What are you planning to use it for? If you are thinking about sewing the pieces together that go into a quilt with the serger, then all that extra thread from the serger adds a ton of weight to the finish quilt. It is excellent to use with bridal fabrics, or fabrics that ravel. It's good for finishing seams in clothing. Unless you are going to use it a whole lot, I would vote against the expensive one. Go to the LQS and play on theirs, try out different models. Check on Ebay or Craig's List for used machines. The money you save will buy a lot of beautiful fabric. I have a serger and it sits and sits! I don't make my clothes any more. I'm learning to quilt. I used it a lot with bridal fabrics and some craft things I did. But not inot that anymore.