meistergram machines

Meistergram is a brand that was taken off the market when the company went out of business quite a long time ago. Originally it was a zigzag embroidery machine - good, fast operating unit. My company actually produced the first digitizing software for that machine.

In the liquidation, the parts and brand name were sold to a guy out of the Carolinas. Miestergam was marketed with a private label Renaissance machine (called vital link) with limited success. Then Consew (mechanical sewing machine company out of New York) purchased the marketing rights to the name and about a year or so ago they started selling an inexpensive machine (Tang - which was attempted to be sold here a couple years back under the name Axiom, then again as Renaissance's multihead line - neither of these companies were able to get any traction with the equipment).

Essentially, its the newest machine manufacturer in the market. You can get them at a bargain but only time will tell how long they'll last selling/supporting it. Of all the Chinese machines they are the newest addition - only a few are still viable (Brother, Prodigi, Happy, Tajima). Remember, there were a lot that went out of business including Renaissance, Aemco, Feiya and I'm not sure if Phenoix450 or Ricoma are even around anymore. It's not so easy to establish a brand of machines, its a big undertaking with parts, R&D, service, support, classes, software, and marketing. Most just make the mistake of trying to buy/resell - it takes a lot more than that to be long term...

My company private labeled and supported Consew as they got into this business for about one year. Since then, they've attempted to go on their own with this product line. I think their "top" tech is an independent contractor so its a bit iffy how secure that support structure is. If you would rely on the dealer for long term support - I'd check the history, if its the same dealer that they used before, I think he's been with Happy, SWF, Prodigi, Feiya, Ricoma, Phenoix450, and Meistergram - I've heard he's going with Brother next. This is over the last 5-6 years.

These are not necessarily bad qualities - the company in New York is well established in sewing machines, the dealer in MN has sold many brands, the machines seem to run OK, and the prices are very good. These are just simple facts of the brand and its history/representation. I don't mean to come off like a bad mouthing competitor so I hope that no one takes it that way.

I use a Meistergram 15 needle machine every day. I have had very little problems with it. I would make sure the sales person will support the machine. I would buy another.

The majority of Commercial Embroidery Machines are made in China, Korea, and Japan. Just about, all of them share the same basic mechanical design. In fact, many of the parts are interchangeable. The main difference in the machines is the components and workmanship included in the machines.To make it a little simpler to understand consider the Chevy Silverado and the GMC Sierra. Both share the same basic design and use the same parts. The difference is in the workmanship and cosmetics of the vehicle.

This analogy is the same for Commercial Embroidery Machines. A Meistergram Pro 1500 and a Ricoma RCM 1501 PT look very similar and many of the parts in both are interchangeable. The Feiya multi-head and a Consew multi-head are practically the same machine, mechanically speaking. Most of the Chinese models use the same software.

The differences in the machines lie in the quality of the parts and workmanship that the manufactures use when the machines are assembled. Some have better motors and solenoids than the other. One may use a different tensioning system than the other. One may be put together better than the other. It is hard to say which one stands out above the other when you talk about quality. The companies are constantly changing and improving their machines and the components. A machine that had a few problems three years ago may have had the kinks worked out and the machine is better now.

Let’s look at the quality of the machines verses cost. Japanese machines tend to be higher quality. Tajima, Barudan, and the Expert 9100 (Toyota) as an example, all have excellent records when it comes to quality. The Chinese machines tend to be lower in cost. You can buy a Chinese machine for half or two-thirds the cost of a typical Japanese machine. The balance of cost verses quality is one of the main things that you need to look at when comparing the machines. Do you want a Mercedes or a Ford Taurus? The Mercedes may never break down but you end up paying for that quality up front. The Ford Taurus will do the same thing that the Mercedes will do, it will take you from point A to point B, but you may have to do a little maintenance on it along the way. If they are tuned right and working correctly most of the machines will give you a good looking product.

Service and support should be a HUGE consideration when buying a machine. I have worked on some of the bigger name machines and waited four to six hours to talk with a technician. I am still waiting on the call back for a couple of machines. Check to see if you have a service technician in your area and check his prices. Technicians are a good source for information on machines.

Check out the Company that you are buying the machine from. Has it been in business for a while? How is their support history? Are you buying from the manufacture or from a third party?

If you are looking at a Meistergram you are probably talking with Pantograms, the US distributor for Meistergram. Pantograms sells Expert 9100 (formally Toyota) and Meistergram machines. In my experience as a technician, Pantograms has a great support system, when you call they try to help you work out the problem. They have been around for a while and fully support their machines. Meistergram is one of the higher quality Chinese machines.