Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Last night at 8pm, right at the start of Glee, I opened the huge square box that my Brother serger machine came in. It was nicely packed and the machine was much bigger than I had imagined. It came prethreaded with corresponding threads to the 4 color coded thread passages. It came with a CD to view on my PC. I paged thru the book for 10 minutes to familiarize myself with things and then popped the CD in my computer. I only watched the first 5 lessons as I didn't want to go into overload trying to process things I didn't need to get started. I will go back to watch those videos when I need those features. I watched the threading lesson 3 times. Then I set the machine up on my kitchen table. It was 9pm. It took me 15 minutes to thread the machine with my own new white large spools. I purchased 4 white and 4 black. Even though it takes regular spools of thread, I figured I would stock up on the 2 colors that I would use the most. And @ $2.99 each, they were a bargain and ensured I would not run out of thread for a while. I used the tie on method that is explained in part on the enclosed video. Finally satisfied and confident that I was ready to start, I gently pushed the accelerator to stitch on some scrap fabric. I was pleasantly surprised at how smooth the machine ran and the speed and ease of mobility. The default tensions settings worked for me so I didn't touch them, but I did experiment a bit with the stitch length and width settings. So here's the good news. By 9:25, (one hour and 25 minutes total) I had begun to sew the bodice and belt ties of DGD's christening gown. I really like the machine and encourage those of you who have one, but like me were overwhelmed to get started, to do just that. Open it up and see what it can do. To those who have always thought of buying a serger, I say do it. There are a couple things that I feel need improvement though. 1. The video and the manual contradict each other regarding the How To Thread process. This is the most important thing on a serger - getting it threaded correctly - and it's not 100% clear. The manual says to ALWAYS thread the Upper Looper, Lower Looper, Right Needle and Left Needle IN THAT ORDER. In the video, the instructor starts with the left needle. I think it would be helpful to remember the following sequence (using the color code) that occurred to me last night. GBPY - GaBippy! Green, Blue, Pink, Yellow is the threading order. 2. The seam allowance guide is not explained anywhere that I could see. Being an experienced sewer, I kinda figured it out, but I could see how it could be a problem for beginners. The raised bolded line to the right of the needle is the standard 5/8" seam allowance. The line to the left is either 3/8" or 1/2" and then the one closest to the needle is either 3/8" or 1/4". I will have to measure the stitching with the knife blade recessed in order to get a more accurate definition of the seam allowance guide. 3. The manual says to oil your machine, but then does not include the oil. 4. The machine gets filled with lint from the fabric very quickly. I recommend getting a can of compressed air (available @ office supply stores) and give it a good blow out after you're done sewing.