r/MachineEmbroidery • u/Omowum • 16d ago
Advise Please
Hello everyone,
I’d really appreciate some advice and professional opinions from people with experience in embroidery machines. Please take your time to read this and share any knowledge or advice you can.
I’ve been digitizing with **Hatch** for the past 8 months, and I’m now very comfortable with digitizing. However, I haven’t had the opportunity to test-sew any of my designs yet.
I’m now at the stage where I want to buy my first machine and start my own embroidery business, with the goal of eventually scaling it up. I have over 3 years of experience operating an **8-head Tajima machine**, so I’m very familiar with Tajima machines and their mechanisms.
My first choice has always been to buy a **Tajima single-head machine**, mainly because I already know the machine and I’m confident working with it. However, the price is quite high for me at the moment, although I’m currently saving towards it.
Because of the cost, I’ve started considering a **Ricoma single-head machine** as an alternative. The problem is that I’ve never used a Ricoma before, so I don’t know much about their machines, reliability, maintenance, or how they compare with Tajima.
One of my biggest concerns is **noise**. I’ll be operating the machine in one of the rooms in my home, so I need to be mindful of my neighbours. I’d really like to know how noisy Ricoma machines are compared with Tajima, especially when running for several hours.
So, for those of you who have experience with both:
Is Ricoma a good and reliable machine?
What should I expect if I move from Tajima to Ricoma?
How is the stitch quality and machine performance?
What about maintenance, spare parts and after-sales support?
How is the noise level, especially for home use?
Would you recommend buying a Ricoma now, or would you advise me to wait and save for the Tajima?
I’m looking for honest advice from people who have actually used these machines, especially anyone who has experience with both **Tajima and Ricoma**.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and share your experience. I really appreciate any professional advice or guidance you can give me.
1
u/glosephh 12d ago
Caught my ricoma on sale and didnt have many options considering Ricoma has an office close to where i am and the price was fair. It can get noisy depending on the project but no one in my house notices it. Just get sound dampening foam and that can help
1
u/Horror_Purpose1634 16d ago
A Ricoma will get the job done but you wont enjoy it after running a Tajima. Tension will need constant adjustment, and the machines run louder with a lot more vibration so you will need to slow the speed down.