So, you need an overlock machine that will deal with the edges of the fabric you are trying to put together, right? Did you know that some machines used for that are called overlockers? You probably did because you are here in this article.
A Quick Look at My Favorite Overlocker Sewing Machines
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Best Overall  | 9.7 | Check Price | |
Best Budget  | 10 | Check Price | |
Best High-End  | 9.1 | Check Price | |
Best for Most People  | 8.8 | Check Price | |
Best for Professionals  | 8.6 | Check Price |
Key Takeaways
- An overlocker machine will help you sew the edges of different materials and different things that you are making in the most perfect way possible.
- If money is not your concern, you can easily choose and use Juki MO-1000 as it is the greatest high-end machine that you can find.
- The most perfect choice that you can make is American Home AH100 as the main overlocker or serger that you can find on the market.
- The number of threads, the number of needles, the speed, and whether it makes cuts, are some of the few things that you should consider before choosing the best overlocker sewing machine, that you will work with.
The Top 5 Best Overlocker Sewing Machines
5. American Home AH100 – Best Budget
When I started my sewing career, the brand there for me was American Home, and I am sure it will help you do a great job. To be honest, I used this machine because it is affordable and had the main features I needed from an overlocker.
I am sure this machine will be the travel buddy you have been searching for as it is known to be the lightweight overlocker that is super-portable and can accompany you wherever you may go, just as it has done for me.
Using this machine was the easiest job I have ever done, it really helps with pretty much all sewing projects. Even though it will seem like it is super hard at the beginning phase, the AH100 overlocker is the machine you can use to teach your kids to overlock the edges of whatever they want.
Something worth mentioning is that this machine has a free-arm serger with which you will be able to sew the sleeves or legs of pants.
Summary
Key Specifications:
- Number of Needles: 1
- Number of Threads: 2,3,4
- Stitch Length: Adjustable – 4mm length, 7.2mm width
What I Like About It
- Affordable
- Portable
- Free-Arm Included
- Easy-to-Use
What I Dislike About It
- Complicated to be set up
Why Should You Buy It?
If you are on the hunt for an overlocker machine, but their prices are too high, the American Home AH100 overlocker is here as the most affordable machine you can ever find!
4. Juki MO-1000 – Best High-End
If you have reached the climax of your sewing career, and your money is at its culmination, Juki MO-1000 is an overlock machine worth checking out, it can pretty much beat any regular sewing machine. When testing this machine, I understood why it is expensive, and I am sure you will also understand it.
You should know that whenever searching for a Juki machine, you will encounter high prices, but it is also better if you keep in mind that they are great machines, and I mention that in a plural form because Juki machines are indeed amazing.
As I talked with some of my fellow tailors, I noticed that many have used this machine just to make different combinations of stitches as it allows it in the best way possible.
Summary
Key Specifications:
- Number of Needles: 1 + Needle Threader
- Threads: 2,3,4
- Stitch Length: Adjustable Combinations – 1-4mm
- Sewing Speed: 1500 spm
What I Like About It
- Quiet
- Compact
- Super-Fast
- Automatic Needle Adjustment
- Needle Threader Included
What I Dislike About It
- More Threads Would be Better
Why Should You Buy It?
As said above, this machine is quite pricey, and it should be bought mostly for the stitch combinations that you can do and only if you don’t really care about the money you spend, it sure is beyond your regular sewing machine!
3. Janome MyLock 634D – Best for Most People
Janome is quite a professional name for sewing machines in general, and the Janome MyLock 634D is a name worth mentioning in many ways. The overlock machine has accompanied me through many years of my sewing career because I like to change the overlockers I use, and I like to try them all.
Janome MyLock 634D is a very compact overlock machine that many people love, and while holding it in my hands, I can clearly understand why it is considered portable. It is a quite lightweight machine in a small size.
Its built quality isn’t the only thing that has made me love this machine; it is very easy to be used as it can be seen in the hands of many beginners and professional tailors in general. Also, I’ve put on Janome MyLock 634D materials like cotton, wool, denim, knits, and polyester, and they have come to be in the best way possible.
Summary
Key Specifications:
- Number of Needles: 2
- Threads: 2,3,4
- Stitches Length: Adjustable – 1-5mm
- Sewing Speed: 1,300 spm
What I Like About It
- Compact
- Portable
- Fast
- 2 standard sewing machine needles included
What I Dislike About It
- Compared to other machines, this is a bit slow
Why Should You Buy It?
Janome MyLock 634D is a machine aimed at everybody! It is an overlocker that is easy to be used and I would recommend it especially if you are a beginner in the overclocking field.
2. SINGER | Professional 14T968DC Serger – Best for Professionals
Just by its name, some tailors already know how powerful the machine is! Singer is one of the greatest names in the sewing world, and this machine, the 14T968DC Serger, is the overlocker that every professional needs and should work with.
This Singer machine is also compact but may give you a little bit of a hard time traveling around with
it. You will have in hand an overlocker that stays in your workshop in the best way possible.
There are a few things that I noticed on this overlocker. First thing, this machine has different sewing modes, which you can choose easily, and it will help you bring the best out of rolled hems, decorative edges, or anything else that may come to your mind. The 14T968DC Serger is a fast machine that will allow you to do your job super quickly.
