Serger recommendations
 

This would be my first serger! I don't sew a lot of clothing but I do sew pillowcases, bags and such that I think could be done so much faster on a serger. I am going to a serger info day soon- of course, they will be demo-ing their brands but I am open to any brand recommendations from you all. Thanks.

I'm interested in responses to this inquiry too! I've heard great things about Juki servers, but, then again, I am a Juki owner so I am biased….

I, too, am interested in the responses. I don't have a serger and I don't make clothes, but I think I could use one for sewing on trims, etc.

I am not sure about cost but I would definitely look at some of the self threading/automatic threading option on some of the new one.

Not knowing how much I would use one, I bought a used one from CL for very cheap. It might be a brother, does not have 'air' threading or anything else fancy. Had it serviced and ended up taking a very useful class with lots of documentation included. I've used it a couple of times since and am quite pleased with the $$ spent/value for my purposes. For machine, service, class and travel to/from (it was @ 45 min away) I was under $150. Make sure you get one with differential feed to give you more options as you progress. Mine is a 4 thread. In my research, again, the great number of threads it will handle gives you more options.

i bought an old Singer at a swap meet for $8. 4 thread, diferential feed, I love it!! Sometimes the Old stuff is just as good as the new.

I just purchased a Janome serger. My old Huskylock finally died after a lot of use. I would really like a Baby Lock self threading, but they are quite pricey. I use it for serging around my quilts before binding, making and attaching piping, lots of things. There are 2 main types- the serger only and a serger/ coverstitch combination, then there is a cover stitch only. I decided that the less pricey but reliable Janome serger was the one for me. It will do everything I need right now, was not difficult to thread and didn't cost an arm and a leg. As well, attachments are available for piping, ruffling, beading and more. My dealer recommended the Janome as a reliable machine. Oh- do take the classes that are available to you- they will open your eyes to the possibilities.

Depends on how much $$ you want to spend. I have a Bernina and they are expensive. A friend has I think a Baby Lock and hers has a self threading feature. Sergers are difficult to thread so look for one that has the self threading feature. Bernina does not have that.

Definitely get differential feed.

If you can afford it, go with a self-threading machine (air threading).

The coverstitch can be really useful (especially for knit clothing), so be sure you understand what it is. Then you can decide whether you want a separate machine for it.

I have a 15-year-old Bernina 4-thread serger with differential feed. If I were in a position to be making children's clothing, I would ***definitely*** have opted for air threading (makes life a lot easier) and either a 5-thread serger (so settings can be changed to coverstitch) or a separate coverstitch machine.

A lot depends on how much you will use it. I would have used mine more if it had been easier to thread and had the coverstitch. Still use it once in awhile (most recently when making replacement leaders for my midarm quilt frame), but not enough nowadays to justify the additional costs involved with air-threading and coverstitch.

I have the 936 Huskylock and I love it. Not at all hard to thread, I just watch the video every time. I don't use the coverstitch feature but it's a great machine with differential feed. Once you get it threaded you can just tie the threads of the new color and not have to totally rethread each time. That works on all of them. I had a Brother but it was awful. Broken threads and needles all the time.