Finding the perfect embroidery or sewing machine to suit your hobby or career can be time consuming. Some machines almost seem identical to each other with similar features, functions, and project capabilities which makes choosing between them hard.

The Janome MB4 is an impressive machine that’s well built, powerful, and great for just about any project. But how good is it really and how does it hold up? In order to help you understand the quality of this machine, we’ve put together a complete review of the Janome MB4.

Janome MB4 Needle Embroidery Machine Review

Design and Build

At first glance, the Janome MB4 embroidery machine looks like it would be an industrial machine, but it’s actually intended for home use. It’s pretty heavy and measures 27” x 25.8” x 18.2” so you aren’t going to be working with a small machine, but it’s definitely good quality.

The Janome MB4 has four needles. This allows you to switch between colors or use multiple colors at a time when sewing or designing embroidery. It can also hold up to eight spools of thread, making it easy to access even more colors in a short amount of time.

To the side of the needle embroidery machine, you will find a remote screen control display. It’s a relatively large screen that makes it easy to control the design you use, embroidery speed, and any other function you might want to adjust. The buttons are easy to find and change and the screen even has a USB port. It’s really quite a breeze to upload your designs and change the functions on this machine thanks to the digital screen.

When looking at an embroidery machine, hoop size can often cause problems or be a reason for why you turn away. Luckily, the Janome MB4 is prepared for this and has three different hoop sizes readily available: 50 mm x 50 mm, 5” x 4.3”, and 9.4” x 7.8”. It’s pretty easy to switch between them and you don’t have to worry about being limited to only one or two sizes. The machine also comes with an automatic thread cutter and embroidery area tracing.

Accessories

With the purchase of the Janome MB4, you’ll also get:

• 5 bobbins
• A seam ripper
• Needle threader
• Lint brush
• 9 spool nets
• 5 spool caps
• 4 screwdrivers in different sizes
• Tweezers
• Oiler
• Accessory case

Options and Features

The Janome MB4 comes with different options and features built in. We loved the impressive options and the machine certainly has some more advanced, heavy duty features than your typical home machine.

There are 50 embroidery designs already uploaded and ready for use on the Janome MB4. You can use any of them whenever you want, but you can also upload your own designs via USB. It’s not too difficult to modify and create the designs and if there’s one in particular that you use often, you have the ability to save up to 100 designs on the machine.

We loved that there are 10 monogram fonts in addition to the 50 pre-uploaded built in designs.

There are, of course, some features that really do make the high price more understandable. One such feature you won’t find on any other model of machine: the bobbin winding motor. This specific feature is designed to rewind a bobbin even while the machine is still in full use.

Another fantastic function is the automatic jump thread trimming. You can program the machine so that after a set number of stitches have been made, the machine will automatically trim your jump threads.

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Performance

Even while the Janome MB4 has some impressive features and a heavy duty build, it’s still normal to have some doubts about the performance. We thoroughly tested the performance and found that there are both pros and cons in running this machine.

It should come at no surprise that the Janome MB4 is a complex machine. It’s designed to do just about anything for both hobbyists and professionals, but it certainly gets complicated when you start to use it.

Luckily, the threading of this machine is really easy so you won’t find yourself struggling to run four different threads at a time. Just follow the color coded threading guides and let the machine do the rest. We actually found it even easier and quicker than trying to thread a serger, which surprised us too.

In our opinion, the machine does not come with an easy way to see your design. You can get around with the included digital screen well enough, but it doesn’t actually allow for you to see your design while it’s in progress unless you purchase an additional screen attachment. This is a drawback, but it’s not impossible to work with.

This machine, in addition to sewing and embroidery, has the ability to create lace designs. This is not something many home sewing machines can do which is definitely a huge plus to the Janome MB4.

The overall performance of the Janome MB4 is incredible. Once you get used to it and figure out how to work its more complex features, the machine runs beautifully and creates great designs. However, it does take quite a bit of time to understand the machine and be able to use it without stopping and getting a bit confused.

Conclusion

The Janome MB4 is a great embroidery machine that packs all the punches. Its almost-industrial quality ensures it will last long and be heavy duty enough for most work you’ll need it to do. Not only is it great for sewing and embroidery projects, but it can also make lace designs. It’s easy to upload patterns and adjust the settings on, it has a great LED light, and comes with several preloaded designs to help get you started.

If you’re a beginner, you might want to give this a pass until you’ve gained enough sewing experience to really harness and enjoy the benefits and advanced features of this machine. Overall, the Janome MB4 is impressive and is a joy to work with for any advanced enthusiast.