Which Toyota overlocker is best?

Can anyone tell me if it's worth paying ?20 or ?30 pounds more for a Toyota SL3335 with built in rolled hem and 2,3 and 4 threads as opposed to an SL3314 with a seperate rolled hem foot and only 3 or 4 threads? ( I think you may pay extra for the seperate rolled hem plate.)

Many thanks

Susan

Reply to
S R Glickman
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Worth it if you are going to use it a lot on projects where you will need to swap back and forth between the two settings. I have a Toyota SL3404E, a 3/4-thread machine which needs the alternative foot and stitch-plate change. It does a brilliant 3 thread rolled hem (at least as good as my Huskylock 910*), but it does take 5 minutes to change it over, so on projects where I need to swap over, I've been known to thread and set it up for the rolled hems and use the Huskylock for seams to avoid the swap-over. The Huskylock has the facility for swapping without the stitch plate and foot change, and generally this is a lot more convenient.

*Both machines are made by Toyota, but while they share the same 'brick netty' build quality, they share no parts! The Huskylock is much easier to thread and not so temperamental about woolly nylon threads, and its top speed is about twice that of the Toyota. On the other hand, the Toyota was cheap (£160 slightly used, with a 1 year guarantee) at a time I needed an emergency back-up machine when the Huskylock had a sudden and urgent need for ritual disemboweling and industrial strength lint removal mid bridal project! This is the second Toyota serger I have owned (the first now lives with my sister), and both have been impressive little machines: very solid, less prone to thread tanglers and temperamental hissy-fits than most others, strong enough to cope with bigger projects and thicker fabrics (like Polartec 300!), and easy enough for beginners and the nervous to use without being so restrictive as to frustrate advanced sewers. The reason I updated to the Huskylock was that my original Toyota was only a 3 thread, and a bit slow. I liked the robust nature of the Huskylock, the 4 threads, and the ease of conversion to rolled hems, but the thing that sold me on it rather than something like the Bernina was the free-arm: Huskylocks are the only domestic free-arm sergers on the market at the moment, and I find that facility very useful.

If you are on a more restricted budget, this is your first serger, or you think you may never bother with the free arm, the Toyota will give many years trouble free service, so long as you de-fluff and oil it regularly, and get it properly serviced at regular intervals. I would suggest for light use, once every two years. For heavy domestic use and/dressmaker use, get it serviced every year. I use BOTH sergers enough to get them serviced at least once a year.

Reply to
Kate Dicey

I can get the better machine ex-demo for £179, or £149 for the cheaper one. Both with full 3 year guarantee.

Yes to both of these !

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That's not a problem as the dealer is fairly local.

Many thanks for replying.

Susan

Reply to
S R Glickman

In article , S R Glickman of uttered

I'd say it probably is

Reply to
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Thanks

Susan

Reply to
S R Glickman

At those prices, well worth springing for the extra £20 and getting the extra feature.

Good. I have an hour's drive to Tunbridge Welles to get the Toyota serviced! No further on the map from where we live than Canterbury, half an hour away, but the roads in Kent can be okkard at times... ;)

You're very welcome. Enjoy the sewing.

Reply to
Kate Dicey

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