charity-crafter

A friend gave me 2 sergers and told me to keep the one I want and give the other one to a friend of ours (since I actually showed up to pick them up). One is a Singer 14T948DS and the other is a Riccar 564DE. I'm not sure which is the better machine. Do you have any opinions about these brands of sergers? I've tried doing a google search but didn't find anything.
Basically I'm leaning towards keeping the Riccar because it has a handle for carrying. The other one doesn't. My friend is trying to convince the two of us that we'll love using a serger quilting and other applications. I don't know.
Thanks

Sheri.a

Unfortunately I can't give you advice on these two machines. I purchased a used Elna Serger (floor model) a few years ago and it's nice to have in my arsenal for retirement. I have enjoyed having it the half dozen times I used it.

When I did purchase my serger one of the things I noticed was how much noise the machines made. There was quite a difference in the ones I tested. That was a deciding factor for me. I suggest you test both of them and see how comfortable you are with each one. If they are not threaded, get out the instruction manuals and go step by step -- it's good practice!

Happy quilting!

charity-crafter

thanks, that's good advice. I did find manuals for both of them Honestly, I'm rally intimidated by the threading. But you are right, get the manual out and just do it.

Irishrose2

I purchased a singer 14---in the early 90s. It was like Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary - when it was good, it was very good. When it was bad, it was very bad. It did a nice job, but did tend to break loopers regularly. I'd thread both of them and try them out, but I'd lean toward the Riccar.

juliasb

I love my serger, I had the Singer 14 back in the early 90's it was a nice serger but it was limited in what I wanted. I traded it in for a New Homes by Janome. This is a much nicer serger and does have a handle an a nice quiet motor and movement. It gets used hard. It is great for receiving blankets, garment making and for differential sewing like for sweat shirts and the like.
However for quilting I have discovered it does not preform as I would like. The stitches just aren't as tight as I would like. I made a couple quilts with the serger and then put it aside for that purpose. I have gone back to my regular machines. I thought it would be the greatest for quilting since it has the ability to bind the seams but it just doesn't give the quality I like..
Like with any serger threading can be tricky. I recently spent about 2 weeks trying to get my serger threaded. I would work on it for an hour or so then leave and then come back. I wasn't going to let it get the better of me. I have found however that using beeswax to coat the lower threads while threading is a big help.
Best of luck in making your choice and have fun with it. I love mine and get a lot of use out of it just not for quilting. They are a great addition to any sewer's sewing needs.