Reviews · Cheap pick with more stitches
Brother GX37 review: a good cheap machine with a familiar twin
Everything the XM2701 does, plus ten decorative stitches. Buy whichever is cheaper.
By Michael W. · Published
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The Brother GX37 exists because retailers like having two similar machines to sell at slightly different prices. That sounds cynical, but it is genuinely useful information for a buyer: the GX37 and the XM2701 sew identically, so you can treat them as one product with two price tags and simply buy the cheaper one.
What you get
Thirty-seven built-in stitches, a one-step buttonhole, an automatic needle threader, a drop-in top-loading bobbin, six presser feet and a free arm. For a machine at this end of the range that is a strong list - particularly the threader and the drop-in bobbin, which most cheap machines omit.
The extra ten stitches over the XM2701 are decorative: scallops, stars, feather-stitch patterns. They are pleasant and you will use two of them for a single project and then forget they exist.
What you give up at this price
No speed limiter, so the foot pedal is your only speed control. No wide table, so quilting anything bigger than a cushion cover is awkward. And a plastic body, which means the machine shifts on the table when it meets a thick seam.
Who should buy it
Someone shopping at the bottom of the sensible range who wants the reassurance of a threader and a one-step buttonhole. Someone buying a second machine for a different room. Someone whose budget is firm and who would rather have a working cheap machine than wait six months for a better one - which is a perfectly good reason, and covered properly in how much to spend on a first sewing machine.
The cheap-end shortlist
Brother GX37
Thirty-seven stitches, a threader and a one-step buttonhole at the bottom of the range.
Skip it if You want a speed limiter, a wide table, or a machine that will still suit you in three years.
Brother XM2701
The same machine with ten fewer decorative stitches - usually the cheaper of the two.
Skip it if You already know you will sew every week, or you want speed control and a quilting table.
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The machine in full
Best cheap machine with a few more stitches
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 GX37 better than the XM2701?
Only in stitch count. They share the automatic threader, drop-in bobbin, one-step buttonhole and six presser feet, and they sew identically. The GX37's extra ten stitches are decorative. Buy whichever is cheaper.
Is the Brother GX37 good for beginners?
Yes, for a beginner on a firm budget. It has the features that most often stop beginners quitting - a threader, a bobbin you can see, and a one-step buttonhole. It has no speed limiter and no wide table, so it is not the machine for a nervous starter or an aspiring quilter.
Can the Brother GX37 sew denim?
A single hem with a denim needle, yes. Regular denim work will frustrate you - it is a light plastic-bodied machine. The Singer Heavy Duty 4423 is the right machine for jeans and canvas.
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.