Hello everyone... I'm going to buy my first serger and have a pretty tight budget so I narrowed my choices down to a factory-refurbished Brother 1034D and Singer 14SH654. I've found both for about $200 including shipping. A lot of online reviews & consumer reports seem to say that specific Brother model is reliable and easy to use, while a lot of message boards seem to think that brother sergers in general are crap despite their high-quality sewing machines.
I can't seem to find too many opinions on the specific Singer model I'm interested in anywhere, although a friend says Singer in general is pretty reliable and many accessories are interchangeable among different the singer machines. Also, the Singer I've found offers a 25 year mechanical and 2 year electrical warranty.
But in the course of all this research, I've seen a lot of rave reviews for the White 2000. The cheapest one I've found is $300 - is it worth the extra cash? Also, the White 2000 lacks a free-arm unlike the Singer and Brother. Does anyone find that the free-arm makes sewing sleeves and other tubes that much easier or can I manage without?
If anyone has advice about these three machines I'd love to hear it...
Thanks! APM