REASONS TO BUY
Great value
Excellent buttonholes
Easy to use
REASONS TO AVOID
Stitches are slightly inferior to the top models
Built-in light could be better
Brother discontinued the XR9550PRW as of 2022.
Brother XR9550PRW Review
This user-friendly model is great for beginners and features above-average performance across the board
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
By David Wise ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ July 16, 2018
Contributions From: Austin Palmer
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Our Verdict
The Brother XR9550PRW is an excellent sewing machine for beginners. It's incredibly easy to use, a breeze to set up, and creates decently high-quality stitches, all at a relatively affordable price. It is a fantastic option for someone who is just getting started with sewing or for someone who wants a hassle-free sewing experience. Its stitches aren't quite on par with the ones produced by the top models, though it does create a particularly high-quality buttonhole. It more than makes up for its slight deficiencies by its value and ease of use, and we highly recommend it.
Our Analysis and Test Results
This very reasonably priced sewing machine is great for beginner and veteran alike.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
This is our favorite machine for beginners. It's very user-friendly and quite easy to set up.
Some of the stitches produced by the XR9550PRW
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Sewing
The Brother did a decent job at sewing the long straight stitch, producing a high-quality stitch on easier to sew fabrics, like cotton, but slightly bunching up the fabric and producing a looser stitch on harder fabrics, like polyester charmeuse.
This machine also did about average with the zigzag stitch, performing well on most of the fabrics we tested it on, but we noticed the bottom thread tension got a little on the tight side for some of the test fabrics, like denim or corduroy. Surprisingly, we felt that this model's predecessor, the Brother XR9500PRW had a slightly better zigzag stitch, but only by a very small margin.
This product produced a very nice zigzag stitch.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
In the scallop stitch test, the XR9550PRW scored better than the older model. We thought this model did a particularly excellent job at making almost perfect scallops on polyester charmeuse, with only slightly inferior stitches on silk or cotton. However, it performed slightly below average sewing on the polyester chiffon.
The XR9550PRW did a very clean job of attaching the zipper.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
For the final assessment in this metric, the Brother again scored quite well, doing a solidly clean job of attaching the zipper, using the included zipper presser foot.
This machine is one of the easiest to use out of the entire group.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Ease of Use
The Brother did exceptionally well in this set of tests, earning one of the highest scores out of the entire group. This machine is absolutely plastered with helpful directions to make it exceptionally user-friendly. You select stitches using the key on the side of the machine, and we particularly liked that they are all visible at the same time — this machine's predecessor had a panel that you had to flip back and forth to see the complete stitch library.
The XR9550PRW has an impressive library of stitches for being such a budget machine.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
The directions for threading the bobbin are printed on a sticker, and there are markings for the average tension on the tension adjust wheel.
We found it to be quite helpful that the machine gives recommended settings and presser foot for each stitch.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
We particularly liked that the backlit screen displayed the recommended stitch length and width based on your selection, as well as the letter of the presser foot that you should use for each stitch. If you do run into trouble, the screen will display an error code that you need to look up in the manual, but this is understandable, as the screen is only so big.
This machine has a work light built into it, but it's on the dim side. You'll probably need some additional lighting to have a really clear view of your workpiece. The thread cutter, located at the back corner of the machine, is really convenient and easy to access — slightly more so than the ones that have a thread cutter mounted on the side.
This model also has a bobbin winder right on the top of the machine, with threading directions that are clearly labeled.
This machine quickly and easily winds a very uniform bobbin.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
This model does have automatic sewing capabilities with adjustable speed, and the needle will always stop in the down position, which can then be raised with the press of a button.
It is very easy to thread the XR9550PRW.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Ease of Set Up
The Brother XR9550PRW again proved its merits as an excellent beginner choice for its ease of setup.
This sewing machine is about average to thread, with relatively clear and easy to follow instructions printed on the side of the machine. The bobbin is even easier to set up and install, with clear instructions and a bobbin plate that is very easy to remove.
This machine is plastered with helpful directions to make it easy to set up for anyone, even a total novice!
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
This has the standard semi-automatic needle threader — you loop the thread around the hooks, then pull the lever to thread the needle. The Brother XR9550PRW makes it quite easy to wind a bobbin, and the finished bobbin is very evenly wound.
This machine is one of the best at making buttonholes.
Credit: Austin Palmer
Buttonholes
The XR9550PRW improved upon the score of its predecessor here. This machine produced exceptionally high-quality buttonholes that are very clean and secure, with only the tiniest amount of bunching at the top bar on some of the more finicky fabrics, like charmeuse.
Some of the high-quality buttonholes produced by the XR9550PRW.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Our only main complaint with this machine with respect to creating buttonholes is that it isn't the easiest to accurately line up the buttonhole where you want it, with the marks on the presser foot being slightly raised up, which can cause a little difficulty when trying to match them up to the marks on the fabric.
Value
The XR9550PRW should be one of your top choices if you are shopping on a budget.
Conclusion
If you are just getting started with sewing and are looking for an exceptionally easy-to-use machine that won't break the bank, look no further than the Brother XR9550PRW. It retails for the relatively affordable price of $200 and is our top recommendation for beginners or those who prioritize having an extremely convenient and hassle-free sewing experience.
—David Wise and Austin Palmer
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