Mighty Hoop: What It Fits, Sizes and Safety

What a Mighty Hoop is

A Mighty Hoop is a magnetic embroidery hoop: magnets hold the fabric between two rings, instead of a screw you tighten. HoopMaster says this reduces “hoop burn and stress on wrists and arms.”¹

HoopMaster is clear about the target: “HoopMaster and Mighty Hoops are for commercial embroidery machines.” and “Mighty Hoops can be used with almost any muti-needle [sic], tubular embroidery machine and some single needle tubular machines.”¹ Its compatibility article lists brands such as Barudan, Baby Lock, Bernina, Brother, Janome, Melco, Ricoma, SWF and Tajima.⁶

Which machines it fits

Each Mighty Hoop comes with “one set of brackets for the machine it was ordered for”, and you can buy extra brackets to move a hoop to another machine.² The catch: “Not every Mighty Hoop size fits every embroidery machine brand and model”.² HoopMaster’s Hoop Identifier tells you which sizes fit your model.²

For Brother, HoopMaster has two families:

• 6- and 10-needle Brother and Baby Lock machines, with a page whose hoops “will fit only the Brother & Babylock 6 or 10 needle embroidery machines”.⁴
• Single-needle tubular machines: “the Brother single-needle Persona, PR1, PR1X, and PRS100, as well as the Baby Lock single-needle Alliance and Capella.”²

Flatbed home machines, such as the Brother SE and PE series, are not in those lists, and HoopMaster says so directly: Mighty Hoops “are not designed for traditional flatbed home embroidery machines.”⁶ For them HoopMaster sells the HoopMaster Home Edition, “designed specifically for flatbed Brother and Baby Lock embroidery machines”.²

Sizes

HoopMaster says Mighty Hoops come in “35+ sizes, ranging from small round hoops for sleeves and cap backs to large rectangular hoops for jacket backs.”² For Brother and Baby Lock 6- and 10-needle machines, the list is:⁴

Mighty Hoop sizes for Brother and Baby Lock 6- and 10-needle machines

Named by one size	Width × height	Long and narrow
4.25 in, 5.5 in, 6.5 in, 7.25 in; 4.375 in Round	4 × 6, 5 × 10, 6.25 × 8.25, 8 × 9, 7.5 × 11, 8 × 13 in	9 × 3, 9 × 4.25, 9 × 5, 9 × 6, 4.25 × 13 in horizontal

The hoop size is not the sewing area. HoopMaster’s own example: the 5.5 in hoop measures 5 5/16 in (135 mm) inside, and its “Actual sewing area depends on brand of machine”, from 4 5/16 to 4 13/16 in (110 to 122 mm).⁷ Check your machine’s sewing field, not just the hoop name.

Station, starter kit and backing holder

You don’t need a station: “Mighty Hoops work on their own with any compatible embroidery machine.”² The HoopMaster station is a separate product for precise, repeatable placement, and the starter kit pairs it with a 5.5 in Mighty Hoop.² The backing holder keeps the stabilizer against the bottom ring while you hoop; remove it before the hoop goes on the machine.²

Safety: strong magnets

HoopMaster publishes a safety warning for its magnetic hoops. In its words:⁸

• “Individuals with health issues which require that they wear electronics of any sort like pacemakers, defibrillators or other internal and external medical devices should use caution when handling strong magnets, such as the type included in the Mighty Hoops.”
• “The magnetic hoops and magnets included in this product can pose a serious pinch hazard due to their attractive force on each other and to any object containing iron.”
• “Fingers and other body parts can get severely pinched between two attracting hoops or items.”
• “If magnets are ingested or aspirated to the lungs, immediate medical attention is required.”

The FAQ adds: “If you have any type of medical device that can be affected by magnets, consult your doctor before purchasing or using Mighty Hoops.”²

Magnetic hoop for commercial and tubular machines

HoopMaster Mighty Hoop

Machines

multi-needle and tubular, some single-needle tubular

Sizes

35+, per HoopMaster

Brackets

one set for the machine ordered

Station

optional

Strengths

• Magnets instead of a screw, with less hoop burn per HoopMaster
• Brackets sold separately if you change machines
• Wide range of sizes

Drawbacks

• Strong magnets: pinch hazard and medical-device warning
• Hoop size is not the sewing area

Good fit: you run a multi-needle or tubular machine and hoop many garments.
Skip it if: you have a flatbed home machine, or a pacemaker or other medical device: read HoopMaster's warning first.

For Brother SE and PE owners: the Home Edition

Hooping station for flatbed Brother and Baby Lock machines

HoopMaster Home Edition, SE-PE kit

Kit contents

main station (3 angles), one bracket for all SE-PE hoops, 2 backing holder blocks

Hoops

your machine's original hoops

Field

machines that sew up to 4 × 4 in, per HoopMaster

Strengths

• Made for flatbed Brother and Baby Lock machines
• Keeps your original hoops
• Long model list on HoopMaster's page

Drawbacks

• Not a magnetic hoop
• SE-PE kit for machines that sew up to 4 × 4 in

Good fit: you own a Brother SE or PE machine and want straighter, repeatable hooping.
Skip it if: you want a magnetic hoop: this keeps your original screw hoops.

The SE-PE kit page lists, among Brother models, the SE 270D to SE 725 and the PE 300S to PE 570, several Innov-is, LB, SB and HE models, and the Baby Lock Sofia 2 and Verve.⁵ Other kits cover the PC-8500, Innov-is and ULT series.³ If your machine is not listed, check HoopMaster’s guide to which hoop style you have before ordering.³