It really depends on what is important to you. I had two regular type sergers which I didn't use a lot and I would cuss a lot when I had to thread them. I paid a little over $1000 more to get the automatic threading feature. There are other bells and whistles which come also, but primarily it was the automatic threading that I paid for. I had to get it on a lay-away to get it. I use it everytime I sew! No cussing. It is definitely worth the money to me because without that feature I would not sew on the serger, it would just sit like the last 2 had done. Go try out the machines at the different dealers. Just as you wouldn't buy a new car without driving one, don't buy a serger on the advice of strangers.