with all the accessories I needed. I just bought extra bobbins. It has liked all the different threads I have triedYou should be able to buy a new one online for around $600. I just finished a cal king quilt for my daughter (110 x110") start to finish on this machine. The one thing I know about that it has that is different from the Juki is that there are 4 options for the feed dogs, not just up or down, this involves a pin feed which I haven't really used. I rarely need the walking foot. I chose this lower cost option because I wanted to make sure this was a hobby I wanted to pursue. I have had it about 16 months and I still love it and have not felt any need to upgrade yet. It does not have an empty bobbin alert but the sound changes so I know right away. It also does not have a speed control but I'm not sure I would use it. It is very fast!

I have the Brother PQ1500S too!! Love, love, love it! Works on the Gracie frame and wonderful for piecing!

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Originally Posted by Squeaky

I've had my eye out for a used 1500 for a while now so I can put it on a frame. I can't see spending full retail on one, and with it being a mechanical machine I know hubby can fix it if something happens.

They don't seem to come up for sale very often. I just barely missed out on it's predecessor - the 1300 - on Craigs List.

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I got lucky! Not even a week after posting about how I couldn't find a used one, I found one! PQ1500S - it's on its way to me now and I should have it by the weekend. WOOHOO! Can't wait to post up a review after I've had a chance to play with it.

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Originally Posted by Squeaky

I got lucky! Not even a week after posting about how I couldn't find a used one, I found one! PQ1500S - it's on its way to me now and I should have it by the weekend. WOOHOO! Can't wait to post up a review after I've had a chance to play with it.

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Yay! Lucky you. I've been assessing our budget & thinking its not a good time to go fall in love with a new sewing machine. I'm thinking I'll hold off for a bit.

Well, I got a good deal on eBay and this acquisition means I need to sell one (or two) of the machines that I already have that do the same thing. There's only so many times i can use the "I have this one in case my primary machine breaks down" excuse.