Sergers

By Skip
Created: Friday, October 10, 2003, 11:35:39 MST

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Compiled reviews of sergers.

Sergers

Features

• Number of threads: 3, 4, 5
• easy to thread
• threading diagrams inside the front cover
• computerized: twenty pre-defined stitches
• automatic tensions/manual tension adjustments
• three different cover stitch widths
• chainstitch
• cover stitch
• rolled hem
• free arm
• five-thread overlock
• speed adjustment
• presser-foot pressure adjustment
• multiple presser feet available
• Japanese made tend to be better than Taiwanese made
• NOTE:  (Make sure you check out automatic built-in rolled hem feature if it's important to you. Not all machines have built-in ones. Some require you to change face plates.)

Watch out for

• lay-in threading as sometimes the threads will pop out of the rear snubber and you don't realize that you have no tension until your seam is finished
  

:)/:(	Brand	Model	Price	Comments
:p	Pfaff	4872	$1100	I LOVE this serger. easy to thread threading diagrams inside the front cover computerized: twenty pre-defined stitches automatic tensions three different cover stitch widths chainstitch five-thread overlock speed adjustment presser-foot pressure adjustment multiple presser feet available: the gathering foot, the universal tape binder, the piping foot, the belt loop/strap-making foot, more from chiffon to three layers of fleece display has a lot of information, but it's all useful and the layout is good. I especially like the visual reminder of what needle positions are used for each stitch selection. Not so good seems to be very picky about using serger Schmetzes.
:p	Pfaff	4852	$900	What Sandra Petersen likes about this machine I took the free lessons given and was impressed by the number of different things I could do. It also has the coverstitch without the major price. What Sandra Petersen does not like about this machine I would have loved to have the electronic with automatic set tensions, but could not see paying the extra price to have all of the other features that this one can do. I can set the tensions for this price and still get all of the features.
:(	Elna		$????	handy tilt-needle function which makes it easier to replace or move needles. Essentially same as the Pfaff
:|	Elna	905	$????	lovely stitch quality. automatic set the tensions option to manually tension Threading is so much easier with the looper guide that moves into reach. My favorite feature is the tilting needle. Not only does it make changing needles easier, it makes threading the needle a breeze. The expandability offered by the ProCards really appealed to me. 5-thread coverstitch but haven't used them either. wonderful little video that shows how it works and how to thread it. Not so nice Right now it is jamming. It looks like the stitch finger is bent. Since I purchased it used, it could have been like that when I got it or I may have bent it unjamming some polar fleece.
:|	Elna	745	$????	workhorse. The stitches are very consistent. It's easy to switch stitches. With a little practice, threading is easy for both coverstitch and overlock functions. There are 10 presets for different stitches, and very rarely do I have fiddle with the tensions or other settings to get it to work the way I want. I absolutely love the way it sews on sheer and/or slippery fabric. I use it to do first pass of stitching for a french seam. I never have problems with it puckering the fabric, and it encloses all the little threads, so I don't have to worry about little ravels showing thru the french seams. Not so good be careful when I starting the coverstitch. I always break the threads because I start too fast.
:(	BabyLock	Protege	$????	dislike: 1
:(	BabyLock	BL3-408	$200	ease of threading reliable stitching all metal serger (I bought it used) three-thread seam for garment construction on light weight fabrics. also use it for seam finishes on light to medium weight fabrics. The three-thread seam is my favorite serged seam, as I find it very versatile. Not so good Although this machine theoretically will do a 2-thread rolled hem, I find that this is not worth the bother. The lever that changes to the rolled hem is always sort of sticky. Even after servicing it still is hard to use. Fortunately, I don't do many rolled hems, but I wouldn't get this machine if that is important to you.
:p	BabyLock	Imagine	$1000 $900 $700	It threads itself Auto tension easy to switch from a flatlock to a narrow hem to a rolled hem, all with the flick of a dial This machine also has a great range of stitch lengths and widths. good for overlocking edges and flatlock seems Not so good no cover stitch no chain stitch
:)	Janome	MyLock 204D	$250	"a wonderful little machine" 3/4 thread compact sturdy It has suction cup type feet which keep it in place. It doesn't "shake" while serging even at the high speeds. It also has automatic built-in rolled hem feature. It also has a differential feed. NOTE: I had no idea what this was when I bought it. I'm now glad mine does! If you want the bottom fabric to be pulled into the feed dogs faster or slower, you can set the differential feed accordingly. This helps stop stretching or puckering on fabrics such as knits, slippery type fabrics, etc. It also allows you to "gather." You can use one or two needles on the machine. (Although I've only used the two so far.) upper knife could be "deactivated." Meaning that I can turn it down out of the way so that the edge of the fabric is not cut. There are times when you want to do this, so this is a handy feature. The cutting width on my Janome is 2.0 to 5.7 mm. although the threading is not a "snap," it's not that difficult either. a video that showed step-by-step how to thread it. It's also "color-coded" which makes things simple. (You can also thread it by loosening the tension knobs and tying your new thread onto the old thread that is already threaded through.)
