Serger Purchase Help

I am in the process of buying a new Serger. It will be my first, and I would like to buy one that will serve me now as a beginner, but will also serve me for years to come without trading up. I own a Viking One Plus sewing machine which I love. I have looked at Elna Sergers as well as Babylock, but I am not sure how they compare to the Viking Sergers. I know they each have various models, but being a first time user I am not sure which features will be the most important and are worth paying the higher prices for. For instance how important is the coverstitch? I am willing to buy a quality machine, which will not need constant service and will be user friendly.

I appreciate any advise!

Thanks, Connie

Reply to
Connie Simonds
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I cannot compare the Elnas with the other brands, but I have an elna 925; bought it new about 6 years ago. It has never been in the shop (moderate use, all types of fabrics) and is easy to thread. It has the cover stitch (3 versions) and I have used a couple of them quite a bit to hem knits. Whether that stitch is important to you is your decision, but I wanted it and use it.

Reply to
Jean D Mahavier

I really love my Huskylock 910, and cannot think of a good reason to trade up to the 936! I grew out of a three thread Toyota (lovely little machine, but not versatile enough for what I wanted to do), and I have loved it from the start. I find it very easy to operate, as have several people who have used it here while I have been teaching them to sew. I have owned this machine since october '98, it's had one service and two small and easily fixed problems (see the other thread on sergers about this). I am a dress and costume maker, so if you are at all tempted by the Husqvarna sergers, hit the URL below and go see what this one has been up to for the last five years!

Other sergers I have used in this time have been Babylock (that one got me interested and helped me to decide to get one, but also helped me decide NOT to get a Babylock!), Janome (hated it!), Frister & Rossmann (on my web site), Bernina (the only one that came close to the Husky!), and a new Toyota (which was nice, but not as nice as the Huskylock and Bernina machines).

What you need to do is test drive them all, to see what suits the kind of fabric you sew (with me that's anything from cobweb fine silk chiffon to 4 layers of Polartec 300 or Windbloc!), how easy it is to thread (I cannot really get my head round the Elna air jet threading - another thing to go wrong, and SERIOUSLY difficult to thread if it does!), whether the controls fit your hands, and whether or not you need to be able to play with the tension (I love to play with the tension, but the Elnas have no dials! How DO you tell it to do a three thread flatlock seam rather than a three thread rolled edge?). If you like rolled edges on fine fabrics or table linens, test this too! ESPECIALLY test how easy it is to swap from seam sewing to rolled edges!

You may love your One Plus, but hate the Huskylock, and find you prefer the Bernina... Or something else! The golden rule is try before you buy!

Reply to
Kate Dicey

Reply to
romanyroamer

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