A serger is the advanced version of the normal sewing machine that can close the edges of the fabric besides just stitching. As a result, they help in producing excellently finished fabric at great ease. They help close the fabric edges easily and professionally and are heavily preferred in the professional sewing arena.
Stitching performed using sergers differs from that of traditional sewers, particularly because the former can even cut the fabric, unlike the latter. In addition, sergers are equipped with a precise cutting knife, needles, and mechanical fingers.
Due to this, they can cleanly trim the cloth and wind the thread around it, creating smooth-finished edges. These stitches can even be stretched along the stitching direction and are thus used to sew active suits and swimwear.
This article presents you an overview of sergers, types of sergers, top 8 sergers available in the market, who does it suit and how to choose it. Read along to discover more!
Table of Contents
Who Are Serger Machines For?
Serger machines are for those who are into regular, long-duration sewing as they considerably fasten the process. These are usually suitable for experienced sewists rather than beginners as their easy handling demands considerable practice.
Serger machines are quite costly when compared to traditional sewing equipment. This makes them viable only when deployed for continuous work. Else, if using them occasionally, then it would be better to accomplish the same tasks via a piece of standard equipment.
Another factor to be considered is your amount of experience. If you are an expert sewer, then sergers are preferable. Else, it is better to stay away from these. Just because many things can go wrong when you are handling these for the first time. But if you want to get into the serging world, you should and need to get a serger machine, despite the fact that it comes with a steep learning curve.
Top 8 Best Serger Sewing Machines Review
Here goes a list of the top 8 serger machines that make a good fit. Analyze the presented overview, pros, and cons to shortlist your favorite model today.
Brother 1034D 3/4 Thread Serger
Brother 1034D 3/4 thread serger offers hassle-free high-speed stitching with a maximum speed of 1300 stitches per minute. It imbibes 22 different types of stitching functions, including three or four thread overlock, narrow hemming, ribbon lock stitching, rolled hem, and heirloom stitches.
All these stitches can be customized to your definite needs within the range of 3 mm to 7 mm. There is even a snap-on interchangeable foot and presser foot adjustment dial to help further in personalization, like the creation of ruffles and other decorative edges.
The machine is equipped with 2 needles and can handle 3 or 4 threads. Its threading is easy to accomplish as there is a color-coded mechanism to guide you through the process. The lay-in mechanism accompanied by the looper threading system maintains the thread in the correct place.
Brother 1034D is featured with the differential feed that helps to control the movement of fabric with respect to the front and rear feed dogs. By adjusting the differential feed ratio, you can ensure even stitching on all kinds of fabrics, including thin and stretchy ones.
Beyond these, there are ample additional accessories like a well-defined bi-linguistic (English and Spanish) user manual, detachable free arm, retractable knife, an extension table, LCD touchscreen, LED system, built-in storage space, softcover, and 2-point thread tension controller.
Pros
- It suits both experts and novices
- Can render 4-thread overlocking
- It is supplied with a lot of accessories
- It uses a standard set of needles
Cons
- Rolled hems work only on certain materials
- Cannot yield chain or cover stitch
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Singer 14CG754 Profinish Serger Sewing Machine
Singer 14CG754 Profinish serger comes with 6 stitch patterns and can work with 2, 3, or 4 threads. It can operate at a maximum speed of 1300 stitches per minute and is easily portable owing to the handle attached to its body.
There is a color-coded lay-in threading system that makes threading and feeding of the yarn quick and easy. The differential feed system helps to adjust the cloth feeding ratio between front and rear feed dogs resulting in high-quality seams on various fabrics.
The length of these stitches can be conveniently adjusted to obtain unique patterns for each time. You can effortlessly switch the sewing mode to rolled hem and back by moving an associated lever into a specific position in this machine.
Furthermore, Singer 14CG754 is supplied with an all-purpose foot, power cord, tweezers, screwdriver, needle set, foot control, stitching guide, movable upper knife, cone adaptors, spreader, built-in free arm, extra-high presser foot lifter, and instruction manual.
With these features, it helps you automatically trim the fabric, clean-cut the edges, sew attractive edges, ensure flat-locked edges, accomplish easy rolled hems, avoid puckering, save time and obtain professional finish on appliques, basting, and others.
Pros
- Sturdy as it has a heavy-duty metal body
- It is portable and easy to carry
- Affordable and worth every penny
Cons
- Noisy at top speed
- The considerably long learning curve
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Brother Designio Series DZ1234 Serger
Brother Designio Series DZ1234 is a fast working serger that offers a speed of 1300 stitches per minute. You can use it to finish the fabric edges using a narrow hem, 3 or 4 thread overlock, ribbon lock stitches, and rolled hem.
