The Search for a Coverstitch *updated*

*Please note - this article may include affiliate links (thank you in advance for any purchases made using these links) In 2016 I bought the Brother 2340cv coverstitch machine. I wasn't sure how much of a 'game changer' it would be for me so I wanted to start out with something good, but cheap. Almost a year later I felt like I want to upgrade to something that suited my needs a little more. After weeks and weeks of research, here's what I found.... Brother 2340cv - this is a great starter machine. The main pro to this machine from what I could find is it's price (I wont quote pricing here because it varies widely). The other main advantages are the ease of use (super easy!), and the online support - since it's such a popular machine there's a lot of online support via Facebook groups.

The next popular choice is the Janome (1000cpx/2000cpx) - this is also identical to the Elna easycover - now this machine was definitely on my radar with it's huge amount of space for fabric (the biggest in the industry from what I gather) *update - the newest brother also has this. The downside to this machine are the reviews. Although there are lots of people who do love theirs, the majority of them wish they went with something else and soon upgrade. From what I understand, this is because the Janome/Elna is notorious for being picky and skipping stitches. I imagine a lot of this has to do with user error? I had to try one for myself so off I went to the local dealer and tried this very machine (the 2000cpx and the Elna). The floor model had so many issues when I tried it . The sales woman made me think it was because it needed re-threading so I asked her to do that and she did. It solved nothing. She had no explanation as to why it skipped stitches, didn't want to go over even small seams, and had a bunch of other slightly irritating issues. I saw where the reviews came from and didn't end up purchasing this one. Now, I have heard that a lot of people switch to purple tip needles and better thread and have less issues - obviously I couldn't test that theory. I then started looking at higher end machines in the $1500+ (Canadian) range. This put me in the Bernina/Pfaff/Babylock range. All of these machines had pretty good reviews, but I'm a simple gal and the Pfaff 4.0 was computerized, and the Babylock had air threading (I felt like these were just more things that could break on me and I didn't want to risk it). There was also another Pfaff coverstitch/serger combo but I didn't want the pickiness of threading I have heard come with this machine (from the dealer and from online reviews). Some people absolutely LOVE the ease of air threading, but this really isn't something I want - I like to be able to adjust and control my machines more than that allows. The other machine I kept going back to was the Juki MCS-1500. A middle of the road machine in terms of pricing , and a brand with a great reputation in the industry. Since I couldn't find somewhere local to try the machine in person I took my chances ordering on Amazon.ca - the machine actually came from Sewing and Embroidery Warehouse and they were great to deal with.

When it came I couldn't believe how much heavier it was than the Brother. The other thing I noticed right away was the really interesting foot it had on it which was very different from the plastic one that comes on the Brother.

Now the review:

The Juki MCS-1500, which I will compare to the Brother 2340cv (keep in mind that the brother is cheaper than the Juki by a few hundred dollars).

Besides physical differences (really cool metal foot vs a plastic clear one, lay in threading on the brother vs the knobs on the Juki), the function wasn't all that different. I was kinda expecting this to be a pretty big upgrade and at first, I felt like it was more like a side grade. The Juki is clearly a more solid and robust machine but the little issues I had with the Brother weren't really solved right off the bat. The Juki is definitely more complicated (or...time consuming) to thread.

What issues you ask? Well, the Brother has a tendency to struggle a little over seams, the Juki definitely does better in this area but not enough to warrant the upgrade? The Brother has a slightly irritating way to finish off the seams which the Juki claimed you could just 'pull the fabric out'. What they don't tell you is yes, you CAN pull the fabric right out, but it doesn't seal the stitches for you, so you have to preform the same motions as the Brother anyway. Although the Juki does seal the beginning stitches which the Brother does not, which means I often had to use a leader fabric (and is one of my biggest complaints of the Brother).

The Juki really comes out

ahead in its ability to glide more fluidly over fabric (sometimes I found the brother to 'eat' the fabric). I think the compensating foot (or the 'off road' foot as my husband calls it) really does make a difference. The Juki also has clear seam allowance markers to follow which is surprisingly nice.

The Juki didn't work for me right out of the box like my Brother did and I HATE messing with picky machines (I never had to mess with settings on the Brother at all, even when I switched fabric types). It does seem to be working fine now that I've changed some of the settings, and the compensating foot is absolutely fantastic. So if you are on a tight budget, the Brother is an amazing, and super user friendly machine. If you want something that is a little more 'professional' and probably longer lasting, the Juki would be next on my list for sure. **Update** Since I used both machines for about a year at this point, I thought it would be a good time to update on my thoughts. Overall, the Juki has been a much better machine. Once it was dialed into where I liked it I haven't really had to mess with any settings. I am (almost) never annoyed with it. I have only swore at it a handful of times (my own laziness and error, not the machine). Whereas with the Brother I cursed it every time I used it. The Juki goes over seams better, seals the first stitches so I don't ever need a leader fabric, doesn't eat my fabric ever, and has been a really amazing machine (especially at it's price point). So not much has changed since my initial thoughts, maybe other than the fact that I had some buyers remorse thinking I had barely 'upgraded' - now I see I was wrong and the upgrade was definitely worth it.

** it looks as though the 1500 has been updated with the 1700 though I haven't been able to figure out what the differences are (lack of time to do so and any direct comparisons that I can find)