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We don’t run these machines ourselves. EmbroideryBench reads everything that has been published about a machine — specialist reviews, video from working embroiderers, verified owner ratings and manufacturer specs — and turns it into one comparable score. Then we add the number nobody else publishes: what it actually costs to get that machine producing, driver and hoops included. Every source we used is listed at the bottom of each review.
What the score is made of
| Weight | Component | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| 30% | Specialist consensus | Trade blogs, dealer technical pages, video from working embroiderers |
| 25% | Owner consensus | Verified owner ratings with enough volume, r/Embroidery, r/MachineEmbroidery, trade groups |
| 25% | Verified specs | Field size, needles, stated speed, cap capability, file formats — from official documentation |
| 20% | Real cost of ownership | Machine plus cap driver, hoops and first-year consumables — not shelf price |
That last 20% is the part nobody else publishes. Everyone quotes the machine price. Almost nobody tells you what it costs to get that machine actually producing caps, which is the question you are really asking if you are buying one to make money.
Rules we hold ourselves to
- Five sources minimum. No machine gets a score on fewer than five independent sources. If they do not exist, we publish the specs with no score and say why.
- Sources are always listed. A meta-analysis without a bibliography is just a rewrite.
- Interested parties do not count as opinion. A manufacturer’s own description, or a shop reviewing its own stock, counts as a spec source and nothing more.
- Disagreement gets reported, not averaged away. When sources contradict each other, that is useful information and we say so.
- Every score is dated. Machines change, prices change, and a score without a cut-off date is worthless.
What we are good at, and what we are not
Someone who actually runs machines covers three or four a year and knows them properly. We cover forty and apply the same yardstick to all of them. Those are different jobs. If you want to know how a specific machine feels after six months in a busy shop, find someone who has one. If you want to know how twelve machines compare on the things that can be compared, that is what we do.
We also do not depend on a brand sending us a unit, which is the reason a lot of channels never publish a bad score.
If we ever do test one
The Tested badge is reserved for machines we have actually run, and it is not in use today. If that changes you will see the badge, the protocol and the photographs, and it will be obvious which reviews carry it and which do not.