Brother XR9550PRW: Computerized Sewing Machine with Decorative Features
For a reasonable price, the Brother XR9550PRW offers almost everything that most sewers and designers want. It's a computerized model that has been created by Brother in collaboration with Project Runway (an American reality TV show about fashion). That is why it has an impressive number of built-in stitch variations—165. They include decorative stitches, 8 buttonhole designs, and 55 alphanumeric stitches.
Dimensions
The whole unit weighs less than 11 pounds (10.14 pounds) and measures only 16.26 x 7.01 x 12.48 inches. So, the dimensions of this machine are its great advantage since it can be easily transported and placed on a surface with limited space.
Features
This machine has so many features that one will need a lot of time to try them all. First of all, it's supplied with dedicated buttons to trigger the reverse stitching function, change the needle position, and start/stop the sewing process. So, it can even be used without a foot pedal.
The Brother sewing machine XR9550PRW has a maximum sewing speed of 850 SPM. It can be controlled via a special 3-point slider. It definitely allows making the speed more consistent than if it was controlled only by the pedal.
Generally, this model has an above-average performance and lets you create even buttonholes and consistent, high-quality stitches. It easily handles such fabrics as cotton, denim, and fleece. Comparing to the other similar models, the Brother XR9550PRW can't be called noisy (it's quieter than the Brother CX155LA, for example).
Apart from a wide slide-on table that can accommodate big projects and quilts, the machine also comes packed with 8 presser feet (zigzag, buttonhole, zipper, and others). They allow for lots of sewing options:
- blind hems;
- overcast seams;
- zippers;
- buttonholes;
- buttons;
- monogramming;
- straight stitches;
- free-motion sewing.
The Brother computerized sewing machine, XR9550PRW has a lot of automatic features: advanced, automatic needle threader, automatic bobbin winding, and automatic one-step buttonhole.
The main benefit of this model is the abundance of stitch designs. However, all the other features are also very decent. So, it earns a 10 out of 10 in this category.
Design
The XR9550PRW Brother has a simple and sleek color scheme, combining blue and white colors. The LCD screen, located in the center of the control panel, is small but accommodates all the necessary information (the selected stitch, its lengths and width, and error codes).
The machine has all the available stitch designs printed on the right side of the face panel. So, you won't have to refer to the manual. Next to the bobbin winder, located on top of the machine, you will see the illustrated instructions on how to wind the bobbin.
The manual thread cutter is located on the left side of the machine, and the handwheel is on the right. The tension dial is on the top. There is also a built-in LED light to illuminate the working area.
Despite such a number of features, implemented in this model, it's still not confusing to use. So, for the design, it gets a 10/10 as well.
Conclusion
The XR9550PRW has loads of stitches that will expand your creativity. It's also not cumbersome, so it's easy to carry around. Its computerized interface and automatic features make it convenient to use. Plus, it comes with a rich set of presser feet that make this model even more universal. In my Brother XR9550PRW review, I wouldn't recommend this machine for beginners, but if you don't want to waste your time on a basic model, you can try to cope with this one.