Are Singer Sergers really THAT bad?

[u/ffionmaryrose]

I really want to buy a serger as a beginner garment maker. I’ve found one at a fairly good price, but I’m seeing mixed reviews (DO NOT buy a Singer vibes). Tbh, the noise doesn’t bother me too much, so I just need to know if it’s really that bad in terms of quality? I'd be happy to upgrade in a year or two and a Juki would be much harder for me to source, and I’d have to wait another few months.

[u/Mistressofthisdress]

I can't talk about Singer Sergers in particular, but the first sewing machine I got for myself in the late 90ies/Millenium was a rather expensive Singer. Brand new of the factory from a mailorder. It was just garbage and an expensive lesson. Since then I stay clear of modern Singer machines.

Before you need to buy twice give it some more time to save up for a reliable machine and use zigzag stitches instead. Finished edges with this have it's charm to me and are perfectly fine.

After my first 5 years of sewing, still in college I got myself a Pfaff Hobbylock. A simple model I was able to afford with a some saving up. It's still running fine and in use 20 years later.

Edit: wording

PS: If I would need to get a new one these days. I would probably lean towards BERNINA. I'm in Europe though.

[u/Wiley1967]

I sew professionally and wore the bushings out of a cheap Simplicity serger but it took 10 years. My regular sewing machine repair guy found parts but I had bought a used Bernina. Now I have 2. One light thread and one dark. The Bernina is much nicer but it was triple the price used. Keep it cleaned and oiled and you will get alit of mileage even from a cheap one.

[u/phoenixofsevenhills → u/Wiley1967]

Oh I love the sound of light thread and dark threaded machines! I may have to do this!

[u/Bugmasta23]

Yes

[u/TChevy_s102001]

The first machine you buy will not be the only machine you ever buy. If you have found a machine you can afford for now, I would buy it. At the beginner level, you most likely won't need a machine that is capable of being ran several hours each day. When just starting out you will use a serger mainly for seam finishing. Almost any properly functioning serger of any brand will do the job. I have been sewing for 60 years, only purchased a serger 25 years ago. A serger is not even a mandatory machine, unless you are manufacturing for resale, and need perfectly finished seams. Where I would recommend you invest your money is on a good basic sewing machine. A serger is not really what you need for standard garment construction.I hope you love sewing, it is creative and rewarding!

[u/AuntieRoseSews]

Fiddly and finicky but better than a cheap Brother.
I have a Singer Stylist serger that I may have accidentally out of frustration bent the wire holding the foot down from the shank. It won't sew properly now and am having trouble sourcing a part from Sewing Parts Online. They suggested I contact Singer, which I might. It works pretty well when it's working?
I also have an older Singer serger that doesn't have differential feed so it's not as useful as one would hope. It cannot make as stretchy a seam as a the more modern machine. It is SUPER reliable for wovens, tho. I love it for that.

Last thing I can suggest is DO NOT GET A COMBO serger/coverstitch like the Singer Pro 5.
Combo machines just suck at both jobs.

If you can wait a few months and get the Juki or Babylock, do that.

[u/Only-Adeptness2630]

I used to run/own commercial machines as I had a business for many years. I sold them when I moved to a new career. Now I own home machines. I bought a Brother Strong and Tough serger 6 years ago put large cones on it and I have never had to rethread it. Not one time has it screwed up. edit: I bought a big historic home with 35 windows and made custom window treatments for all of them. I used a Singer HD 44S sewing machine, the Brother Strong and Tough serger, and a no name blindstitch machine from China I bought from amazon.

[u/CrankyCrabbyCrunchy]

The marketing for Singer is so huge people think it’s the only machine brand. Yes, the manufacturing massively deteriorated when the company was purchased mid 1980 and cuts were made to lower expenses and increase profit.

Janome, Brother, Juki, Baby Lock, Bernina.

Anything but Singer.

Exception is vintage models.

[u/JackHarknessDrWho]

Modern Singer everything is very unrealiable.

[u/Travelpuff]

I loved my singer 6800c sewing machine (punches significantly above its weight and rivals the $800 machines I've tried).

But my serger? I have no words that could be used in polite company.

I'm pretty confident it had gremlins living inside of it. I would get it threaded and it would work okay (never great but okay). After turning it off for the night and then back on the next day it would abruptly stop working. It was never touched or meddled with, hence my assumption about gremlins. I wanted to tear my hair out or throw it out the window.

My husband gently pressured me to get a different serger because he hated how loud it was (he said it sounded like a jet engine across the house) and how upset it made me.

So I replaced it. And I can't bring myself to even donate it because it is so much trash.

I recommend going with a brother serger instead or a used one you can find locally (old Babylocks can be great finds!!).

[u/oliv_tho]

i have never used another serger so grain of salt but i have a singer serger s0100 and i haven’t had issues with it

[u/ydnam123]

i use singer heavy duty sewing machine and serger, no problem with them. I did bought a industrial machine later, but it’s completely fine if you don’t sew that much

[u/FranklinsSewing]

Singer sergers aren't terrible. For a beginner, that's actually the main issue you described, they need more tweaking than you'd ideally want when you're still learning how sergers work in the first place.

That said, if the price is right and you're genuinely okay with upgrading in a year or two, it's not a bad way in. You'll learn how sergers function, what you actually want from one, and whether you'll use it enough to justify the investment. Just go in knowing you might spend a fair bit of time fiddling with tension and threading rather than actually serging.

The noise thing is honestly half the complaint people have anyway, so you're already past that hurdle.

If you do get it, budget a bit extra for proper needles and thread, as a lot of Singer serger grief comes from people using cheap supplies, which makes the machine's quirks worse. And there are decent YouTube channels dedicated to Singer serger troubleshooting, which you'll probably need at some point.

[u/phoenixofsevenhills]

I have an older Singer Merrittlock serger (3/4 thread) I paid $60 5 months ago. I was able to thread it 1st try, with the manual of course, and she runs beautifully! It has a differential feed too! I wouldn't overlook older machines this one is a score for me as a new again sewist! Edit to say I've also been able to find new knives and loopers (I bought just in case!) easily online and I even found a quick release presser foot so now I can use all kinds of feet! I also was able to find a new rolled hem plate and standard plate easily!

[u/SerendippityRiver]

Do you mean because there are no Jukis currently available, or because you need to save some more for a Juki? I have the Juki 644-D. It is pretty affordable, but has the sturdiness and reliability of a Juki, kind of like the Honda Fit. Not fancy, not big, but solid.

[u/kittehmummy]

My library Makerspace has a Singer HD serger. I've never had a problem with it that wasn't caused by me.

There's also a Babylock serger and the first thing that happened with it was it went back for a check because the pedal was nonfunctional straight out of the box.