The Juki 654DE is only about $499 at a Juki dealer. But you can get them for less on Amazon -- but you have ship it back for warranty work. It's made in the same factory as the Bernina 800 DL and 1150 MDA.

I have an older model Babylok 4 spool serger that I bought at an auction in our little country town in Alabama. I have not tried it out yet as I am a little nervous about it. Never have used a serger before. The good part about this serger is I paid $20.00 for it. WhooHoo.

I have a viking 905. Love, love, love it. I don't do a lot of serging so this has been perfect. Quiet to run, wonderful stitches and it has a removable piece so you can do cuffs or pant legs. I bought it for $200 on craigslist, actually from someone who used it extensively to make activewear for her family. I have had it for maybe 10 years and it has never given me any trouble.

Thanks for all of this great feedback. I went to my local dealer (just couldn't wait) and was shown a range of sergers ranging from $200 - over a thousand dollars. I came home with an Elna 664 Pro for $525 (it was their demo model). I am very pleased with all of the features, but what sold me was how quiet it was compared to the others.

Now to the learning curve!

Not only does the Babylock have jet air threading, it self adjusts so you're not monkeying with tentions. It is more expensive, but worth every penny in what it will save you in frustration and time.

BabyLocks are the best & def worth the $. That being said, you can get a basic Janome for ~ $350 or a Viking 200S that's easy to thread for around $500. Good luck

I have a viking Huskylock 936, a Babylock Protege, and a Janome Coverpro CPX1000 coverstitch machine. Even though my Viking will do a coverstitch, I feel it is worth having a dedicated coverstitch machine. It saves the aggravation of switching the serger back and forth between the two features. My Viking is a 5 thread serger with many excellent features. It is complicated to thread, but as with any new piece of technology, repitition makes it become routine. Also, something important to remember with a serger or a coverstitch machine is to tie your new thread to your old thread rather than rethread it. However, at some point your thread will break, so it is worth it to spend the time getting to know your machine and how it is threaded. Practice makes perfect. The more familiar you become with the machine, the less intimidated you will feel. No matter what serger you choose, take classes. I'm an autodidact with most things, so reading books and watching videos fits my learning needs, but if you are a person who needs a one-on-one with an instructor, then you may want to buy a machine from a dealer who will give you classes. My husband bought my first serger as a gift around 1996 I believe. It was the Babylock Protege. It did not have jet-aire threading. It is a 4 thread mechanical serger with a free-arm and differential feed. He picked it out himself. My mom had purchased a Kenmore 5-thread serger and I wanted one. The one my husband chose was lacking a couple of features that I wanted. The ability to do a chain stitch was one of those features. My Protege has been a wonderful serger and is still working great to this day. My Viking is computerized. It does just about everything that I could ever want it to do. I love it. I would recommend that machine to anyone. You could pick one up on eBay for about $500. There are many people who let them sit in a box because they are intimidated by them, so it is not unusual to find them in mint condition. The benefit of buying a second hand machine is that the quality is usually superior, and you can find many of the feet and accessories for a song. If you are someone who likes things to be very basic, this machine would not be for you. But, if you are willing to be patient and spend time learning about the machine, then you can grow in your skill level with the serger. One of the things that I love about my Viking serger and my Janome Coverstitch machine is the large harp space. You won't get that feature in most sergers. Babylock sergers may have jet-aire threading, but they have nothing for harp space. I also have a Babylock sewing machine, so when I was in the market for a coverstitch machine, I purchased a Babylock. It had jet-aire thrading. I returned it and bought the Janome. I will take a large harp space over jet-aire threading any day. I think many people are romanced by not having to thread their machines. If that is you, then you definitely will want a Babylock. Whatever you decide,use different colors of thread while you are learning to use it. This will help you to understand how the stitches form and will help you learn to adjust your tension and also troubleshoot. And if you are threading the machine, it can be invaluable. Also, get yourself some of those plastic sheets with pockets that fit into a loose leaf binder. In it, keep practice swatches of fabric with written details about your stitches including tension and different settings and feet used--basically all your setup information for each stitch. It will be an invaluable reference later. Also, take photographs of the threading and the tension settings before you ever use the serger so you have it for reference later. Many people only use their machines for basic things and don't understand its full creative potential. In my opinion, it is worth it to really learn what your machine and its feet are capable of. I wish you luck in finding just the right serger for you. Happy shopping.

good for you!! Please remember not to be intimidated by it. Just keep practicing and it will all become second nature. Like the features on your sewing machine! Happy serging!!!