Compare · Cheap, compared
Brother XM2701 vs Singer M1500
Two machines at the bottom of the range that are still real sewing machines. One of them makes the first month much less annoying.
By Michael W. · Published
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Quick picks
The short answer. Every pick is explained in full below, including who should skip it.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Brother XM2701Threader, drop-in bobbin, one-step buttonhole. The easy one. | Best cheap machine | 7.3 | |
| 2 |  Singer M1500Six stitches, does the basics, asks more of you. | Best if it is much cheaper on the day | 6.0 | |
| 3 |  Brother GX37Same body and motor, more decorative stitches. | Interchangeable with the XM2701 | 7.2 |
Scores are our editorial judgment on six axes, explained on the methodology page. We do not run a test lab and never claim to.
Buy the Brother XM2701. It costs a small step more than the Singer M1500 and it gives you three things the Singer does not: an automatic needle threader, a drop-in bobbin you can see, and a one-step buttonhole. Those are precisely the three jobs that make new sewers put a machine back in the box.
The M1500 is not a bad machine and this is not a close call about quality. It is a genuine mechanical sewing machine with adjustable stitch length, which the truly cheap end omits. It is just the machine that asks more of a beginner for a saving that disappears the first time you spend twenty minutes on a buttonhole.
At a glance
Specifications as published by each manufacturer.
The stitch count is the least important row. Twenty-seven against six sounds decisive, but the M1500’s six include straight, zigzag, blind hem and a scallop, which is most of what a beginner needs. The rows that matter are the buttonhole, the threader and the bobbin.
The buttonhole is the real difference
A one-step buttonhole means you drop the button into a holder on the foot, pull a lever, press the pedal once, and the machine sews all four sides to the right length and stops. A four-step buttonhole means you sew one side, turn a dial, sew the bar tack, turn the dial, sew the other side, turn the dial, sew the second bar tack - and judge the length yourself each time.
Four-step buttonholes are learnable and thousands of people sew beautiful ones. But a beginner making their first shirt or cushion cover is already managing fabric, tension and nerve, and the four-step is the step where that beginner most often decides sewing is not for them. Our buttonhole guide walks through both methods if you want to see what you would be taking on.
The bobbin you can see
The XM2701’s bobbin drops in from the top under a clear cover. You can see whether it is seated, which way the thread is coming off it, and whether it is running out mid-seam. The M1500’s bobbin loads into a case in the front of the machine, which you thread without being able to see what you are doing.
This is not a theoretical difference. A bobbin in backwards or seated badly produces a nest of loose thread on the underside of the fabric, which is the single most common beginner fault and the one most often blamed on the machine. Our bunching guide exists mostly because of front-loading bobbins.
The threader
The XM2701 has an automatic needle threader: a small lever swings a hook through the needle eye and pulls the thread through. The M1500 does not, so you thread the needle by eye every time.
Threading a needle by eye is a two-second job with good light and good eyesight, and a minor ordeal without either. If you are over about forty-five, or buying for someone who is, treat this row as more important than it looks - it is also why our roundup for older sewers leans the way it does.
What they share
Both machines are light plastic bodies with modest motors, and both have the same ceiling: they will hem a single layer of light denim with a size 16 needle and a slow pass, and they will struggle where folded layers cross. Neither has a speed limiter. Neither comes with a wide table. Neither is the machine you keep for twenty years.
That is the honest bargain at this end of the range, and it is a fair one. A cheap machine that tells you within three months whether you like sewing has done its job, even if you replace it - see how much to spend on a first machine.
All three machines
The two in the comparison, plus the XM2701's twin for when it is out of stock.
Brother XM2701
Threader, visible drop-in bobbin and a one-step buttonhole at the cheap end.
Skip it if You already know you will sew every week, or you want speed control and a quilting table.
Singer M1500
Six stitches, adjustable length, front-loading bobbin. A real machine that asks more of you.
Skip it if You want a drop-in bobbin, an automatic threader, or anything approaching heavy fabric ability.
Brother GX37
The XM2701 body with a wider stitch library. Buy whichever is cheaper on the day.
Skip it if You want a speed limiter, a wide table, or a machine that will still suit you in three years.
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The picks in full
01 - Best cheap machine
Brother XM2701
The find-out-if-I-actually-like-this machine.
