(Please check back as I plan to update this review as I continue using this machine to the fullest)
This is going to be a difficult review to write. The reason is because I have to keep it concise, but also because there is so much that I want to know when shopping for a serger, and I want to help others with as much information as possible, but I have to keep my words confined. I will do my best.
I have used a wide variety of sergers from Juki, to New Home/Janome, to Bernina and Baby Lock. I have been designing clothing of ALL types for a long time, so my perspective on sergers might be different from a casual user, but I will try to hit upon some of the high points that I look for when shopping for a serger.
OVERALL DESIGN
Wow, I have to say, the mind that designed this machine is BRILLIANT. Very practically designed, this serger has many things that I have said, “I love this serger, but I just wish..” about other machines in this price range, especially. Some of the features in this machine remind me of the Bernina serger I have worked on which cost a lot more than this serger does.
-ENORMOUS amount of storage with special places hidden inside the machine keeps everything you need handy, without additional clutter in drawers or pouches that can get misplaced.
-Extrended table is amazing. I LOVE it. It makes it so that I can sew large items without that drooping off the machine that happens so often with other sergers, causing a struggle to finish seams well.
-Narrow cuff- FINALLY! A WAY TO DO CUFFS AND LEGS! I LOVE this feature
-Presser Foot lever on right front side- very handy compared to BEHIND the machine
-Accessory Pieces easy to take on and off of machine for ease through sewing experience (extended table, free arm, trim basket, etc)
THREADING
This is one heck of a machine. One thing I hate is that I have to thread machines if the thread breaks and it is often tedious and frustrating. This serger is the easiest that I have ever used in terms of threading (other than a Baby Lock I used once that blew the thread through the holes a long time ago). It is quick, easy to do and works very well. Everything is VERY well laid out and marked.
AUTOMATIC THREADER
Works like a DREAM. I absolutely LOVE this feature. Very quick and easy to do without fussing, and it WORKS!
DVD
I would HIGHLY recommend that you take the time to watch the DVD before you use your machine. It appears that the Project Runway machine is used for the DVD, but it is very similar to this machine so it won’t be difficult to follow. The DVD is VERY well done with excellent close ups and it even repeats twice each lesson so that you can follow while you try to use the machine. Even though I have worked on sergers for years, I found the DVD to be a great help to learn the nuances of this machine. There are a lot of tips in the DVD that will help any sewer.
PERFORMANCE
I have used this machine on a variety of fabrics with excellent results. I have not used it on a full fledged project yet, which I intend to do very soon so I will update my experiences. For straight sewing, it works very well. It is a powerful machine that does not seem to struggle or lag for basic stitching. Once I get into the difficulties involved with crotch seams, super stretchy knits with curves, and thicker seams as in denim, I will report as to how this machine handles all of those things. Up until now, I have used it to work on a simple shirt with thick interfacing and homespun fabric and it worked great. The shirt was started previously and I used the serger to work on it quite a bit.
WHAT I LIKE
-free arm
-extended table
-excellent storage in machine and table
-easy to thread
-well laid out and labeled
-AMAZING needle threader
-DVD is excellent for beginner or advanced sewer
-comes with blind hemmer and gathering foot (which I will test more thoroughly and update this review)
-extra thread storage in extended table
-presser foot lever on side instead of back
-LED light is more like natural full spectrum light and not yellow
-instruction manual very well laid out and covers everything
-designed like I would want a serger to be designed with storage and practicality in mind
WHAT I DON’T LIKE
-some of places to store specific parts seem to fit a bit tight in the snap in areas(might loosen over time)
-trim trap does not seem to fit easily at times, so have to mess with it occasionally, but not that big of a deal
-needle goes in with hex screw- if lose/misplace screw driver, might be hard to find another in a pinch
THE BOTTOM LINE
The use of a serger for me is situation that takes some time to fully explore, as I want to push the serger to perform all different tasks. This serger so far has really impressed me with the practical way it was designed to not only accomplish a lot of different processes easily and quickly, but to store parts within the machine itself. The extended table and free arm are FANTASTIC features of this machine. I have found that the sergers ability to handle basic processes has been very good. It has cut through shirt, knit, and thicker fabric and sewn beautiful stitches right out of the box. The instructional materials that come with this machine are way above what I have gotten with any other machine to date (and I have worked on a lot of machines over time). There is a lot of attention paid to giving as much information as possible for beginners as well as advanced sewers in a pleasant and clear way with no guessing or wondering what is meant.
I have to say to this point I am completely impressed with this serger.
I plan to continue working projects on this serger over time, and will at that time update as my experiences with the serger help me give you more insight if this machine might be what you are looking for. I plan to experiment with the gathering foot, blind hem foot, differential feed, and the extra arm for stretch fabrics soon and will add those to this review somehow.
At this point, I am really impressed. Five stars for well-thought out design, performance, and ease of use, as well as instructional materials.
UPDATE April 29, 2015
TOOK FABRICS THAT NO OTHER MACHINE DOES WELL AND CONQUERED THEM
I have had a chance to sew on this machine a bit more and I put it to the test. I have made pageant dresses on other sergers and there are some fabrics that caused me no end of trouble and frustration so I had to be REALLY REALLY careful. One of these fabrics is stiff organza which has metallic feel to it with an iridescent sparkle as the light hits it. The other is a very beautiful black lace fabric (rayon) which is prone to draping and has to be sewn as one with the stiff organza. That is a match made in , well, it isn’t heaven. Or at least it was not until THIS machine.
Ordinarily, I would spend half of my day trying to catch the little ends that worked themselves into the stitching area because the organza is so wiry- it flips all over the place as you sew. (the cut edges do, especially when thin)
This machine, however, WOW. I am serious here. This machine blew through this stuff like a CHAMP. I had no worries because the way that the presser foot, knife and backdrop are designed- there is no room for the edges to work back into stitching. I can not tell you how excited this made me. What has taken me hours to do only took one hour tops and I was sewing a long piece of fabric for a ruffle and it was not easy to do with any other machine
NO TRAVELING MACHINE
I was also thrilled as can be when I was racing through my underskirt (spandex top sewed to the above mentioned fabrics) and I suddenly discovered that my machine was not bouncing at all on the desktop that I had it on. The very same spot with three other machines has bounced and driven me crazy with the action. This machine stayed put- AS IT SHOULD with no bouncing or instability at all.
So, once again, I am awestruck at how this machine is the fulfillment of what I did not like about other machines corrected, and including the things I also liked about other machines. The raves only continue to get stronger. For this price, it is a fantastic bargain.
RE-THREADING
One other thing on all other sergers I have used that is frustrating is that if a thread breaks or gets pulled through again, I have to completely unthread the entire serger and thread it again in order. Sometimes this has to be done several times.
This machine- WOW. A thread pulled through and in seconds, I mean SECONDS, I had it threaded again, and using the needle threader, it went through lightning fast.
I just LOVE this machine.
Okay, I will shut up now.