buying a serger- what should I choose?
catherineN
| Posted in Equipment and Supplies on
hi all
I am brand new to the site but I have been sewing since I was 12 and am (at last) fairly good at it. I do a lot of sewing (esp. clothes for myself and my siblings) and have decided it is time to buy a serger/overlocker. The little Bernina I inherited from my mum is great but it is useless for knits or any fine materials. I have never really used a serger and I know that there can be a lot of problems with threading and tension. I need a machine that is reasonably simple and will last a long time. As this is to be my 21st birthday present the budget is reasonable.
I would really appreciate any advice you lovely ladies can give me on what sergers you own and which brands are reliable.
Thank you
Catherine
Replies
Catherine, you can search the archives for this subject, but in a nutshell, the price break will be between a 4 thread and a 5 thread serger, the 5 thread will do a cover hem. If you can afford it get one, if not, then you don't.Juki makes an excellent all around serger, as does Elna, and all the other brands, BabyLock and Brother are generally clones of each other, Berninas seem to have more issues with threading.All brands will run the gamut of basic on up to all the bells and whistles.If I were to buy one today (and I have a top of the line Elna at this point) I would buy a basic Juki.
I would strongly recommend checking out the top of the line Brother. A four-thread machine is probably all you want to begin with and the Brother is very reasonably priced. It will do all the basic things you want to do with a serger and is fairly easy to learn and durable.
Buy from a dealer and not from Kmart or someplace like that. You need to have someone to go back to with questions and problems and someone to show you how to use it in the first place. The newer models often have improved threading. But once you have learned to "tie one on" and thread it properly, they really aren't a problem.
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