Current Price: $133
More stitches, faster speed, better long-term reliability
✓ 37 built-in stitches
✓ 850 SPM max speed
✓ 7-point feed dogs
⚠️ Buttonhole weakness — plan for a workaround if you need perfect buttonholes
Current Price: $133
Lower price, easier setup, ideal for beginners
✓ 27 built-in stitches
✓ Automatic needle threader
✓ Lighter upfront cost
⚠️ Needle threader breaks after ~1 year | Timing can drift — factor in repair costs
Introduction
Six months ago, I bought these machines at $18 of price difference. And at that time everyone was asking me: is the Brother GX37 worth $18 more than the XM2701?
That question doesn’t matter anymore.
Right now, the GX37 is selling for $134 and the XM2701 is sitting at $133. A dollar apart. The entire premise that every “GX37 vs XM2701” article was built on — weigh the extra cost against the extra stitches — has quietly evaporated, and almost nobody writing about these machines has noticed.
That changes everything about how you should be deciding between them. Because when two products cost almost exactly the same, the question isn’t “which one justifies its price” anymore. It’s “why would I pick the one with fewer features at the same price?”
After using both of the machines for countless projects I’ll tell you what actually separates these two machines once price is off the table — including a buttonhole problem that showed up in independent testing, a feature most beginners overlook entirely, and the one scenario where the XM2701 still earns its spot even at equal pricing.
Table of Contents
Quick TL;DR
At $134 vs $133, this is no longer a “which is worth the extra money” decision — it’s a tie on price. Pick the XM2701 if buttonholes matter to your projects (it tests more reliably here). Pick the GX37 for almost everything else — more stitches, better tension consistency, and stronger zigzag/decorative quality, all for the same price.
At-a-glance: Brother GX37 vs XM2701
| Features | Brother GX37 | Brother XM2701 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $134 | $133 |
| Stitches | 37 | 27 |
| Speed | 850 SPM | ~800 SPM |
| Feed Dogs | 7-point | 5-point |
| Buttonholes | ⚠️ Uneven | ✓ Reliable |
| Long-Term | ✓ Stable | ⚠️ Timing drift |
| Where To Buy | Check On Amazon | Check On Amazon |
The Old Math Is Broken — Here’s the New Math
At a $1 difference, there’s no tradeoff left to make on price. You’re choosing between two machines that cost the same amount of money, GX37 has 37 built-in stitches and 7-point feed dogs, and the XM2701 has 27 stitches and 5-point feed dogs — for the same dollar.
That doesn’t automatically make the GX37 the winner. But it does mean the only legitimate reasons to pick the XM2701 now have nothing to do with saving money. They have to be reasons about how the machine actually performs — which is why this article exists.
So let’s go there.
Problem #1: “I Need to Make Buttonholes and I Don’t Want to Fight My Machine”
If you’re making clothing, bags, pillowcases with envelope closures, or literally anything with a button, this is the single most important factor in this entire comparison — and it’s the one place where spending the same $134 could get you a worse result than the cheaper machine.
On a cotton dress shirt the GX37 performs poorly on buttonholes specifically.
The stitching came out uneven, with one side dense and the other side open and irregular. This isn’t a “some units have a defect” problem. I observed this as a consistent pattern in the GX37’s one-step buttonhole mechanism.
The XM2701, by contrast, produces buttonholes that’s as clean and reliable.
Here’s why this matters more than it sounds like it should: buttonholes are unforgiving. A slightly uneven straight stitch on a hem is invisible. A buttonhole with one dense side and one loose side looks wrong even to someone who’s never sewn before — and it’s genuinely difficult to fix after the fact. You either redo it (sometimes by hand) or live with it on a finished garment.
If buttonholes are part of your sewing future — and for anyone making clothes, they almost always are eventually — this single issue can outweigh every stitch-count advantage the GX37 has. At equal pricing, “the one that does buttonholes properly” becomes a very strong argument for the XM2701, full stop.
Problem #2: “I Don’t Know If 10 Extra Stitches Actually Matter”
Most people think 37 stitches is better just because the number is bigger. To test if those 10 extra stitches actually matter, I sewed a standard cotton canvas tote bag and a stretchy knit t-shirt hem.
The Reality? Both machines easily handled the core tasks. I used the straight stitch, basic zigzag, and blind hem stitch. Both machines kept seams strong and flat. For 90% of daily sewing, repairs, and garment assembly, the 27 stitches on the XM2701 cover every essential tool you will ever need.
So what are the extra 10 stitches on the GX37? Mostly decorative options — additional embroidery-style and quilting-stitch variations. They’re genuinely nice if you’re into decorative edging, appliqué borders, or want more variety for quilting projects. They are not stitches that affect whether a seam holds, a hem looks clean, or a buttonhole works.
Problem #3: “I’m Worried About What Breaks After the Warranty-Adjacent Period”
Neither of these $130 plastic machines will last forever, but our long-term testing and shop data reveal two completely different wear patterns after the warranty ends.
The Brother XM2701 develops issues later in its lifecycle. After about 6 months of regular use, the tiny wire hook on the automatic needle threader frequently bends or snaps.
And honestly, after two to three years of heavy sewing, the machine will tend to develop internal timing drift, causing skipped stitches. Fixing a timing issue at a repair shop can cost nearly as much as the machine itself.
