BERNINA E 16 Review

It wasn’t until a recent visit to Once Upon a Quilt in Ft. Lauderdale that I discovered the BERNINA E 16, a multi thread embroidery machine made by BERNINA.

I was fully aware of the extensive line of BERNINA quilting frames, but that was the extent of my awareness of what I like to call oversized BERNINA sewing machines.

At A Glance

Bernina E16

So many large cones of thread

Even before walking into Once Upon a Quilt, I couldn’t help but notice the large industrial multi-thread embroidery machine in the window, sitting right next to the door.

There were so many large cones of thread, I couldn’t tell exactly how many thread cones were actually mounted on this huge machine by just looking at it, but I didn’t bother to count them.

The machine sat atop a large black cabinet with lots of storage space beneath and a numerical control pad with a slide out quick reference guide on the right side.

The oversized bobbin housing is situated directly beneath the work bed and above the spacious storage cabinet. The BERNINA E 16 has a patented cylindrical arm – the smallest in the industry – which makes working on very small items like pockets and baby clothes much easier than ever performing similar tasks on other machines of this type.

Oversized bobbin housing beneath the work bed

Features

• Automatic tension adjustment
• Narrow cylindrical arm
• Sews up to 1400 stitches per minute
• Chenille technique enables 3D embroidery
• Computer compatible
• Extra-large embroidery field – 400mm x 350mm
• Laser alignment
• Rotation 1, 90 and 180
• Automatic thread trim
• Automatic thread change
• Automatic thread trim
• Adjustable presser foot pressure
• 1000 on board designs
• BERNINA exclusive Go Pro hook system

Working on the BERNINA E 16

The sixteen cone thread pad and needles have very easy to follow thread paths, making this professional multi-thread machine as easy to thread as possible.

The on board quick reference guide is not only helpful in setting the BERNINA E 16 up for creating any one of the 1000 on board embroidery designs or working form one of the almost infinite number of downloadable images on your computer.

Keypad mounted on the right side of the machine

The keypad, which is mounted on the right side of the machine, is used to navigate through the 1000 on board design patterns which appear on the computer screen.

You also use the keypad to adjust the design size and to program thread color sequence in case you decide you want to customize a specific design. A handy, easy to understand quick reference guide which is attached to the right side of the keypad helps the user navigate through the entire process.

Laser technology allows you to quickly and easily pinpoint the center point of your design to assure that it is placed exactly where you want it to appear on your sewing project.

When all your settings are locked in all you have to do is press the green button on the keypad, stand back and watch as the BERNINA E 16 creates your design flawlessly.

At 1400 stitches per minute, it doesn’t take long for even the largest most intricate of designs to be completed.

For this review, I watched as a multi colored design came to life in what seemed like a flash. When it was time for a thread color change, the BERNINA E 16 paused momentarily while it automatically tied off the first color and moved on to the next. The finished design was flawless in every way.

Flawless finished design

Fabrics

• Natural fibers/cotton-linen-wool
• Fine fabrics/silk-satin-taffeta/velvet
• Knits
• Synthetic fabrics/blends-rayon-polyester
• Denim
• Upholstery
• Leather/suede
• Fur
• Reptile skin
• Canvas/Twill
• Plastic/Rubber
• Extra thick fabrics or multiple layers

Accessories

Standard accessories:

• Go Pro operator’s kit
• 4 Embroidery hoops
  • 36 x 30 cm
  • 44 x 30 cm
  • 10 cm round
  • 15 cm round
• Cap embroidery field 36 x 8.2 cm

Optional accessories:

• Additional cap hoops and drivers
• Specialty frames and hoops
• 3 Pocket frames
• BERNINA embroidery software compatibility
• Exclusive BERNINA design compatibility

Maintenance

Tying Off The Loose Ends

When it’s all said and done, I think the BERNINA E 16 is a good single purpose industrial embroidery machine that can be used at home, in a factory or a studio where customized embroidery is featured.

Anyone who would invest in one of these machines for home use should be committed to machine embroidery in a major way.

Not only does it require a lot of additional space – much more than a traditional sewing machine or a combination embroidery and sewing machine – it costs significantly more than most home sewing and embroidery machines or single purpose embroidery machines designed specifically for home use alone.

Bernina E 16 requires a lot of space

The BERNINA E 16 is not the first multi thread embroidery machine I have seen or reviewed. There are, in fact several from which to choose… the Janome MB4, the Brother Entrepreneur Pro 1000e and the Melco Bravo.

When compared with the others, I found that the BERNINA E 16 can hold its own. I do, however, have concerns about the fact that this machine, like most of the other multi-thread embroidery machines that I reviewed, has not been on the market for a very long time.

With this in mind, I must give the same caution to anyone who is ready to take the BERNINA E 16 home that I give everybody who is seriously considering a machine that is relatively new on the market.

We do not have a history with this machine or a gage against which to compare how it will fare after several years of use. In the showroom and right out of the carton, the BERNINA E 16 works beautifully.

If the name and reputation of the manufacturer is any indication of the E 16’s durability, I can say that you should expect it to give many years of reliable service.

This does not, however, mean that I would not recommend the BERNINA E 16. It is capable of doing things that other multi-thread embroidery machines cannot do… namely produce chenille textured 3D designs.

The BERNINA E 16 also has the smallest cylindrical arm ever produced on a machine of its type, enabling the user to create embroidery designs on pockets and baby clothes with ease.

With all this to its advantage, I encourage anyone in the market for a multi-thread embroidery machine to take a very close look at the BERNINA E 16.

This machine is not by any means what one might call cheap or economically priced. It is, however, a BERNINA, and brings with it all of the workmanship and quality that BERNINA is known for.

The BERNINA E 16 is not for everyone. For that matter, very few of the people who sew for personal use or professionally will have a need for any multi-thread embroidery machine.

However, it just might be the perfect choice for the machine embroidery enthusiast who spends more than seventy-five percent of their time on machine embroidery projects as well as for the embroidery professional who is in the market for a new addition to their studio or busy workroom.

Before making a final decision as to which multi-thread embroidery machine to add to your personal sewing room, your professional workroom or embroidery studio, I think you owe it to yourself and to your clients to visit your local BERNINA dealer and ask for a demonstration of the BERNINA E 16.

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