:p	Elna	945	$????	" The Elna works first time, every time. I can turn it on, select a stitch, and start serging. It's a joy." many built-in stitches that come with automatic settings. It does 2, 3, 4, and 5-thread stitches. You can override the auto settings with manual settings (these get deleted when you turn off the machine) or save new settings for each stitch to memory (these stay in memory when you turn off the machine). For example, I'm working on a big curtain/drape project. I set several stitches to the exact settings that work with my fabric, then saved them in memory. Now, each time I want to use one of those stitches, I just bring up the memory settings for it. Of course, it's easy enough to write down settings for each project, and I do that as well, but the memory feature is a handy convenience that you can easily come to depend on. unbelievably easy to thread. Clear paths for each type of threading are printed inside the flip-down threading cover, so I almost never have to open the book to figure out how to switch from a 2-thread overcast to a 5-thread safety stitch. feature in which you can flip the needle area forward to insert the needles. This little feature alone increases the usability quotient of this machine over any other serger by a fair amount. You can also get cards for this machine that store settings for even more stitches, and on which you can store even more memory settings for your favorite stitches. I don't know how much these cost; my dealer threw them in for free when I got the machine. Not so good The only things I wish this machine had are a knee lift and needle up-down selector. It seems to always stop with needle-up, while I almost always want needle-down Also, even on the slowest setting (you can adjust speed from turtle to rabbit), if you push the pedal to the floor, it goes faster than a snail's pace, which is often what I need. So I just don't push the pedal all the way down when I need to crawl along. Finally, if you open the threading cover, the trim-catcher thingie falls off. I just remove it before I open the cover.
:|	Bernette	334D	$325	a real workhorse built like a tank and just sews and sews without me giving it a thought. This machine was made by Juki for Bernina in the early 90s I believe. It has differential feed, built-in rolled hem and tension knobs rather than lay-in tension. I ended up selling my 2 TOL sergers after I fell in love with this one and it's younger sister, the 334DS, which I will review as well.
:p	Bernette	334DS	$400	a real workhorse built like a tank and just sews and sews without me giving it a thought. 4/3/2 thread with differential feed adjustable knife built-in rolled hemming easily adjusted stitch length and tension knobs overlocking serger  The 334DS is the new and improved version of the Bernette 334D. The 334DS was also made by Juki for Bernina in the early 90s, I believe. It too is a workhorse of a machine, albeit not quite as fast as the 334D. The only difference that I can see between the two models is the the 334DS has a "self-threading" lower looper, a minor convenience in my opinion. So, if you are on a budget and want a really great overlock for not too much money, look for this model, it's a gem.
:p	BabyLock	Evolve (BLE8)	$1500	a breeze to learn a breeze to thread. It has Jet Air Threading in the Loopers. It seems no matter what fabric I put in or what thread, the stitch always is perfect with little to no tweaking. I use it to bind polar fleece blankets with wooly nylon.Edge pockets with heavyweight varigated rayon for decorative purposes. It's very easy to convert to CoverStitch and use this feature alot as I'm very short and need to hem RTW pants alot. I also agree with the reviewer who said that 8 threads are overkill.. but they are sure nice to have. Not so good not real easy to adjust the tension on the stitches. no free arm for sewing a small round There is also a problem going over bulky seams with the cover stitch. I have compensated for this by pushinig the fabric through.
:p	Bernina	2500DCE	$????	Not so good The machine took alot of fiddling around to get it to do what I wanted. It was very fussy.
:(	Bernina	2500DCET	$1600	easy to thread machine cover stitch for a RTW finish on hems This machine does a great regular stitch a cover stitch an upper cover stitch (which is a 5th thread that loops decoratively back and forth through the double rows of straight stitching on the coverstitch). You can also use 3 needles for the coverstitch and/or upper coverstitch. This machine can do up to 5 threads. It is easy to thread, there is a lever that allows you to easily thread the bottom looper. The tension adjustments are automatic, so you spend a lot less time fiddling with tension. It also has a differential feed presser foot pressure dial an adjustable lower knife. There are also some specialty feet which I have never tried. It uses regular needles You do not have to make any conversion for a rolled hem. This machine has a finger attached to the machine that retracts for rolled hems. There is also a manual needle down button which is nice (but not automatic, which would be nicer!) Not so good The machine took alot of fiddling around to get it to do what I wanted. It was very fussy. You have to convert some parts in the machine to switch between serging and coverstitching. This takes about 5 mins (with practice). I found the upper coverstitch finicky. You cannot start this mid-fabric if the decorative thread breaks, you have to start over. The video is not the greatest, they gloss over some things and make them look faster than they really are.