Summary
Key Specifications:
- Number of Needles: 5
- Threads: 2,3,4, 5
- Stitches and Length: 14 Built-In
- Sewing Speed: 1,300 spm
What I Like About It
- Made of Metal
- Presser Foot Included
- Quick and Easy
- Self-Adjusting
What I Dislike About It
- Not Portable
Why Should You Buy It?
If you are a professional overclocker, I recommend you check out this Singer overclocker sewing machine as it will help you bring out the best of your job.
1. Brother Serger 1034D – Best Overall
Who wouldn’t want a Brother machine? I know I do, as it is the machine I am working with right now, and it helps me a lot while doing my overlocking jobs.
For its build, Brother has used a combination of metal and plastic for some smaller pieces on this machine. I find this overlocker sewing machine relatively lightweight as I love to carry it around wherever I go.
There is a choice of threads on Brother 1034D, and by the way, I love to use the color-coded upper thread that it owns, as it helps me a lot to make some colorful overlocked edges in general.
Brother Serger 1034D is my biggest helper, and I can use different materials without any problem. Its free-arm feature will help you overlock different sleeves or the bottom of pants.
Summary
Key Specifications:
- Number of Needles: 2
- Threads: 3, 4
- Stitches and Length: 22 Built-In, 1-4mm
- Speed: 1,300 spm
What I Like About It
- Affordable
- Easy to Use
- Colors-Coded Threading
- Fast and Accurate
- Free-Arm
What I Dislike About It
- Controls Added on the Left
Why Should You Buy It?
Brother Serger 1034D is a machine for everybody! Listed as the best overall, with this machine you will do an amazing job overlocking any kind of material, and on top of everything stands the fact that it is super affordable.
Buying Guide
A buying guide is a part that configures which are the main things that a person can have in mind and are the most important things that any of you should have in mind before choosing the best overlocker sewing machine. Well, the things to consider about overlockers are:
Threads
The number of threads is one of the most important things that makes an overlocker a good machine or a bad machine. You will notice that in many overlock sewing machines, also in the ones I mentioned in this article, there are a maximum of four threads that are adjusted and work with one another to help you bring out the best on any edge of any fabric. Before choosing the best overlocker sewing machine, you should remember that the machines with four threads are definitely.
Needles
If threads are important, then what about needles, right? Well, just like threads, the needle that is added to your machine or the number of needles that the overlocker works with is quite an important thing and something that you should always check out. I would like to mention here the part of the automatic needle-threader that is an amazing feature that you should check out, as it will ease your job in many ways.
Cuts
Would you love it if the machine that you choose can make its own cuts? I bet you do! While searching for the best overlock sewing machine, you should keep in mind to check out whether the machine cuts out the unwanted pieces of the material that you will use.
Speed
An overlocker that is fast will always help you bring out the best in the job you are doing. It is completely related to the stitches as the speed of a sewing machine and an overlock sewing machine will be listed as spm, which means stitches per minute. A machine with more spm will greatly help you work quickly while you need to overlock anything, makes the job easy, and allows you to finish more things in only a day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is an overlocker machine?
The word overlock should direct you to refer to a stitch that is used on a sewing machine. Well, overlocker machines are types of sewing machines used to deal with the edges of different fabrics you may want to sew. An overlocker machine is used for hemming, edging, or seaming different materials.
Is an overlocker a hard-to-use machine?
Without trying to frighten you, an overlocker is a machine that requires some knowledge before usage, which is a little bit complicated. I should mostly mention the complication in the thread’s parts as they need to be adjusted in a particular order so that you can use them.
Still, once you pass the beginners phase and learn the order by heart, you will notice that it is super easy.
Is there a difference between overlocker and serger?
There is no difference! Overlocker and serger are two names that refer to the same machine! The machine that we are mentioning in this article.
Can I use an overlocker to cut fabric?
An overlocker has a different usage, as it is a versatile machine. That means you can easily use your overlocker to cut the excess fabric. Still, you can not put a piece of fabric just because you have something to cut! An overlocker will cut the parts of the fabric that you need to adjust the edges.
Do overclockers accept any fabric?
Yes, it can! As you know, an overlocker’s job is to deal with edges, and it really doesn’t care what material those are unless they are edges.
Are overlocker machines worth it?
On the market, you will find different overlocker machines, and you will notice that their prices differ greatly. Still, without worrying about the price, overlockers are worthy machines that will help you bring out the best of the fabric you use to sew anything.
Final Words
Here we are at the end of this article in which I mentioned the top five choices that you can have in mind while searching for an overlocker sewing machine. Without any worry, you can freely choose any of the machines mentioned since they all will bring out the best in your job.
As I mentioned throughout this article, there are a few things on the list of key specifications that you should look for in every machine, and that way you will have an idea before you even start using the machine you have chosen.
However, what I hope here at the end is the fact that you find the best overlocker sewing machine you have been searching for!
Further Reading
Before you go, I would like to mention to you some other articles I have already written! There are different materials that make you think about the shrinking part and that’s why I would love to tell you about them.
You can find out whether cotton shrinks, check out how to shrink acrylic if you want, or you can find out more about how polyester can shrink.
Besides them, you can check out the difference between sewing and quilting!
Check them out and stay tuned for even more!
I graduated from London College of Fashion, and I’ve been working for a Fashion Design company for 10 years. My other hobbies are going to the gym and reading.
