Single-Needle Embroidery Machines: When One Needle Is Enough
- Guide type
- Buying guide
- Last reviewed
- Sources
- 7 cited
- Tested by us
- No. How we research
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A single-needle machine stops after each color, and you rethread for the next one.1,2 That is fine for names, monograms and designs with few colors. A multi-needle machine holds several colors and only stops when a design has more colors than needles.3 Two single-needle machines with large fields: Brother's NQ1700E (260 × 160 mm) and PR1X (300 × 200 mm, free arm, optional cap frame).2,4,5
What happens at each color
On Brother’s home machines, “Stitching stops automatically with reinforcement after one color has been completed.” You remove the thread and repeat for the remaining colors.1 The single-needle PR1X works the same way: it stops and trims after each color.2
A multi-needle machine keeps one color per needle. Brother’s PR680W has six and stops for a spool change only when a design uses seven or more colors.3
| Single needle | Multi-needle | |
|---|---|---|
| Color change | Stops after each color1 | Automatic, up to the number of needles3 |
| Caps | Only on models with a cap frame, such as the PR1X2 | A cap frame is listed for the PR680W3 |
Two single-needle machines with large fields
The NQ1700E is a home machine with a 260 × 160 mm field; the PR1X has a free arm, a 300 × 200 mm field and an optional cap frame.2,4,5 For entry machines with smaller fields, see embroidery machines for beginners.
Brother NQ1700E
- Largest field
- 260 × 160 mm (sold as 6 × 10 in)
- Formats
- .pes .phc .dst .pen
- Transfer
- USB, wireless LAN
- Hoops included
- 26 × 16 cm and 18 × 13 cm
- Two hoops included
- Wireless LAN and USB
- One color at a time
- No cap frame
Good fit: you stitch large flat designs with few colors.
Skip it if: you want to stitch caps: no cap frame is listed for it.
Brother PR1X (Entrepreneur One)
- Largest field
- 300 × 200 mm (8 × 12 in)
- Formats
- .pes .phc .dst .pen
- Cap frame
- optional
- Speed
- up to 1,000/min; 400-600 on caps
- Largest single-needle field here
- Free arm for caps, sleeves and bags
- Uninterrupted mode for one-color work
- One needle: a stop per color
- Cap frame model not named in its manual
Good fit: you want a large field, caps and sleeves, on one needle.
Skip it if: your designs often have many colors.
Buying in Canada
brother.ca’s pages for the NQ1700E (read 2026-11-09) and the PR1X (read 2026-11-10) sent buyers to a store or dealer.6,7
Questions
Single needle vs multi-needle: which one?
Count the colors in the designs you stitch most. On a single-needle machine, each color means a stop and a rethread; Brother's 6-needle PR680W only stops from seven colors.1,3
Can a single-needle machine embroider a one-color design without stopping?
Brother's PR1X has an uninterrupted mode for one-color work: the machine hesitates between color steps but does not stop.2
Bottom line
If most of your designs have one to three colors and you stitch a few at a time, one needle is enough; pick the field you need. If you stitch many multi-color designs or caps every week, compare multi-needle machines.
Related guidesWhat we checked, and what we didn't
- How single-needle and multi-needle machines handle color changes, in Brother's manuals
- Field, formats, free arm and cap options of the NQ1700E and PR1X
- How long a thread change takes in practice: we have not tested these machines
Sources
- PE545 Embroidery Machine Operation Manual (888-P30) · Brother
- PR1X Operation Manual (882-T52) · Brother
- PR680W Operation Manual (884-T23) · Brother
- NQ1700E Embroidery Machine Operation Manual (888-G60/G70/G72) · Brother
- PR1X Entrepreneur One · Brother USA
- NQ1700E Embroidery Machine (Canada) · Brother Canada
- PR1X Entrepreneur One (Canada) · Brother Canada
Revision history
| 2026-11-10 | First version. |