:|	Viking	Huskylock 905	$549	large, open design that is very similar to a regular sewing machine. free-arm, the ease of changing to rolled hem, ability to do two-thread sewing video sale price of $549 from $699 thread diagram on the inside of the front cover very easy to use I really had hoped to buy a machine with coverstitch, but the 936 (along with every other coverstitch serger on the market) was just too pricey at the time. I also decided to get the 905 rather than 910 because I felt I could do without the bells and whistles of the 910--the two are the same machine but the 910 has preprogrammed settings. The 905's manual has several charts that helped me learn how to choose the correct tension, stitch length and width and differential feed setting for whatever I need to do. The video was very helpful as well. I had never used a serger before, but immediately was able to thread it (handy diagram on the inside of the front cover) and practice all the different stithes. The 905 is very easy to use which I feel is the reason I use the machine all the time, from finishing raw edges of wovens before prewashing, to constucting clothes, gathering, etc. I am surprised that as a novice sewer and serger newbie, I have been able to do so much in such a short period of time. Not so good A pain to change to two-thread sewing.
:|	White	2000 ATS	$350	simple and straightforward. relatively easy to thread (easier, for example, to rethread than to tie on) handy foldout door for storing needles, brushes, tweezers, and even a space for your spare needle if you do a 3-thread overlock stitch. The differential feed works pretty well with a variety of fabrics. fairly quiet and does not "walk" across the sewing surface while you stitch. It is small/light enough to be portable - and to fit on the same table with my regular machine (a Bernina 801) so that I can comfortably move back and forth between machines without getting up from my chair. The price is reasonable - for about $350-400 pretty heavy-duty machine utilitarian and easy to use. My machine also came with four or five feet for applying binding, gathering, etc. Comes with a useful video that demonstrates threading and most common serging techniques Not so good There are not a lot of "bells and whistles" on this machine (which could be a plus or minus depending on your orientation). The ATS 2000, like many sergers, does not have a cover stitch, which I now recognize I should have sought out when I bought my first serger, since I sew knits frequently and could use it often. (Live and learn!) Does not have a free arm. The manual is pretty rudimentary. It comes as a plastic-wrapped bundle of loose-leaf pages for you to put in a binder. With lots of white space, the pages can be used notebook-style for recording notes about fabrics and techniques. Again, this could be a plus or minus - depends on you. It can be temperamental, requiring rethreading or needle replacement when stitches aren't working properly. (Because it's my first serger, I am unsure whether this is true of sergers in general.) I suggest that you buy replacement needles in bulk for this machine, since replacing the needles frequently seems to make it run better. I was unable to find the replacement needles for this machine at my local/closest fabric store (a JoAnn Etc) and thus would feel frustrated if I ran out in the middle of a project and had to wait several days for a mail-order replacement.
:|	Bernina	1300DC	$????	easy to use reliable fast quiet LCD 24 different stitches: chain, coverstitch Programmable rolled hems
:|	Bernette	234	$100	This is a basic, no-frills serger. very sturdy, well-built 3/4 thread serger. It came with the foot and plate for roll-hemming. The stitches, once adjusted, are even and well-formed. It is fast and not too noisy. Although it is an older model, I have been told it could last almost indefinitely if I care for it. It has been a good "learning" serger, since I've never had one before, and I am glad I didn't run out and get a fancy one just to find that I don't use all the features.  sews through Denim and polar fleece better than the Pfaff and it is great when I am sewing a big project Not so good This machine lacks differential feed threading can be a chore... especially the lower loope. I usually just tie to my next thread though.  thread tension
:|	BabyLock	Eclipse BLE1SX Special Edition	$600	The Special Edition of the Baby Lock Eclipse is identical to the regular Eclipse, in that it has the looper tubes. However, instead of pushing a button to have air force threads through the tubes you take a wire looper threading tool (like a sewing needle threader but very long), put your looper thread through the eye, and push/pull the threader through the tube. It’s very easy to do, with a savings of several hundred dollars compared to the machines with jet air threading. Easy to thread 2/3/4 thread differential feed rolled hem manual tension dials
:|	BabyLock	BLE1LX	$899	Airthread 2/3/4 thread flatlock rolled hems edging
:|	White	ATS2000 Superlock	$400	2/3/4 thread rolled hem picot edge auto thread cutter color coded thread paths Not so good timing problems
:|	make	model	$????	good/bad

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