In spite of several reviews around the internet based on mis-information by salesmen trying for an up-sale, I really believe that the Brother LB6800PRW is identical to the very popular Brother SE400 except for the Project Runway branding. The only difference between the two combination embroidery and sewing machines is that the Brother LB6800PRW comes with a rolling tote bag and has the Project Runway logo on the front of the machine. And, of course, the price. The price difference which used to be more than $100 has narrowed considerably this year to less than $50. So, first, are the two machines really the same? And, second, why would you want to pay more for the LB6800PRW?
Why Am I So Sure The LB6800PRW Is The Same Machine As The SE400?
When I said that the two machines are the same, in answer to a question on a review, I stirred up quite a bit of controversy. People had all sorts of misunderstandings of the features and accessories of both machines. Sometimes the descriptions aren’t clear. Some of the confusion came from salesmen. Personally, I never trust a salesman who doesn’t have what I want and is trying to sell me something more expensive instead. So I set out to learn everything I could in order to compare the two machines and share the results of my research with you.
I’m sure the Brother LS6800PRW and SE400 are identical machines because . . .
- I compared the specifications for the SE400 vs the LB6800PRW. The Specifications and the User Manuals from Brother’s website for the two machines are exactly the same. See for yourself: Brother SE400 Specifications and Brother LB6800PRW Specifications.
- A woman in an embroidery forum reports that she asked Brother Support and they confirmed that the machines are identical.
- Descriptions on merchant sites and from reliable reviews are the same.
Why Buy The Brother LB6800PRW instead of the SE400?
You’re a Project Runway fan and would really enjoy using the official Project Runway sewing and embroidery machine and the very cute PRW rolling tote bag. If you take your machine to classes and workshops or over to a friend’s house to sew together, the rolling bag would be very useful and worth having.- Sometimes the LB6800PRW is less expensive than the SE400. The Brother SE400 is so popular that Amazon has trouble keeping it in stock. When it goes out of stock, the price can go crazy as Amazon sells it from third-party vendors. And the LB6800PRW can become a much better buy. Always check both current prices before deciding which machine to buy.
- If you need these embroidery supplies and accessories, the LB6800PRW with the Grand Slam Embroidery package offers incredible value for the money. It’s not always available, so be sure to check.
The Brother LB-6800PRW with Grand Slam Package includes:
Brother LB-6800PRW Project Runway Computerized Sewing and Embroidery Machine with USB Port
67 built-in sewing stitches • 70 built-in embroidery designs • 120 frame pattern combinations • 5 monogramming fonts • USB port with computer connectivity for importing embroidery designs • automatic needle threader • push-button thread cutter • back-lit LCD touch screen with help and reference guide • 4×4 inch embroidery area • Quick-Set drop-in bobbin • automatic bobbin winding • One-touch start/stop/reverse button • operates with or without foot control • electronic variable sewing speed control allows you to choose your most comfortable sewing speed • free arm/flatbed convertible sewing surface • lots of accessories • Project Runway rolling bag
Polystar Embroidery Thread on Snap Spools and Thread Box
You get 61 mini-king spools, each containing 1,000 meters of 50 wt. Polystar embroidery thread in shiny and vibrant colors. You never need to convert the colors because the Brother color names and numbers are printed on the bottom of each spool. The thread is stored securely in individual compartments in the thread box. The snap spool design prevents the thread from unraveling and helps you easily find the end of the thread.
Click here to see the actual colors.
144 Pre-wound Bobbins
The Grand Slam Embroidery Packages includes 144 pre-wound bobbins, 95 meters each, 100% spun polyester bobbin thread in white color, style M.
15,000 Embroidery Designs
This set of three CDs has over 15,000 professionally digitized embroidery designs — from angels to zoo animals, there’s something to suit any project.
Just connect the LB6800PRW to your computer with the included USB cable and copy the designs over. You can copy either directly from the CD, or save them on your computer first. There’s no need for a card writer box and extra software because the download software is built into the LB6800PRW and uses the USB port. Works on both Windows and Macintoshes.
All the designs are in .pes format which is the preferred format for Brother embroidery machines. This means that you don’t need embroidery software or an extra step just to convert the format. The designs are ready to go.
Cap Hoop
The cap hoop allows you to embroider logos and names on baseball-style caps and hats. It attaches to the 4×4 inch embroidery hoop that comes with the LB6800PRW and holds the cap bill firmly outside the hoop while you embroider on the cap itself. You can personalize caps for your whole team with this cap hoop. You can find instructions for using the cap hoop in my post, “Cap Hoop for Brother SE400 Embroidery Machine.”
Tear & Wash Stabilizer
Stabilizer is essential to support the fabric and hold it in place for embroidery. Without proper support, designs can pucker, pull or snag. Tear & Wash Stabilizer is torn away after the design is stitched and the rest dissolves in the wash, leaving a clean result.
Stork Embroidery Scissors
These charming little scissors are perfect for fine detail work. The needle-sharp point gets into all those hard-to-reach places. The stork scissors come in a beautiful leather case with a magnetic button for easy closing.
Thread Converter Pro III
When you have a large inventory of embroidery thread from different brands, it can be difficult to know which colors to use for a particular design. Thread Convert Pro III makes it simply by converting thread colors from fourteen different thread manufacturers.
