Selection of best sergers that cost under $200 is always tough, mainly because of the volume of low quality sergers in the market. I hope this list will help you make a decision.
You might not require a serger if you don’t really sell your projects, but if you do, the serger is as important as a smile for a woman. Your home sewing machine might be great, but it will lack the kind of finish that you see on store bought items. Sergers provide a professional finish to your projects, which forms the backbone of your sewing business. There are lot of sergers out there, picking the best one is a daunting task, especially if you are searching in the under $200 price category. This is the category where you need to be really careful, otherwise you will end up buying a good for nothing machine. I am not joking, there are a lot of crap machines out there. So I will try my level best to bring you the list of best sergers you can buy in and around $200. I won’t go too far down $200, because then you are entering the territory of crap machines.
1. Brother 1034D
The undisputed leader of under $200 sergers. Brother 1034D is so far ahead of competition. Ever since its release, no other serger surpassed 1034D in sales. This is the most economical and reliable serger you can get in U.S for the price. It has good features as well. 1034D is a 3 or 4 thread serger. It has 22 built-in stitch functions. It can do 3/4 thread overlock, Rolled hem and ribbon lock stitches. It comes with differential feed. You can use standard sewing machine needles on this machine.
Pros : 1034D has a fantastic blind hem stitch. Quality wise, this is one of the best sergers around (forget the under $200 category, it is the best in the under $500 category as well). The pricing of this machine is ‘Perfect’, literally. Brother 1034D will soon get nominated for our 2015 list of “Machines You Can Buy With Your Eyes Shut”.
Cons : Not much.
2. Singer 14CG754
Singer 14CG754 is priced very similar to the previous Brother 1034D, but this serger is slightly different. It has 2-3-4 thread capability rather than the Brother machine’s 3-4 thread. 14CG754 comes with 6 stitch types including 4 built-in rolled hems. You can do 2-thread wrapped edge overlock, 2-thread standard rolled hem, 3-thread wrapped edge overlock, 3-thread flatlock, 3-thread overlock stitch and 4-thread stretch mock safety stitch on this machine. The machine has differential feed control as well.
Pros : The quality of the stitches are pretty good. Even better is the pricing, it is too tempting.
Cons : The machine is noisy. Flimsy looking spool holder is another issue.
3. Juki MO-50E
Another quality serger. This is the least expensive serger from Juki. MO-50E is Juki’s attempt to eat into the sales of Brother 1034D and Singer 14CG754. It is a 3/4 thread serger. It has differential feed. The lay-in tension makes it easier than knob type. You can do 4 Thread Overlock, 3 Thread Overlock, 3 Thread Flatlock, 3 Thread Rolled Hem and 3 Thread Narrow Overlock on this serger.
Pros : Juki MO-50E is one of the quietest machines around. It has a reasonable price tag (when compared to other Juki sergers).
Cons : No free arm option. It is not the easiest machine to thread.
4. Siruba HSO-747D
Siruba HSO-747D is the least expensive serger in this list. You must consider this serger only if you are under a tight budget (real tight). It is a 3/4 thread serger. It has differential feed. I am sure that not too many people would have heard of this machine before. But still it is one of the top selling sergers in U.S. The reason is its very low price tag. It comes with a micro safety switch which prevents the machine from sewing when the front cover is opened.
Pros : It is the lightest serger I have ever come across.
Cons : No good warranty cover. It just comes with 1 year warranty. The quality of plastic used is not that great. The user manual is poorly written.