8 Best Sergers of 2023

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Take your at-home sewing projects to the next level, whether you're a professional or a beginner.

When you want to upgrade your at-home sewing projects for more professional results, it's time to pair your traditional sewing machine with a serger. Also known as overlock machines, sergers create strong, durable seams and help produce clean fabric edges. Sergers differ from sewing machines, as they have multiple threads to finish fabric edges. The best sergers can last a long time while offering convenient features, such as color-coded threading guides to prevent thread mix-ups, easy-to-use controls, clear instructions and rolled hemming to produce clean, professional-looking hems.

The Good Housekeeping Institute's Textiles Lab tests all types of sewing tools, including sergers, embroidery machines and sewing machines for beginners and experts alike. Our analysts evaluate each machine in the Lab, rating its ease of threading, overall performance and included features. In our latest test, our analysts evaluated more than a dozen sewing machines and sergers using six different types of fabric, culminating in more than 100 hours of testing.

Our top picks:

After browsing our picks for the best sergers, keep reading to find out what to look for when shopping for one. Plus, get our sewing experts' answers to your most pressing serger questions and a behind-the-scenes glimpse of our testing process. If all this talk of sewing inspires you to refresh your supplies — or teach a loved one to sew — check out the best sewing kits to keep on hand and the best sewing kits for kids.

At $400 for a Baby Lock serger, this machine is an excellent value with great performance. We appreciate this machine's easy-to-follow threading instructions and simple cleanup, thanks to a convenient trim bin that catches scraps as they fall. Offering four-, three- or two-thread serging and rolled hemming, this small, portable serger is up to any sewing challenge.

Note that higher-end Baby Lock machines offer jet-air threading (a touch of a button automatically pulls the threads through the machine), but this affordable model doesn't. If you're a sewer who sews regularly and you want to bring your projects to the next level, this is a great machine to have in your sewing arsenal.

Many sergers cost more than $500 — and even over $1,500 — but this affordable pick from Brother is just $250. The machine features easy-to-follow threading instructions, but it has more steps than higher-end styles and requires oiling to keep it running smoothly. It offers three- and four-thread options, as well as rolled hems and flatlock stitches.

It's versatile and simple to operate, impressing online reviewers who were new to sergers. As a beginner machine, however, it's not well suited for heavy-duty use with thicker fabrics. With more than 10,000 rave Amazon reviews, this trusty machine is beloved by many sewing enthusiasts.

As soon as we started testing this serger, we knew we'd found a luxury machine. This machine's automatic air-threading technology made threading a total breeze — the easiest in our tests The simple color-coded instructions and threading guides on the machine were easy to follow.

The larger workspace with bright LED lighting is ideal when working with apparel pieces. All stitches were clean, with no imperfections, producing excellent results every time with a variety of fabric types. Note that this machine is bigger and heavier than others we tested, so it will take up more space in your sewing area.

If you're looking to upgrade your serger sewing machine, you may want to opt for a luxury pick like the Victory serger from Baby Lock. We were immediately impressed with this machine's powerful performance given its compact size: The knife easily sliced through thicker fabric layers, and the needle-threading system was simple to operate.

The well-labeled and color-coded graphics printed on the machine were helpful when threading for the first time, according to our testers. No need to adjust the tension; just set it to the right stitch and start immediately. The machine's tubular loopers help prevent mistakes during threading too. However, we found the dials a bit tough to grip because of the machine's glossy finish.

Many people learn how to sew on industrial JUKI machines, as they're common in classrooms because of their durable design with simple dials and functions. JUKI sergers have high-end features at a lower price point than most Baby Lock machines.

Compared with other serger styles, it's more portable, as it's lightweight and has a top-grip handle and thinner profile. This two-, three- or four-thread serger offers automatic rolled-hem capabilities and boasts an impressive 1,500 stitches per minute. Lacking color-coded threading instructions, this machine is better suited to sewers who have serger experience.

When you want both overlock and coverstitch capabilities, you usually need two different machines, but this clever device combines both. The luxury Baby Lock Accolade combo machine has a high price tag but unprecedented capabilities: jet-air threading; eight-, seven- or six-thread options for 87 stitches to combine overlock and coverstitching; and tubular loopers, so you can thread in any order.

Plus, it includes the features you'd expect from a high-quality serger, such as a differential feed, a sharp knife and automatic rolled-hem capabilities.

If you already own a serger and want to upgrade your hems, add a coverstitch machine to your sewing toolbox. This affordable coverstitch machine from Brother pairs nicely with a Brother serger, as it has a similar color-coded threading system and tension dials.

The two-needle machine offers two-, three- or four-thread coverstitch functions, great for stretch fabrics, hems and necklines. Online reviewers note that you must manually release the tension before removing the fabric to prevent tears or stitch imperfections.

SINGER's Heavy Duty machine line is designed specifically to handle thicker fabrics. This serger is equipped with a larger knife to cut through denim, upholstery fabrics and multiple layers.