- 27 stitches, one-step buttonhole
- Automatic needle threader, drop-in bobbin
- 6 presser feet included
- Light enough to carry to a class
- Get it if
- You are not sure sewing will stick and you want a real, capable machine without spending what a better one costs.
- Skip it if
- You already know you will sew every week, or you want speed control and a quilting table.
The trade-off
Lightweight and basic. It does everything a beginner needs - buttonholes, zippers, hems - but you will outgrow it sooner than the CS7000X.
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How the Brother XM2701 scores
Our judgment on the six axes described on the methodology page. Not measurements - we do not run a test lab.
- Setup and threading
- 9/10
- Everyday stitch quality
- 7/10
- Thick fabric
- 5/10
- Beginner features
- 7/10
- Durability reputation
- 6/10
- Help for this exact model
- 9/10
Overall 7.3/10
02 - Best if it is much cheaper on the day
Singer M1500
A no-frills mechanical machine that keeps turning up on best-cheap lists.
- 6 built-in stitches covering 57 stitch applications
- Four-step buttonhole
- Front-loading bobbin
- Light body, free arm
- Get it if
- You want the simplest mechanical machine that is still a real sewing machine, and you are happy to thread the needle yourself.
- Skip it if
- You want a drop-in bobbin, an automatic threader, or anything approaching heavy fabric ability.
The trade-off
It does the basics and nothing else. That is a fair deal, but the Brother XM2701 adds a threader and a one-step buttonhole for a small step up - and those two features are the ones beginners actually miss.
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How the Singer M1500 scores
Our judgment on the six axes described on the methodology page. Not measurements - we do not run a test lab.
- Setup and threading
- 6/10
- Everyday stitch quality
- 7/10
- Thick fabric
- 4/10
- Beginner features
- 4/10
- Durability reputation
- 6/10
- Help for this exact model
- 6/10
Overall 6.0/10
03 - Interchangeable with the XM2701
Brother GX37
The XM2701's slightly better-equipped sibling, for about the same job.
- 37 built-in stitches, one-step buttonhole
- Automatic needle threader, drop-in bobbin
- 6 presser feet included
- Free arm and a lightweight body
- Get it if
- You are shopping at the bottom of the sensible range and the GX37 happens to be the one in stock or discounted.
- Skip it if
- You want a speed limiter, a wide table, or a machine that will still suit you in three years.
The trade-off
The extra stitches over the XM2701 are mostly decorative and you will use about six of them. Treat the two machines as interchangeable and buy whichever is cheaper on the day.
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How the Brother GX37 scores
Our judgment on the six axes described on the methodology page. Not measurements - we do not run a test lab.
- Setup and threading
- 9/10
- Everyday stitch quality
- 7/10
- Thick fabric
- 5/10
- Beginner features
- 7/10
- Durability reputation
- 6/10
- Help for this exact model
- 8/10
Overall 7.2/10
Questions beginners actually ask
Is the Brother XM2701 better than the Singer M1500?
For a beginner, yes. The XM2701 has an automatic needle threader, a drop-in bobbin you can see, and a one-step buttonhole. The M1500 has none of those, and they are the three jobs new sewers find most frustrating.
Is the Singer M1500 a good first sewing machine?
It is a real sewing machine with adjustable stitch length, which the truly cheap end omits, so it is a reasonable first machine if the price gap is large. The four-step buttonhole and front-loading bobbin are the two things you will wish you had paid to avoid.
Does six stitches limit the Singer M1500?
Less than it sounds. The six cover straight, zigzag, blind hem and a scallop, which handles most beginner sewing. The limitation that actually bites is the four-step buttonhole, not the stitch count.
Can either of these sew denim?
A single layer of light to medium denim, with a size 16 denim needle and a slow pass. Both are light plastic machines with modest motors, so the point where two folded hems cross is beyond either of them.
Should I buy the Brother GX37 instead?
If it is cheaper on the day, yes. The GX37 is the same body and motor as the XM2701 with a wider stitch library, so there is no reason to prefer one over the other except price and availability.
Sources
Specifications are taken from manufacturer listings. We do not run a test lab and never claim to - how each machine is assessed is set out on our methodology page.
Read next
- Brother XM2701 review
- Singer M1500 review
- Best cheap sewing machines for beginners
- Singer Start 1304 vs Singer M1500
The same Singer, one step further down.