I was wondering what brand and model number serger you use.  How long you have owned it, how much you use it, any problems?  Any recommendations? 

I purchased a Bernina 700D http://www.berninausa.com/product_detail-n5-i9-sUS.html this week for myself, but I need to purchase another (lower price $200, if possible) for some of my workers.  I need a good, reliable machine that can be used for several hours a day, a few times a week.

So far I love the Bernina.  The store taught me to thread it.  Even though there are a lot of steps it really wasn't hard.  It sews like a dream.  I'm not really needing all the different types of stitches, but it saves so much time from trimming the seams. 

Thanks.

Julie

I've never really had to compare sergers. I think for the most part I have always used Bernina models. You might want to check this page. http://products.howstuffworks.com/serger-overlock-machine-reviews.htm  They list a Brother that has a pretty good rating and although they do not give a price Brother brand machines are normally less.

A few hours a day, a few times a week is pretty hefty use on a machine. While up front cost may be more, it might be worth it to go for another Bernina. I would hate to see you go for a less expensive product that ended up turning a few hours of work into 6 hours of work because of problems with the machine or if you had to keep having to repair it. Then again when I go in the work on pre-production for the Rockettes each year my favorite machine is a cheap Janome that no one else wants to use and I run it 6 or more hours each day for about a month.   It is hard to know sometimes how well a cheaper model well hold up... just some food for thought.

Thanks Shawn.  All of the advice I've received before I purchased the Bernina was the same.  Go for the higher end models.  Of course that advice was from those who had purchased higher end models first....so really not experience on cheaper versions, only what they had heard.  I was just wondering how much use the other machines could handle.  Most of the seamstress' I've talk with at local fabric stores that have the lower priced models only use theirs occasionally.  Reviews online seem mixed for the different models.  Most review the products when they are only a month old and have only used them a couple of times.  It's hard to know.

Do you know what model Janome you were using?  The ratings seem to vary a great deal even among brands.

Julie

No I am sorry I can't remember the model number.