I bought this item at Walmart for $229 and was excited to begin sewing my first project. That was a huge mistake. The thread kept popping out of the tension on #3 no matter what I did. I tried tightening it several times, went back to directions repeatedly looking for what I could have done wrong, though everything appeared to have been done correctly. To finish the initial project I was sewing I ended up having to hold thread #3 by hand to create the right tension to finish sewing. Thank goodness for dexterity! The other major problem I had was the machine jumped around a lot on my sewing table as it sewed. It didn't weigh enough to hold it in place, nor were there any suction cups on the bottom to keep it stable. I ended up having to chase the machine down while I was holding thread #3! I'm sure it all looked quite comical, but it was WAY too much of a hassle for me. I returned the item to Walmart, got my money back and went to a local sewing shop and found a Janome serger that didn't cost too much more. The Janome threads beautifully with perfect tension and has little suction feet to hold the machine in place while sewing. Going from the Singer to the Janome in the same day made it very clear to me what a cheap piece of junk the Singer is. As a side note, I asked the repairman at the sewing shop about the Singer and he says he won't carry them anymore because they break too often. 3 Months later and I haven't had a single problem with my Janome!
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Two stars because it does serge all right.
BUT... it's a bizarre model that I can't find needles for. I've been to my local Singer dealer, manual in hand, to try to get him to order needles for it. Been on the phone to Singer's 1-800 number a half dozen times getting part numbers and numbers of service centers from New York to Michigan. One service center said "we don't sell that machine. why would we stock parts for it."
In fairness, after enough calls the 1-800 number said they'd send me a "sample pack" of two needles... which hardly gives me a lot of confidence as to what I'll do some months down the line.
And the New York place said they'd look into it and phone me back in a few days.
But folks, my time is too valuable to spend chasing around like this.
So... I'd recommend sticking with another brand, unless making frustrating phone calls is one of your particular hobbies....
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I have been using a similar priced brother serger for years and when it broke I couldnt find it in my town so i purchased this singer machine.
I am returning it tomorrow.
i am rather good at threading sergers and have used many other models besides my own with no dificulties (its still a pain though). but this machine makes it as dificult as possible.
the #1 & #2 threads go through these loops that they seem to come out of pretty easily while the machine is in use.
the #3 & #4 thread that go through the needles could not be harder to thread. the machine has an arm that sticks out just to the right of the needles (it is for the cutting blade i believe) which makes it nearly impossible to thread with your right hand. and even while threading with your left the arm blocks most of your view. making this very dificult.
the tension dials already began slipping from the factory setting after no more then 10 min of use and had to constently be adjusted to keep them at the right tension.
i did like how the threading instructions were very well marked on the machine (although a very important part for thread #2 was left off the drawing which makes it inoperable without this one instruction which you do find in the manual). i also liked how the tension was clearly marked on the machine. but after 10 min of use those settings were already wrong.
the machine itself does not feel as quality as the similar Brother 1034D model. at first i thought the threading looked easier but after threading it several times it in fact is much more time consumming and much more dificult. the machine also sergers at a slightly slower pace.
i am very disapointed with this machine and will be returning it and ordering the Brother 1034D instead. that seems to me to be the best machine for the cost (although once the coil inside stretches it is not repairable (says the guy at the repair shop). although i had the same machine for 4 years and i used it on a daily basis for my evening business. so it got lots of use. after the 1st year i had to baby the tension but it still worked!).
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i purchased this machine from walmart in store in november 2005 as it had a free arm that is small enough to trim and hem ladies slacks.this is important to my type of sewing as i always seem to be doing circular stitching on ready to wear as well as fashion sewing.i am very pleased with the speed of stitching and the ease of threading. the manual is excellant. also the singer company website has a full color threading guide to print out if you need a large sized picture. the #2022 needles are hard to find in stores however singer website has them in 5 packs for 5 dollars each i have ordered 5 packs as they are combo of size 11 and 14. they are special because of the longer grooves front and back to reduce friction in high speed sewing. however my manual says #2020 may be used but you have to tinker with the tensions. in regard to the creeping or machine walking i have the machine on a sturdy surface, an old typewriter table from a second hand office supply store that is on wheels and has side extensions. i placed the machine on a vinyl placemat and this cured the creeping and quieted the sound as well. for 193 dollars i got a good deal.however i would suggest this for a person who has sewn with sergers or someone who can go to an experienced sewer.
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Bought from WalMart in 2005 and have used it a lot. Just replaced with Brother 1034D which is quieter and easier to thread. Singer vibrates a lot and walks all over the place even with suction cups and I use a rubber sink mat under it. I do use regular sewing machine needles with it and have not had a problem. The tension is extremely difficult to adjust and it won't hold. Even if it does hold, it will sew differently from one session to the next. That has frustrated me a great deal plus having to re-thread frequently. But, it has held up through many hours or sewing.
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