Threading of this machine is made easy due to the color-coding system, and the differential feed ensures even cloth feeding. The stitches delivered are of high quality and can be adjusted in terms of both lengths and width.
The machine uses regular home sewing needles and is supplied with 2 sets of starter thread and many kinds of feet like blind hem foot, piping foot, and gathering foot. The setting-up, use, and troubleshooting of the machine are detailed in the attached manual.
Besides, a brightly lit LED workspace and a free arm facilitate easy and quick sewing of sleeves and cuffs. There is even an in-built storage space where you can store all the sewing equipment to keep them at your arm’s length.
Moreover, Brother Designio Series DZ1234 serger comes with a lot of accessories such as a soft protective case, needle set, trim trap, large white thread, tweezers, thread net, hexagonal wrench, foot controller, mini color thread, thread spool cap, user manual, power cord, and cleaning brush.
Pros
- Less noisy operation
- Offers 22 stitch varieties
- Produces high-quality finishing
- It comes with 2 sets of starter threads
Cons
- Lacks automatic threading unit
- Not very suitable for beginners
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Singer 14T968DC Professional Serger
Singer 14T968DC is a serger that helps you sew a seam, attractively finish and trim the excess cloth all at once. It can sew a maximum of 1300 stitches per minute and can work with 2, 3, 4, or 5 threads.
The machine comes with a great number of stitch types you can choose from, like hems, rolled hems, cover hems, decorative flatlock, and others. All of these can be customized in terms of length, width, tension, and design pattern.
The model is featured with a color-coding system that enables easy and quick threading and an automatic self-adjusting tension system that helps to achieve professional results. There is a lever that allows you easily switch between rolled hemming and regular sewing.
Besides, Singer 14T968DC professional allows you to adjust the cutting width to obtain quality finishing on a wide variety of fabric types. There is also a presser foot lift to work on bulky materials, a movable knife to cut the fabric, and a softcover to protect the machine from dust.
Furthermore, it has many intuitive controls and comes with ample additional accessories, including a detailed instruction manual. All these help in its easy and quick setup, use, and troubleshooting.
Pros
- Capable of 5-threaded stitching
- Imbibes self-adjustable tension system
- Can produce cover stitches
- Relatively noiseless operation
Cons
- Deficient of automatic threading unit
- Some parts are plastic-made and are thus fragile
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Juki MO644D Portable Serger
Juki MO644D portable serger imbibes a color-coded threading system with clearly marked threading paths. It is fitted with a differential feed dial that facilitates the adjustment of the cloth feeding ratio between the front and the rear feed dogs.
There is a dedicatedly driven heavy-duty knife system that aids in precision cutting. Here you can easily adjust the cutting width to your convenience by turning the associated dial. This mechanism will help you obtain precisely cut clean edges devoid of jitters.
The machine comes with an easy-to-adjust 1-rotation thread tension dial that aids in adjusting the thread tension. This mechanism, when used in conjunction with the customizable stitch length feature, results in high-quality stitches for a variety of patterns.
In Juki MO644D, you can easily start creating rolled hems instead of standard stitch patterns. The necessary action is enabled just by flipping a switch and not even demanding the changing of the needle plate or the foot.
Moreover, there are many attractive features like multi-function presser foot, snap-on presser foot, built-in seam guide, gauge on the guard cover, Juki specialty feet, graduations on serge away, and brightly lit LED workspace.
Pros
- Effortless to handle and carry
- High quality 4-threaded overlock
- It comes with a multi-function presser foot
- Fast operation of 1500 stitches per minute
Cons
- It does not have an automatic threader
- Not very suitable for heavy fabrics
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Juki MO654DE Portable Serger Sewing Machine
Juki MO654DE portable thread serger operates at the maximum speed of 1500 stitches per minute. It is light in weight and is thus easily portable. The machine can work efficiently with 2, 3, or 4 threads and offers a wide variety of stitch options to choose from.
The stitch lengths can be customized to suit your definite needs. There is an automatic rolled hem feature that allows you to switch between standard sewing and rolled hems. Threading of this machine is easy as it imbibes a color-coded system.
Further, even a powerful knife helps in precision cutting and a multi-function presser foot that aids in the creation of overlock stitches, sequins, attachment of tape or ribbon, creation of appliques, and others.
The machine is equipped with a differential feed system using which you can vary the speeds at which the cloth is fed to the rear and the front feed dogs. The presser foot supplied comes with a built-in tape guide that ensures the fabric edges maintain their shapes, especially the stretchy ones.
Above all these, the model is supplied with 8 thread cones and 50 needles. This includes high-standard MaxiLock thread, 4 black-colored spools, and 4 more white and cream spools. Besides, there is even a serger tote that facilitates organization and machine hauling.