Offering two-, three- or four-thread capacity, it features eight built-in stitches and a speed of 1,300 stitches per minute. There's also a color-coded guide for easier threading and tension adjustments with a built-in rolled-hem plate. Note that this machine is not designed for delicate fabrics and can get quite loud, according to online reviewers.

The Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab is composed of sewing experts who have tested dozens of sergers, sewing machines and embroidery machines to find the best buys for at-home sewing. In our latest test, we tested 13 different machines, leading to more than 100 data points to analyze. We evaluate each machine based on the following criteria:

Features: Sergers are available with a variety of different capabilities to make your sewing projects look their best. However, not all of these features are necessary for novice sewers. Our analysts review each machine's features to rate how easy they are to use and operate. As there are different types of serger machines, we review each style's features to help ensure that you find the best serger for your needs.

Performance: Ultimately, you want your serger to perform cleanly and easily. Our analysts set up and use each serger on both natural and synthetic fabrics of different weights, including lightweight cotton, polyester satin, wool, jersey cotton, denim and upholstery-grade fabric. By testing each serger on one swatch of fabric and then serging two swatches together, our analysts rate how well the serger operates and note any imperfections.

Ease of use: Many longtime sewers lament that threading a serger can be annoying. Therefore, our analysts carefully rate and review ease of threading for each serger in the Lab. Our analysts review the brand's instruction manual, the labels on the machine and any additional online materials to find sergers that are easy to set up. Analysts also rate the ergonomic comfort of the pedal, buttons and dials.

When you're looking for the best serger to buy, the sheer amount of features available, along with the machines' wide price range — some cost less than $300, others more than $3,000 — can make for an overwhelming shopping trip. Below, Good Housekeeping sewing pros explain the most common features that sergers offer so you can decide which are most important to you before purchasing a new machine:

✔️ Threading guides: Our analysts found that when a machine had a color-coded threading guide, it was much easier to thread because confusing the threads throughout the threading process was far less likely. Because sergers have more threads than sewing machines, it's a lot easier to accidentally mix them up. Some machines also include clear graphics printed on the machine for ultimate convenience.

✔️ Number of threads: Most sergers have three or four thread options, and some can have up to eight threads. Overlock and coverstitch combo machines are best suited for advanced sewers and usually have five to eight threads.

✔️ Tension system: Tension dials, or disks, are how you adjust the tension on most machines, though some sergers have an automatic tension adjustment feature. Machines with color-coded threading guides and tension dials make it easier to adjust the tension without confusing the threads by mistake.

✔️ Self-threading capabilities: Higher-end models can offer air-threading capabilities, meaning you simply push a button or pull a lever, and air pushes the thread through the machine. This makes it easier and faster to thread the machine with fewer errors, but machines with this capability usually cost more than $1,000.

✔️ Tubular loopers: These tubes are found on machines with air-threading capabilities. During the threading process, they help keep the threads separate so they're less likely to get tangled up while you're operating the machine.

✔️ Knife: Sergers have a built-in knife to cut the edges of fabrics as you use the serger. Machines that have a retractable knife allow you to easily do flatlock and decorative stitching too.

✔️ Differential feed: The two feed dogs on most sergers (compared with only one on sewing machines) can move at different paces to help prevent uneven finishes, especially on knit fabrics. This function also allows you to create gathers or lettuce-edge finishes.

✔️ Rolled hem: Usually included on most machines except very basic models, a rolled-hem option makes it possible for you to create small, clean hems on the edges of fabric without having to hem manually on a sewing machine.

Sergers, also known as overlock machines, create a "loopy" overcast stitch while simultaneously trimming excess fabric for a clean-edge look. You can use sergers to sew two pieces of fabric together too.

Coverstitch machines are used to create professional-looking hems on garments, especially ones made with knit fabrics. It's used most commonly around the neckline and hems. Coverstitch machines can only be used for hemming and cannot stitch two pieces of fabric together.

Do you need both machines? Actually, yes. While many think they can use a serger for both functions, a serger cannot hem fabric as a coverstitch machine does. To have a full arsenal of sewing gear, you would need both machines in addition to a sewing machine. However, most at-home sewers opt for a serger over a coverstitch machine and use their sewing machine for hems.

No, it can't. You can use a serger to complete some sewing projects from start to finish, but a serger won't be able to handle many things a sewing machine can, such as facings, zippers, buttons, topstitching and embroidering (on certain machines).

But a serger is extremely helpful! You don't need a serger to sew, but it can help take your sewing projects to the next level by providing additional strength at the seams and nicely finished edges.

Emma Seymour is a senior product analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute's Textiles, Paper & Apparel Lab, where she's worked for more than four years, overseeing in-Lab and consumer tests for sewing machines, embroidery machines and sergers. With a degree in fiber science and apparel design from Cornell University, she has extensive research experience and sewing expertise.

Emma Seymour (she/her) is a senior product analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute's Textiles, Paper and Apparel Lab, where she has led testing for luggage, pillows, towels, tampons and more since 2018. She graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor of science in fiber science and apparel design and a minor in gerontology, completing research in the Body Scanner Lab on optimizing activewear for athletic performance.

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