I have had a Viking serger for 23 years and it has been wonderful. It has sewed thousands of miles with lots of kinds of threads for lots of kinds of projects. Friends especially ask me to edge baby blankets. I have sewed at least a hundred tee shirts. I don't find it that hard to thread. Most of the time you can just tie on the new thread and pull it through, then thread the needle and you are off sewing again. I think you will find that the babylock with air threading is a lot more expensive. Good luck, I hope you find one that you can enjoy.