Cogito

Do you have either one of these machines? Please comment if you do...

I am having a difficult time choosing between these two Sergers! I am new to serging and these 2 machines offer what I want.....well little differences that I need to know if they matter. I am more confident with the Janome name. I know there is a huge fan base out there for Brother but I have also heard horror stories about many of their models. The Brother 1034D has a free arm and the Janome does not. I think I need the free arm.....what do you think?
some reviews of the Brother have been really negative but there are also lots of positives so assume it is luck of the draw if get a lemon? One complaint....not heavy duty enough for jeans or thick fabrics. The pros of me buying the brother...nearly $80 cheaper than the Janome and Costcos very generous return policy (basically return at anytime...even a year later). The con...no one to help me trouble shoot.

The Janome pros for me.... Janome name, seems to be more heavy duty, knowledgeable staff at Hancocks who help me when I need it. Plus a friend who has this machine and loves it. She would also be a great teacher for me.
The cons of Janome machine....I only have 60 days to return it if something goes wrong or I don't like it. It does NOT have a free arm (do I need it?) the presser foot lifter is behind the needle bar (very difficult to get to in my opinion) vs. On right side of Brother machine.
The biggest issue for me is the Janome takes HA-1sp needles which I would have to order (and I hate paying shipping costs) whereas the brother takes standard sewing machine needles...which I have tons of and wouldn't have to worry about mixing them up.
WHICH ONE WOULD YOU BUY?

Prism99

Not sure what you mean about the free arm. What makes you bring it up as a consideration? Perhaps high-end sergers have a free arm; not sure, as I have not shopped the all-singing all-dancing models. No lower-end sergers I have seen are really free arm machines.

There are a lot of reviews of the Brother on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Brother-1034D-...dp/B0000CBK1L/

Couldn't find any reviews of the Janome on Amazon, but here's a photo.
http://www.amazon.com/Janome-7933-Se...dp/B00F9K76TE/

I guess I would buy whichever offers the most stable tension. I saw in the negative Brother reviews that it could easily be thrown off on tension -- something to watch out for in lower-end sewing machines as well.

If my choice were between these two machines only, then I would probably opt for the Janome.

What exactly are you planning to use the serger for? I think they are most useful for making children's clothing. A lot of us have sergers that don't get used much because there are no young ones in the family.

Cogito

Most of the low end Sergers I saw had a free arm. The Brother 1034 does but the Janome 7933 (only sold by Hancocks) does not. It is a free arm ...the same principle as a lock stitch sewing machine....allows you to sew in small spaces....like the cuff of a sweatshirt for example. I plan on making small purses and bags for my grand daughter and also shortening sleeves on many of my shirts because I have incredibly short arms. It is extremely important to me on my regular sewing machine but I just don't know how important it is on a serger? And does anyone own a Janome that takes those different needles? I googled and did not see very many places to order these.

ManiacQuilter2

I bought a Baby Lock over 20 years ago and I seldom use it. Wish I had NOT been talked into purchasing. Good Luck.

Mitch's mom

You will probably never use the free arm so take it out of the equation. I have a Kenmore made by Janome and I have had 2 Brother machines given to me (my friend is a thrift store haunter and she knows I like sergers). I love both brands. The Brother was a dream to thread, my Kenmore is not hard but, they didn't make it nearly as easy as the Brother. I have taken both brands of machines apart (Removed the outer plastic covering) to clean and oil them. My Kenmore because it was really dirty and the Brothers because they needed cleaned and were given to me so I figured nothing ventured, nothing gained. Both machines are made of all metal under the hood and not cheap pot metal. I didn't see any one area on either machine that I felt would fail before the other. The knobs/mechanism to change stitch length and differential is plastic on both machines. If there is a weakness that would cause a failure in the machines this would be it - 20 years from now. If you take care of the machine you buy you will have it for many years. Janome and Brother are both good machines and I would buy either one. I kept my Kenmore because I paid for it, the Brothers both got rehomed at no charge to young mothers wanting to sew for their littles.

Weezy Rider

Tell the store you want to try threading them. Then check out the size of the foot. If you do small items, the distance of the knife and the foot can be a nuisance. I wound up with the Babylock Imagine for the size of the foot. I do doll clothes at times.

Get the machine you are comfortable with.

Gladygirl

I have the Brother 1034D and use it a lot since I make all of my clothes--it does a really good job-is easy to adjust and easy to thread and the price was right--I've had it for a couple years now and gets lots of use. Have used it on denim with no problems and just today used it on polyester blouse fabric--single layer and did a great job on it.

quilter1

I faced this same choice this year. My old Huskylock died and I needed a serger. One day, I thought that I would buy a higher end Babylock, but other things take precedence now. I researched online and thought the Brother was great for the money. When I went to the shop to buy the Brother, the owner walked me through the difference in the machines. The Janome is heavier- more stable when sewing, and has stronger loopers- less prone to snap and break. It cost a bit more but I decided on the Janome. I am very happy with it. I bought a couple of accessory feet, now I am all set for a long while. Do I really need that high end Babylock?- not right now.

Sandygirl

The Brother gets a lot of good reviews on Pattern Review. I have the Janome 1100d serger (rarely use it) . I am a strong Janome fan and yes, I would want the free arm just in case.

Sandy