Janome Memory Craft 500E Embroidery Machine

This machine is well made and has features and hoop sizes equal to much pricier machines. Because it is a dedicated embroidery machine it excels at embroidery. Like any machine, it has it's own quirks but so do the pricier machines. The quirks are easy to live with and if it is more reliable that our previous pricier machine, it will be a win-win situation!

I purchased this 3 months ago. The motor seized and bushings gone. Because I purchased from USA and live in Canada. No warranty I find out. Buyer Beware

Machine is well made; it runs fast and quiet. I agree with some of the reviews if you need to learn CNC embroidery this may not be for you. Start with something less expensive but I would recommend Janome. This purchase to replace my wife's MC300E so she was up and running in just a few minutes. So far, no problems at all and the extras are a big plus. Don't forget a CF card readier if you have older designs you want to use with this machine. You will need to transfer them to a thumb drive or use CF reader attached to the machine.

Why did you pick this product vs others?: The machine was advertised “used like new”, and although it really looked new, never used, and put back in the original box with all the content, but without the the instructional DVD and the embroidery editor CD, they did not package the machine properly and was almost falling apart. Basically all the screws under the machine were loose laying at the button of the box. A plastic cover on top of the machine and one piece by the embroidery surface were misaligned; I had to push those plastic covers to close the gaps between back and front, and screw 2 tiny missing screws in the embroidery arm. They did not bother wrapping the box with enough tape to the point that the button of the box was almost exposed, what I believe contributed to the machine to shake inside and and all the screws got loose and the plastic panels detached. Long story short, I was lucky that nothing got damaged. I tested the machine with three designs, and didn’t notice any mechanical problem. Maybe the fact that Janome machines are so tough and well put together, this one in particular did not suffer any critical damage at all, and I was not obligated to return it.

I’m sure this is a great machine and works wonderfully! Buuuuut I don’t think sewing is up my alley! It was very complicated for me (I had no prior experience) so I decided to return it. I had to watch several YouTube videos to help get it set up and ready to use. The thread kept breaking off inside of the machine, not sure if that was user error or bad thread or if something is wrong with the machine!