Why TEWH Avoids Ricoma: Our Honest Business Opinion
At TheEmbroideryWarehouse (TEWH), our inventory is built around reliability, serviceability, and long-term value. Although many embroiderers have heard of Ricoma, we have chosen not to sell or support Ricoma machines based on our own internal standards and experience in the used-machine market.
TEWH is not owned by, partnered with, or influenced by any embroidery brand—including the ones we do resell. We operate independently and have zero legal or contractual restrictions preventing us from buying any machine we want. We simply choose not to purchase Ricoma machines because they do not meet our quality and rebuildability expectations.
Our Key Reasons (Based on TEWH’s Opinions and Business Criteria)
-
Limited Long-Term Serviceability
In our experience refurbishing hundreds of commercial machines, Ricoma units often fall into what we consider “economy-tier” construction. For us, this makes long-term rebuilding—our specialty—less practical and less cost-effective than with brands engineered to last decades.
-
Parts Availability Concerns
As a reseller, parts availability is crucial. TEWH only purchases machines we know we can reliably source parts for in the long run. Ricoma’s parts ecosystem, in our opinion, does not offer the consistency we require to confidently refurbish or support their machines.
-
Not Aligned With TEWH Quality Standards
We focus on legacy brands with proven durability. Ricoma machines, in our view, do not offer the build quality needed to justify complete refurbishment for resale. Because TEWH invests heavily in rebuilding used machines, we will only take on units that justify that effort and deliver lasting value to customers.