Janome Vs. Brother Sewing Machines: Brands Comparison and Review

Is there anything more challenging than picking out the best from top brand machines?

You know you could easily choose any, I mean, both Janome and Brother are top brands, right?

But then, you have to make a choice; so you scratch your head and wonder:

1. Which between the two will give me better quality stitches?
2. What feature will I lose if I pick one over the other?
3. What do I want my machine to do for me?

We’ll make your decision-making an easy task. In this review, we’ll compare Brother and Janome and tell you which carries the day.

By the end of this review, you will not only purchase your machine with ease; you’ll know how to buy any other item that puts you in a similar position.

Sounds exciting? Great!

Let’s hit it off.

How to choose one over the other?

Sewing machines have evolved over the years. Today’s machines can sew just about anything: even buttonholes and the hems of pants.

With a wide range of stitches, patterns and embroidery designs, sewing has become one of the easiest, most enjoyable hobbies.

So, how do you know which is better?

The easiest way to do this is to break the sewing machines down into features that make them uniquely stand out.

Both brands have adopted incredible differences that make them perform well, and both have somehow found a place in the hearts of many.

We, however, must understand that the best brand has to accommodate all types of users: beginners and sewing gurus.

We’ll look at the features that make each brand unique, then use this, to judge their overall performance. The features we’ll be looking at are as follows:

1. Quality of stitches
2. Budget
3. Heavy duty
4. Durability
5. Built-in Stitches

Ready to jump in? Great!

Which machine gives better quality stitches?  

The quality of a stitch mostly depends on the thickness of fabric you stitch on and the tension of your thread and the sewing machine model. 

While every machine uniquely offers a variety of stitches, their neatness is what really matters.

Most Janome and Brother machines are featured with exceptional feed systems and adjustable thread tensions.

These enable fabrics as thick as your blanket and those as thin as silk to have quality stitches.

However, with most Janome machines being mechanical, you end up having more control and better stitch quality than some Brother machines.

It doesn't mean that Brother stitches are bad, but generally, Janome produces better stitch quality. 

Which Brand has the most durable machines?

For a machine to be durable, it has to withstand heavy sewing like denim and leather without wearing out easily.

It’s important to remember that Janome has highly invested their machines in incorporating metal parts in as many of them as possible.

This means you can use Janome for a long while without having to replace certain parts, unlike Brother machines.

Which Brand sells the best Heavy-Duty machines Janome or Brother?

A good machine can stitch layers of fabric without breaking needles or ruining the stitch quality.

That being said, while both Janome and Brother provide machines capable of stitching through thick layers of fabric.

Overall, Janome has more heavy duty models in different price ranges than Brother.

Janome heavy duty machines like HD3000 (here's the review) and HD1000 (read reviews at Amazon) have stood the test of time, and have more raving fans than the Brother's machines like ST371HD (read full review). 

Check the Janome HD3000 at Amazon.

Check the Brother ST371HD at Amazon.

Which Brand gives you more Built-in stitches? Janome vs. Brother sewing machines

Brother machines have been customized to suit just about every user in the industry.

It’s as though they walked into every modern home and picked out all the basic sewing needs then incorporated them into the machines.

Having provided the sewists with the number of computerized machines, Brother machines come loaded with a lot of built-in stitches, with some machines having over 200 stitches that you can get with a touch of a button.

Brother’s partnership with Project runway has yielded easy to use and customizable machines like LB6800PRW (read about it). 

Janome makes the plethora of sewing machines, though many are mechanical and comes with fewer bells and whistles compared to the computerized models. 

Generally, Janome computerized machines have fewer in-built stitches than Brother, but it varies from model to model. 

Which is more budget friendly? Brother vs. Janome sewing machines

An affordable price on an incredibly good sewing machine makes for a good deal.

That being said, some brands will offer a wide price range, that’s friendly for both beginners and experienced sewists.

Brother offers some of the lowest prices for all sewists. 

Brother has the plethora of sewing machines under $100 range, something that Janome is not known for. 

Brother XM2701 is the best in this range. It's flying off the shelves like crazy. 

 Check the price of the XM2701 at Amazon.

Most of the budget computerized sewing machines sold in the US today are Brother and Singer machines.

Janome budget machines normally start from $200, except for few like Janome 2212 that are around $150. You can also read our Janome 2212 review. 

View the Janome 2212 at Amazon.

If you’re looking for the best-priced computerized sewing machine, then Brother is worth considering.

Brother CS6000i is one of the all-time best selling machines online. Unless you need a mechanical machine, it's more versatile and better value for money than Janome 2212.

Therefore, it's hard to beat cs6000i at an entry-level price point. You can check at Amazon.

Winner of the Janome vs. Brother:

Based on this review, Brother has highly featured machines that are suitable for beginners.

Their low prices give them a big plus because it makes them easily accessible to everyone.

Brother beats Janome hands down when it comes to the number of available options for the budget machines. 

Janome makes heavier, durable and higher quality machines than Brother and those are more suitable for intermediate and experts.

Here's the article about some of the best Janome sewing machines.

Here is a rate table that will give you a clear overview of our summary.

Shall we wrap this up?

Having looked extensively at the Janome vs. Brother comparison, you will agree with me that both brands are different.

Generally, Brother is famous for it budget friendly computerized machines for beginners.

However, it doesn't mean they don't have high-end machines; they do have those beasts too. It depends upon the model.

If you love mechanical and heavier choice, though, then Janome will serve better. Janome excels in this category, and you can find amazing mechanical models from $150 to $400 range. 

You now know what to look for when picking between two amazing products, so go on and make your decision.

Whichever brand you go for, be sure to enjoy your sewing experience, because you deserve to.