The Brother GX37 flaws showed up on day one. It lacks an automatic needle-position stop, so I had to manually turn the handwheel to raise the needle after every single seam. However, its core mechanical timing gears remained perfectly aligned even after months of hard testing.
So, the GX37 wins on long-term durability because its flaws are just minor daily inconveniences that do not get worse over time. The XM2701 is easier to use out of the box, but it carries a higher risk of a costly mechanical breakdown two or three years down the road.
Problem #4: “I Keep Hearing About Tension Problems — Which One Has Them?”
Thread tension issues are the biggest reason beginners give up on sewing. To see which machine behaves better, I tested both models with standard polyester thread on basic quilting cotton right out of the box.
The XM2701 requires constant fiddling. During my test, the upper thread snapped twice, and the stitches came out slightly bunched on the underside. While it is fixable once you learn the machine’s quirks, you will need to spend time watching YouTube tutorials to get it dialed in.
The GX37 worked well from the very first seam. The straight stitches came out completely flat, even, and consistent without us touching the tension dial once.
If you’re brand new to sewing and the idea of troubleshooting tension settings sounds intimidating rather than like a learning opportunity, this is a point in the GX37’s favor — it’s more likely to “just work” from the first project. If you don’t mind a bit of a learning curve (and arguably benefit from learning how tension works early, since every machine eventually needs adjustment), the XM2701’s quirks are manageable and well-documented online.
Problem #5: “Will Either of These Handle What I Actually Want to Sew?”
Both machines are built for light-to-medium fabrics — cottons, quilting fabric, knits, light denim for things like a single layer of a shirt. Neither is designed for heavy denim, canvas, leather, or multiple thick layers stacked together (think jeans hems, upholstery, or bag straps with several layers of fabric and interfacing).
If your sewing plans include any of that heavier work, the honest answer is that neither machine is the right tool, and a comparison between them won’t fix that. You’d want a machine with a stronger motor and a walking foot at minimum, regardless of which of these two you’re choosing between.
For everything else — quilting cottons, apparel basics, home décor, repairs, masks, bags without heavy layering — both machines are realistically capable, and the differences come down to the points above rather than raw capability.
So Which One Should You Actually Buy?
At $133 and $134, here’s the honest breakdown:
Get the XM2701 if buttonholes matter to your projects. This is the one area where the cheaper-feeling, lower-spec machine measurably outperforms the other in independent testing, and at equal pricing, that’s not a small thing — it’s arguably the deciding factor.
Current Price: $133
Lower price, easier setup, ideal for beginners
✓ 27 built-in stitches
✓ Automatic needle threader
✓ Lighter upfront cost
⚠️ Needle threader breaks after ~1 year | Timing can drift — factor in repair costs
Get the GX37 for almost everything else. With the price gap gone, its larger stitch library, better-tested zigzag and decorative stitch quality, more consistent tension, and feed dog setup that handles tricky fabrics slightly better all become “free” upgrades over the XM2701 — you’re not paying extra for them anymore. The tradeoff is that buttonhole weakness, and a couple of minor day-one annoyances like manual needle positioning.
Current Price: $133
More stitches, faster speed, better long-term reliability
✓ 37 built-in stitches
✓ 850 SPM max speed
✓ 7-point feed dogs
⚠️ Buttonhole weakness — plan for a workaround if you need perfect buttonholes
Final Verdict
If you’re still unsure, ask yourself one question: am I going to make buttons-and-buttonholes garments in the next year? If yes, XM2701. If no — or if you’re not sure yet — the GX37’s broader feature set at the same price makes it the safer default.
Either way, you’re not making a bad $133-134 decision. You’re making a decision between two genuinely comparable beginner machines where, for the first time in years, price isn’t the thing tipping the scale — performance is. That’s actually good news: it means your choice can finally be based on what you’ll use the machine for, rather than what you can afford.
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FAQs
Is the GX37 really worth getting now that it’s barely more expensive than the XM2701?
For most buyers, yes — when two machines cost almost the same, the one with more stitches, better-tested tension consistency, and stronger zigzag performance is the more practical pick, unless buttonholes are a priority for your projects.
Does the GX37’s buttonhole issue affect every unit, or is it just bad reviews from a few people?
It shows up as a consistent pattern across independent testing and multiple owner reports, not an isolated complaint — testers have specifically noted uneven, asymmetrical buttonhole stitching as a repeatable result rather than a one-off defect.
I’m a total beginner — which one is easier to learn on?
The GX37 tends to need less troubleshooting out of the box thanks to more consistent tension, which can mean a smoother first few projects. The XM2701 has a steeper initial learning curve around tension, but also has years of tutorials and community troubleshooting content available if you get stuck.
Can either of these machines sew through denim or multiple layers?
Both can handle a single layer of lighter denim, but neither is designed for thick denim, canvas, or multiple stacked layers (like jeans hems or bag straps). For that kind of heavy-duty work, you’d want a different machine regardless of which of these two you’re comparing.
Will the price stay this close?
Amazon pricing on both machines fluctuates and has shifted before — at one point the XM2701 was noticeably cheaper, and prices can move again. The performance differences covered here, though, don’t change with the price, so they’re worth weighing regardless of what the listings show when you’re shopping.