This software converts thread colors to and from Brother or Polystar, Sulky, Madeira, Guterman, Coats & Clark, DMC, Robison Anton, AngelKing, Kingstar, Isacord, Isafil, Marathon, Anchor, and Pearl Yacht.
All You Need To Get Started
With the Brother LB6800PRW sewing and embroidery machine plus the Grand Slam Embroidery package, you have everything you need to get started embroidering except fabric or your creative project to embroider on.
Check Out The Three Choices
The prices and availability of the Brother SE400, LB6800PRW, and LB6800PRW with Grand Slam Embroidery Package are always changing. So you need to compare all three to find the best value. I almost always find the best price at Amazon, and I’ve always been very happy with their service, so I always look there first.
Check the current price and availability of the Brother SE400 here:
Check the current price and availability of the Brother LB6800PRW here:
Check the current price and availability of the Brother LB6800PRW with the Grand Slam Embroidery Package here:
I hope that this extensive information helps you choose the right embroidery machine for you. Have fun with your new hobby.
I have the project runway 6800 machine. They didnt have any more logo bags when I bought mine so they subed another bag. Fine with me I love it. The machine sews beautifully. The machine embroiders beautifully. The designs are easy enough to download off of the internet onto my laptop and then to the machine. The only drawback is if you want a larger hoop. I also have another embroidery machine that cost a lot more and it does that. I am very happy with this machine. I think the grand slam package is worth it. The CD with all of those designs is worth it. Some of those cost 300.00 from other providers.
Hi Adrienne, Thanks so much for stopping by and telling us your experience with the Project Runway 6800. I’m so glad you love your machine. I agree that the Grand Slam package is a great deal for what you get. I sometimes want a larger hoop, but not enough to pay for a larger machine. ;-)
i’m confused. According to a comparison on specifications, the lb6800 is larger, heavier,
Assembled Depth (in.) 22.5 in 20.4 in
Assembled Height (in.) 15.7 in 15.1 in
Assembled Width (in.) 21.4 in 15.2 in
Product Depth (in.) 22.5 in 20.4 in
Product Height (in.) 15.7 in 15.1 in
Product Width (in.) 21.4 in 15.2 in
Product Weight (lb.) 36.6 lb 24.2 lb
So how are they the same machine?
Hi Jean,
The last time I tried to compare weight and size, I found so many conflicting numbers, I gave up. I just weighed my SE400 again and it weighs 16.4 lb with the embroidery unit, but without the accessories which don’t weigh much. So I can only conclude that the numbers you give are shipping weights and sizes (including the packaging). The LB6800 specs include the rolling tote which adds the extra weight and size. I am absolutely sure they’re the same machine except for surface decoration (Project Runway logo) and accessories (mainly the rolling tote bag). The only information I’ve heard to the contrary is from dealers trying to sell the more expensive machine which I don’t trust at all.
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Does this machine cross-stitch as well as embroider?
Hi Sara, The SE400 and LB6800PRW don’t have any functions specifically for cross-stitch. You would have to find a cross-stitch embroidery file in .pes format. But remember they can’t stitch a design larger than 3.9″x3.9″ at one time. So I think it would be difficult to do the kind of cross-stitch I did by hand as a child. But I haven’t looked into machine cross-stitch so I could be missing something.
Hello! I would like to know if there is a software for the PE400 to create custom embroidery.
I would like to draw me my embroidery with inscriptions and designs. Is it possible?
In addition, there are sites with free desing?
Hello, Angelo. Yes, there are many choices for software. It runs on your computer and you create your designs, save it as a .pes file and download it to your embroidery machine. I use Embrilliance because it runs on my Mac. It’s easy to use. It’s a very personal choice as to what you like to use and what you want to do. Many people like Embird and SewWhat Pro. They both have free 30-day trials so you can try them before you buy. There are others but I don’t know anything about them. Many sites have free designs. Designers that sell their designs usually offer free ones so you can judge their work. Just Google it. See my tutorial on downloading designs.
I cannot figure out for the life of me how to put my bag together I don’t want to break it can someone help me?
Hi Tessa, I’m sorry I can’t help you. I have the SE400 which doesn’t have the bag. I suggest you ask on SewForum.com. There are a lot of very nice, helpful ladies over there that have a LB6800PRW.
does the se 400 come with the dvd
I have had the lb6800 for years and love it … Create very professional looking items. I am wondering if you know if any of the magnetic hooping systems work with the lb6800 (Super Lock, Magna Lock). Would love to make rehooping easier.
I wondered how I can use downloaded fonts to make a word rather than doing each letter individually, it always comes out crooked. Do I need a software program? Also I have a MAC.
Thanks
Hi Suzy,
You need embroidery editing software to merge the letters into a word. It’s easy to control the spacing and position in the software. I use Embrilliance because it runs on my Mac.
Hi Kamala
I purchased the Brother LB6800prw w/ grand slam pkg. I also purchased the ped-basic software download but it will not convert an eps file to a pes file. Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks
Ann
Hi Ann,
PED-Basic will only convert embroidery data files from one format to another. Embroidery data files contain specialiazed embroidery machine instructions for stitching embroidery designs. It’s quite different than files like eps or jpg that contain instructions for printing or displaying images. You need more advanced software to convert it. Have a look a Embird.com. You’d need both the basic editing software and the add-on Studio module. They have a free-trial. You might to convert the eps file first. I couldn’t tell if it supports this format. Ask them first. There are other programs that do this. You need embroidery digitizing or photo software.