Brother, I'll agree with. Singer, depends if you're buying new, or an older machine.
Agreed. I have an older model singer that works beautifully. I only wish it had another spool.
My next project is a Ten suit!
You'll definitely need it for the pants. The jacket is mostly internal seams that don't need extra finishing, but pants are always serger worthy.
This info has mostly been mentioned already, but the teacher in me wants to reiterate. I teach sewing and costume construction and serger is part of that.
What a serger does is essentially bind the edges of the fabric with what we call an OVERLOCK stitch that keeps the material from fraying. This is especially helpful for machine washables and is more durable than the alternative; using pinking shears (scissors with the little angle teeth on them). Though pinking sheers are a necessity when you want to reduce bulk (serger leaves a heavier seam). But that's another lesson.
Most domestic sewing machines have an overlock stitch function on them, but they go very slowly because they pretty much move one step forward and two back. A serger is nice because you can whip through a 32" inseam in 5-10 seconds as opposed to 5 minutes on the overlock setting on your sewing machine.
So do you need one? The answer is: you could live without it, but why would you want to? My advice would be to try to get hold of one on the cheap through seconhand (craigslist, etc.) and see how you like it. Then in the future, if you decide to upgrade, you can. Though you may just get a gem on craigslist and never need to.
The next bit is the number of spools. Sergers come in a variety of setups. anywhere from 2-4 spools on domestic machines and more on industrials (had a 6 spool at my last summer job). 2 spools are less common and not that fancy. they just bind the edge and done. 3 spools do the same but with greater efficiency and are the most common style available. They often also come with a capability to do a baby roll hem, which is practical for delicate fabrics. A 4 spool has an extra spool that puts an extra straight stitch inside the serging line. This is especially practical for sewing stretch fabrics. The preferred method actually. Regular sewing machines aren't ideal for stretch because the stitch you use does not have stretch to it, so it stops the fabric from doing what it wants to do. I could go on. And on.
I would try for a 4 spool because you can always remove one spool and a needle to use it like a 3 spool serger. But unless you sew alot of spandex, you can live without the extra spool. It would just be nice option to have.
Alot of info here. Just wanted to be clear about what your options were. Again, you awoke the teacher in me I suppose. The most important thing to take from this though:
Secondhand is your friend when dealing with sewing machines. You usually end up with older, sturdier models for cheaper.
