You can pick up a used or never used serger by looking around at your local sales. A friend got one at our local guild garage sale for $35 and it was a Janome. don't get hung up on air threading, dental floss tools ( I forget what they are called, green with a loop, I could post a pic if you want later) works great to thread the loopers. A differential feed is a plus, and a 4 thread is a must.. what NJQuilter said is great advice. So many people buy sergers and never take them out of the box. The plus side if you buy new from your dealer, you can take lessons which is very helpful. Either way, I love having a serger to mend and serge around baby blankets etc.