Barudan or Tajima???

Both machines produce good hats. I would think any differences would depend more on your 3D Puff technique then on what machine you used.

Wicked Tips- Puff Embroidery
https://www.facebook.com/notes/the-wicked-stitch-of-the-east-inc/wicked-tip-puff-embroidery/695143303862299

1. Hoop the garment, as you would for regular embroidery. Use the correct backing for the type of garment being sewed on.

2. Next cut a piece of embroidery foam large enough to cover the design you are sewing. The foam color you use should be as close to the color of the thread you will be stitching over it as possible.

3. Use tape to secure the foam over the embroidery area. The tape only needs to hold the foam in place while the stitching begins. If you are sewing garments flat (not hats) you may not need to use tape at all. Simply lay the foam over the embroidery area and start the machine. Likewise if you are sewing only one hat, you can hold the foam in place while you start the machine.

4. When sewing embroidery on foam, reduce the speed of the embroidery machine to approximately 400 stitches-per-minute. In most cases, embroidery on foam will proceed as smoothly as regular embroidery. At this reduced speed you should not have any more thread breaks then you would expect without foam.

5. When the embroidery is complete, remove the item from the embroidery machine.

6. Remove the excess foam from the hat. This comes off very easily. The embroidery will perforate it, making it easy to remove.

7. Remove any small pieces of foam that still remain. Loose pieces of foam can be brushed away using a soft brush, cloth or tweezers. There may still be small pieces of foam poking thru the foam. You can use a sharp object, like a pin, to poke those piece back up into the stitches. Once you poke them back into the stitches, the stitches will move over the pieces to cover them. Another way to remove small pieces of foam is to use a heat source, like a hair dryer, to heat the embroidery. The heat will shrink the small fragments of foam making them disappear under the embroidery. ALWAYS test the heat source on a sample before trying it on a garment.

100% go Barudan,
very smoth machine
runs 3d very nice
holds non use thread with clamps so not on springs
i been useing barudan for 30 years
easy to repair
good customer service.