Brother PQ1600S: Specs, Pros and Cons

The Brother PQ1600S is the successor to the popular PQ1500SL: a high-speed, straight-stitch-only machine built for piecing and quilting. It sews at up to 1,500 stitches per minute and has 8.7 x 5.7 inches of needle-to-arm space, with a large 11.1 x 23.3-inch table included.

Like its predecessor, the PQ1600S uses Brother's pin feed mechanism, in which a single feed pin can take the place of the feed dogs to keep fabric moving straight. The feed dogs themselves have four color-coded height levels, and presser foot pressure is adjustable for different thicknesses.

A knee lifter, an automatic needle threader, and a push-button thread cutter that trims both the upper and lower threads keep your hands on the fabric during long piecing sessions. Brother includes seven feet, among them a 1/4-inch foot, a free-motion quilting foot, and the pin feed foot, but no walking foot, so budget for one if you do a lot of straight-line quilting.

As a straight-stitch-only machine, the PQ1600S is built around a single job. For piecing, the pin feed and the included 1/4-inch foot help keep quarter-inch seams consistent, and the knee lifter and thread cutter make chain-piecing fast. For free-motion quilting, lower the feed dogs and attach the included free-motion quilting foot. The 8.7-inch-wide, 5.7-inch-high workspace and the large table give reasonable room for a rolled bed quilt. The trade-off is the same as every straight-stitch machine: no zigzag, no decorative stitches and no buttonholes, so most quilters keep a second machine for those.