Pros
- Very light in weight
- It comes with a safety switch
- Presser foot imbibes a tape-guide
- Imbibes intuitive controls
Cons
- Has no LED light system
- Looper orientation is not appreciable
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Janome 8002D Serger
Janome 8002D is a 3 or 4 thread serger that uses 1 or 2 needles to produce professional finish stitches on the cloth edges. Just as in the case of many other sergers, even this machine comes with a color-coded threading system.
The model can operate at a maximum speed of 1300 stitches per minute. It is featured with a differential feed system that eases the sewing of hard-to-handle fabrics like stretchy fabrics by ensuring no puckering or bunching.
You can easily create rolled hems in this machine instead of standard seams as it imbibes a built-in rolled hem feature. There is a 4 lay-in thread tension dial that helps in the easy setting of thread tension for the chosen stitch type.
In Janome 8002D, you can adjust the cutting width to your convenience. It produces a clean-cut fabric with the aid of a superior quality easy retractable upper knife. This aids in the creation of high-quality chain stitches, cover hems, flatlock stitches, rolled hems, and overlock stitches.
Furthermore, the machine comes with a snap-on presser foot, adjustable foot pressure, and a lot of accessories such as screwdrivers, tweezers, an instruction manual, and a set of needles. These aid in its easy setup and deployment.
Pros
- Small and compact in size
- Easy to use and is beginner-friendly
- Sturdy and robust make
Cons
- Lacks automatic threading unit
- Has no built-in storage space
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Brother 3234DT Serger
Brother 3234DT serger is a 2-needle machine that can operate with 2, 3, or 4 threads. It can close the edges of many kinds of fabrics ranging from lightweight ones (knits and woven materials) to heavy ones (denim and canvas).
The machine is featured with a color-coded threading system that aids in easy threading. There is also a differential feed that eliminates the stretching and puckering of lightweight fabrics.
There is a user-friendly retractable knife blade that aids in accurate cutting. With these features, you can easily create spaghetti straps, produce attractively decorated edges, join ribbons and laces and create ruffles.
Brother 3234DT machine also includes a set of feet that help to maintain versatility in stitching patterns. This package comprises of the general-purpose standard foot, gathering foot that helps to gather the cloth edges and blind stitch foot that facilitates the creation of invisible hems.
Furthermore, the machine comes with a removable extra-wide table that helps to handle large-sized bulkier projects at ease, an advanced needle threader that operates with the help of a lever, and a free arm that aids in sewing cuffs sleeves and cylindrical pieces.
Pros
- Works well with both knits and woven fabrics
- It uses a standard set of needles
- Imbibes a powerful motor
- Ideal for creating decorative edges
Cons
- It cannot be easily maneuvered
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Types of Serger
Serger machines are classified based on the number of threads it uses. They are
1-Thread Serger
1-thread serger closes the fabric edges by zig-zagging using a single thread. The stitch created is called butt seam and is usually preferred while lingering. This stitch is not very durable as the cloth edges are not stressed to a high degree.
2-Thread Serger
2-thread sergers that can produce two different types of stitches: 2-thread flatlock and 2-thread rolled hem. The first stitch type produces thin edges, unlike the latter. This makes flatlock preferable for stretchable fabrics and the rolled hem for decorative items.
3-Thread Serger
3-thread serger sews the fabric edges in an overlock fashion. This stitch uses a single needle on the machine and can also be used to create a blind hem. 3-thread stitching is usually used in the case of knit clothing.
4-Thread Serger
4-thread stitches made from serger are the strongest and most durable ones. Besides, these are the most commonly used sewing types. They create high-quality seams along the fabric edges and are thus most preferred.
5-Thread Serger
5-thread sergers are used to strengthen and secure the previously sewed seams. In this case, three threads create an overlock pattern while the other two sew a straight seam. This kind of stitching can usually be seen on ready-made clothing.
How to Choose the Best Serger Sewing Machines?
The best serger machines are to be decided by considering many factors like features offered, area of application, accessories supplied, the support offered, budget available, and trustworthiness of the product.
When looking for a serger, do research on the features offered. This is necessary to ensure that the model satisfies your needs, may it be in terms of the number of threads, stitch types, differential feed ratio, knife system, cutting width, stitch tension, or anything similar.
These factors heavily depend on the area of application, frequency of use, and the budget available. So, before making a purchase, try to have a clear picture of where and how you wish to deploy your machine and how much you can spend on it.
Accessories that come with the machine are also to be considered as they greatly ease your task. Customer support and trustworthiness of the product are also to be researched as they become handy when you face a problem with your equipment.
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