serger recommendations

[newday]

Do any of you have experience with a serger and information to share on what to buy or what not to buy?
Can I purchase a cheap one and expect it to be good?
Or do I have to purchase a costly one in order to get any decent work out of it?
Brand names to avoid or seek out?
Threads I should get so I can use the machine as soon as I get it :shifty
Can I manage the tension myself? or do I have to have a professional do it??

:ty for your help :)

[Two Little Birds]

:cup

[gardenfreshmama]

Ok... I have no idea about the questions you asked. I was saving up a while ago but got discouraged b/c they are so $$. Then my grandma bought me one :giggle. It is a Husqvarna (the basic model one) I think around $400. I have been really pleased with it :yes I just use the thread from JoAnn's... the cheap stuff :shrug

[Niphredil]

I have a Brother 1034D and it runs better and stitches more consistently than my sister's fancy pants Pfaff.

[Dandelion]

:cup:heart

[andrea_r]

Do any of you have experience with a serger and information to share on what to buy or what not to buy?
Can I purchase a cheap one and expect it to be good?
Or do I have to purchase a costly one in order to get any decent work out of it?
Brand names to avoid or seek out?
Threads I should get so I can use the machine as soon as I get it :shifty
Can I manage the tension myself? or do I have to have a professional do it??

:ty for your help :)

Some cheap ones are good, you need to take 'em for a test drive. Yes they let you. ;) I think my Singr was in the 3 or 4 hundred range. It's lasted 15 years.

For threads, usually the needles will take regular sized spools and they don't run out as fast, so you can get away with buying two cones of a color, not 4.

THe tension is set and usually they will show you what the default setting is. My store taped a piece of paper inside with the default settings.

Some things you cannot add to the machine later. I picked differential feed because I knew I'd be doing a lot of gathers and ruffles for my grils. I went with a 3-4 thread serger which means I can use 3 threads (two bottom, one top) or 4 threads (two top two bottom)

Rethreading the needles is like normal, rethreading the bottom you clip them off near the cone, then tie on the next color and pull thru.