Personally I love my Brother SE-400. It is a very capable machine with plenty of stiches to choose from and even works as an embroidery machine in 4x4 inch squares
When in doubt always completely rethread the machine from scratch, making sure the presser foot is raised, so that the thread easily slips in between the open tension discs(they close when the presser foot is lowered), check that the bobbin is in the right way around and make sure to change your machine needles every 8 hours or every new project. I also make sure to clean out any dust bunnies and oil regularly. I prefer using vintage full metal bodied mechanical sewing machines as they are so much more reliable and durable. Personally I never really use any of the fancy stitches (straight stitch, zig zag, overlock sometimes buttonholes) so the older machines suit my needs over the new machines out there which I find so slow to use.
Let me know how it works over time. I bought a similar model a couple of decades ago and had a lot of issues with skipped stitches. I have bought a Janome MC 6600 twice. Now I have Janome, Juki, Babylock and Sailrite machines. I have 9 machines way too overkill. I use my Juki Industrial the most.
Personally I love my Brother SE-400. It is a very capable machine with plenty of stiches to choose from and even works as an embroidery machine in 4x4 inch squares
When in doubt always completely rethread the machine from scratch, making sure the presser foot is raised, so that the thread easily slips in between the open tension discs(they close when the presser foot is lowered), check that the bobbin is in the right way around and make sure to change your machine needles every 8 hours or every new project. I also make sure to clean out any dust bunnies and oil regularly. I prefer using vintage full metal bodied mechanical sewing machines as they are so much more reliable and durable. Personally I never really use any of the fancy stitches (straight stitch, zig zag, overlock sometimes buttonholes) so the older machines suit my needs over the new machines out there which I find so slow to use.
Let me know how it works over time. I bought a similar model a couple of decades ago and had a lot of issues with skipped stitches. I have bought a Janome MC 6600 twice. Now I have Janome, Juki, Babylock and Sailrite machines. I have 9 machines way too overkill. I use my Juki Industrial the most.
I doubt I'll buy a brand new machine again. There's plenty of older model second-hand machines around.
Sooooorry... It would be great to see you trying the buttonhole foot after all!!! Please... Jajajaja