Best Overlockers

We all like slightly different features so you will need to test drive some at showrooms. I like my Janome but IIRC Kate prefers another make. It also depends on what you expect it to do? Do you do garments, home dec, table linen?

Things to check for: How easy (or not) is it to thread? Does the cut width adjust and how? Is it likely to dance off the table? Is the finished stitch attractive (or just OK)? Will it handle the type of fabrics you like to stitch?

HTH

Lizzy posting on usenet newsgroup alt.sewing which is then copied by sewgirls, google groups etc. etc.

Yeah, we all have our fave raves! ;)

I have owned and used:

Huskylock 910: LOVED it, but it is a bit big and butch! Great at the sewing: no cover stitch, never used the memory feature, so when I came to replace it, I seriously thought about the 905, which sews exactly the same things but doesn't have the memory.

Bernina 1150MDA: my current main machine: wonderful! Smoother and quieter than the Huskylocks, as well as smaller. Copes just as well if not better with the thicker and tougher fabrics.

Brother 1034D: VERY impressive for the price. I bought it for the only thing the Bernina lacks: the free arm. Very good at everything it does, but not as tough as the Bernina.

Two different Toyotas: both excellent but not as versatile as I needed, so I upgraded

I sew professionally (part time and I don't have room for industrials), and I put the machines through a lot. These have all coped well. I've also sewn on several Janomes (hated them all: dead fussy about thread, and one skipped off the table into my lap!), Bernettes (ikk! Cheap and nasty!), Frister & Rossman (very nice, but not up to the type and volume of work done here), and Evolve (from Babylock: nice, but not worth all the fuss and money for what I do), Singer (I remember nothing about this one - so memorable it sank without trace!) and a Elna (again, a bit characterless).

I have to say I love the ease of threading on the Huskylock and the Bernina. It ain't bad on the Brother, either, and I love the way the front of the F&R opens right up for threading and cleaning.

Since you havbe a Husqvarna sewing machine (I have an Lily - love it to bits!), try the Huskyolock first, then the Berrnina... Buy the one you like best!

And I'm going to toss in a suggestion for Juki as a possibility -- the one I have (MO 655) is very nicely engineered and like all the other Jukis I've tried, seems to be a bit overbuilt in comparison with other brands. So far it's handled everything from silk chiffon to 8 layers of 10 ounce denim with aplomb.

Kay

Hi Kaz,

You need to pick out the one that is right for *you* and the kind of sewing you do and plan to do. Here is some reading to get you started:

I just bought a 4-thread overlocker and learned after I got it that a key thing to look for is if an overlocker can do a COVER STITCH. this is a popular stitch, especially for hems on knits, and if you don't get a 5-thread overlocker, you can't do this stitch (to the best of my knowledge).

so in addition to the above reading, I recommend considering how important the cover stitch is to you. :)

good luck!