Janome 500e Review & Analysis
You really can’t go wrong with an embroidery machine from Janome. Janome is known for their embroidery machine range, which includes the Janome Memory Craft 500e. Designed as an updated version of one of their previous models, the 500e is made to be easy to use and with tons of embroidery designs to choose from—and you can select so easily on the touch screen. There’s a lot more to the Janome 500e though, which we’ll go through in our Janome 500e review.
Janome Memory Craft 500e Overview
The first thing you’ll probably notice about the 500e is that it’s not like a traditional sewing machine. Instead, it includes a large, full-color touch screen that will help you choose what stitch you want or what design you’re looking for. Then there’s the embroidery arm permanently mounted, and which is designed in a way that it’s simple to snap embroidery hoops into place.
In general, the Janome Memory Craft 500e is an easy-to-use machine. Just press the start button that’s right next to the thread cutter button and the touch screen menu will come on and will be ready to use. You can turn on the LED lights to see the small details while you’re working, or plug in a USB to add more designs. There’s even a slot to insert floppy discs if you still have those.
Personally, we were impressed by the sturdy construction of this Janome embroidery machine, which is completely scratch resistant, and therefore great to transport and travel with. We also appreciated the fact that the designs were very exact and came out exactly as we saw on the touch screen.
Ultimately, this is a great embroidery machine to add to your arsenal. The main issue comes from the price tag, and the fact that you’ll need to learn the software if you’re not already familiar with some of the newer sewing machines out there.
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Features and Accessories
Before you buy the Janome Memory Craft 500e, you’ll want to know what you can expect out of this machine in more detail. There’s a lot that goes into this Janome 500e.
Designs and Embroidery
You have 160 built-in designs right at your fingertips, which means that you have tons of possibilities for unique designs right out of the box. Thanks to the USB port as well, you can upload new designs too. All of this really means that the design possibilities are endless, especially with the 6 available fonts for monogramming and the 2 and 3 letter monogramming.
All of this embroidery happens at a speed of 400-860 SPM, and at a maximum size of 7.9 by 11 inches.
Touch Screen
As a newer embroidery machine, the Janome Memory Craft 500e embroidery machine does include a full-color touch screen, which is quite large and easy to see. We noticed how easy it was to use with the on-screen editing that let us enlarge or reduce, rotate, flip, drag and drop, combine, copy and paste, zoom in, and so on. Really, the touch screen lets you imagine what your design will look like before you put the effort in yourself.
Threading
One of our favorite features in the Janome 500e is the auto return of the thread. Basically, when you cut the thread, which you have a button to help you with, the thread will automatically return to the machine. This minimizes the tangling of the thread and should make it easy for you to continue working right away.
Centering
As a part of the technology on this machine, know that it will help you to figure out your designs. This means that it will automatically center your designs before it begins, which will save you a lot of problems in doing the estimations yourself.
Flexibility
Let’s say you change your mind in the middle of a project. The flexibility of this machine makes it easy to convert the colors of your embroidery, and for you to add new designs to what you already have.
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Construction
This machine is made in a way that will help you do the best work possible. This includes the extra-wide extension table, which you can use for larger projects, and the 8 clamps that you can use to keep all of your cloth in the right place. It helps too that this machine is made with an anti-slip sticker on the bottom, so you machine might be working hard, but it certainly won’t go anywhere as you work.
Accessories
When you get your Janome 500e, you also receive some accessories to go along with it. This includes an oil dispenser to help clean your machine, a lint brush, a stylus for the touch screen, needles, bobbins, and 4 embroidery hoops. Beyond that, there are many other included accessories like an extra spool pin.
There’s also an included instructional DVD for those of you who don’t have much experience handling these new modern sewing machines. This will help you figure out how to use it, but you have the owner’s manual too if you need it to help you out.
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Product Benefits
The Janome 500e clocks in at a solid price point, so the real question is what the benefits to this machine are. Well, there are certainly a lot of benefits that may make that price tag worth it to you.
On-Screen Editing
You have the option to edit your work on the touch screen, which is one of the main features of this sewing machine. All you have to do is choose your design, and there are many that you can scan through, and alter it to your specifications. This means that you have the full power to combine designs, copy and paste, rotate, change the color, change the size, and more.
The editing means that it’s possible for you to imagine what your design will look like before you begin using your fabric and your threads. Forget about wasting your thread on this machine.
Easy to Use
If you’re a beginner, you might find that this is the perfect machine for you—or if you just haven’t used one of these more modern sewing machines yet. This one is easy to use since you’re able to control every piece of this machine just with the touch of a button on the screen, so even more experienced sewers should find this machine more than manageable.
This is especially true considering the fact that you have an automatic needle cutter and a built-in needle threader. It’s never been easier to do your work when you don’t need to worry about all the little details.
Bobbin and Threading
Along with being easy to use in general, the Janome 500e includes options that are meant to make your life more bearable. This includes an extra spool pin that ensures that you won’t need to unthread the machine at any point. Just wind up the bobbin according to the guides that are running along the top of the machine.
You can even adjust the speed that you wind the bobbin at using the buttons on the LCD screen. Pushing the start/stop button also ensures that the bobbin keeps winding or that it stops winding.
Once you run out of thread, drop a new bobbin according to the guidelines—everything is right there for you to see, so it’s easy to use this sewing machine for all of your projects.
Save Your Designs
This is a new, more modern machine, which means that you have the more modern option of a built-in memory. You can save your designs right on the machine or plug in your flash drive to add in new designs. Transfer files in and out just by clicking a button, so you have infinite options for your next project.
Use With Lots of Fabrics
You have a lot of options when it comes to sewing on this machine, meaning that you can use any color or design you have in mind.
You can also choose from multiple different fabrics too. This includes fine fabrics, cotton, knits, synthetic fabrics, denim, upholstery, and leather. It won’t go through multiple layers too easily or fur, but you can do multiple projects with just this one machine.
Embroidery and Sewing
If you’re an avid sewer, this is a great option, but you can also use it to design your patterns and choose how you want your final product to look. We found that the touch screen allowed us full control over the embroidery process, and that it was quite user-friendly too.
There’s a larger area for embroidery too, not to mention the fact that this machine works quickly and with precision too. It’s actually really easy to rehoop the machine for embroidery, especially thanks to the extra arm.
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Quality of Product
With the included editing options on this machine and your overall availability of designs, you might wonder how it all turns out when you actually have your designs on the fabric.
Well, we found that the actual finished designs really are unbeatable. The whole machine works great and the actual process feels smooth and turns out a high-quality product in the end.
Using the Janome
We tested out this Janome to see how it would feel as we worked. It really was easy to use once we had the thread and bobbin in place because it was as easy as just touching a button on the screen and scrolling through options to figure out what we wanted to sew.
It was even great that the embroidery designs were categorized by hoop size in the menu, so it’s easy to pick which option and to insert borders or customize the design. We watched the machine make each design too.
We found that while the speed of the embroidery will slow a little bit with the complexity of the design, but overall, it continued to run smoothly as it worked. It was quiet and there was only a little vibration to it—and each design came out perfectly every time.
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Conclusion
You have a lot of options for your sewing project when it comes to the Janome 500e. Pick your design, your colors, and edit them to your heart’s content right there on the LCD screen. It’s simple to use this machine, so if you can look past the bulky size of this machine and the price tag, it’s the perfect option to get all of your projects done.