BrotherCoverstitch Serger, 2340CV, Sturdy Metal Frame, 1,100 Stitches Per Minute, Trim Trap, Included Snap-on Presser Feet

I love this machine!.I've had it for a few months now and find myself pleasantly surprised at the ease of use.You get your choice of 2 two-needle cover hems, narrow and wide or one triple cover hem. It also does a chain stitch. I did find that the triple cover hem puts a LOT of thread in your project...probably better on more substantial knits or wovens. If you already have a regular serger, then this one will be a snap to get the hang of. As far as the thread release issues, I use a wooden toothpick to release one thread at a time and have no problem at all. It's worth it to have cover hems come out as perfectly as they do on this machine. I sew mostly on knits, thick, thin, and in-between, with all kinds of stretch and recovery. I do a test sample before each garment type.This machine is very simple. No bells and whistles. Just good cover hems with no skipped stitches or any other problems. If you are experiencing thread breakage, (especially in the left needle) check these 3 things. Is your thread seated properly in the tension discs? Check to make sure. Is the thread spool on the correct spool holder? Are the threads following the correct thread paths? All of these things can cause problems. (The thread paths are shown color-coded right there on the machine.)I am just so pleased with the quality and reliability of this machine. It sews perfectly no matter what I put under the presser foot. I even used it very late at night when no sane person would mess with their serger- didn't break the machine or ruin the project. It doesn't miss a stitch even over big bulky seam intersections.Doing cover hems on this machine is completely painless and all the "excitement" is gone too!(Will it go the whole length without thread breakage???) I am sorry to hear that some people have had trouble with this machine, because I would give it 5 stars. You can see more positive reviews over at patternreview.com.I wasn't too thrilled with how it was packed. Someone at Amazon just took the factory box and dropped it into a big box and the factory box was banging around loose in there. It didn't seem to affect the machine, though.

I use this machine a lot. Love it. It us easy to thread. The only problem I have is ending the stitches do they don’t unravel. If it had a mechanism fir that, it would be perfect. But I’m learning how to pull the threads to the back and tie off.

This is a great machine and probably my favorite of my machines (I have 4 now). I opted for cheaper, single-use machines so I could get more of them. I have a serger, a straight-stitch with a few fancy stitches, and a vintage heavy-duty straight-stitch serger (which I haven't explored much except to confirm that it can sew through 6 layers of denim).I'll try to post photos, but I have used this to make a swimsuit (all the edges were done with this machine) and undies, and knit dresses and t-shirts. I have re-hemmed my boyfriend's stretchy athletic jacket/cuffs, and it looks like original stitching. Before getting this machine, I had tried wooly nylon in my serger, twin needle in my straight machine, but never got decent-looking or decent-stretching hems. I was so disgusted with that advice, because I felt I was doing everything right. I am convinced those will never give an attractive, even, stretchy hem on knit.This machine is nearly too fast. It can stitch as fast as you can feed it. I like that it only does one thing. That's my strategy for my machines. Other people buy some $2k all-in-one computerized thing, but all 4 of my machines cost less than $900 total. I do run batches of single-color sewing, since rethreading them takes time. I just finished my "pink" batch of sewing.I do not think rethreading this thing is hard. The hardest part is rethreading the regular needle-eyes. Removing from the machine really isn't slow. And removing a row stitches isn't too hard. Pick out a few stitches from the "correct" end, and it just whirls right out.The machine feels solid and doesn't creep around my table when sewing. I got an open-box machine here on Amazon, and it came with all the little items and works perfectly.I don't do the technique of hemming, then sewing seams for sleeve or shoulder. I do the longer step of measuring the circumference and then cutting something to fit, turning the edges in, and then basting with a straight stitch and then coverstitching. It takes a bit longer, but I don't like a big bump at the joins. I'm at the point where I want a workflow that I know will give me results I like, rather than "shorter". I find it's easier for me (must be getting old) to just do the work. :D

TLDR; if plug your machine in and make sure all the internal gears move before you bother threading. If you turn it on and the motor whirs but nothing moves, this indicates the belt has come loose. This is not normal but, given the volume of shipping Amazon does, probably a higher likelihood. The warehouse deals have been returned at least once and this is significantly more likely on the warehouse deals. I'm sure this is a great machine - when ordered new. Don't waste your time with the warehouse deals. I’m an experienced sewist and have used a variety of coverstitch and coverlock machines over the years. I purchased this model as a backup to my Bernina, which is due for routine servicing.To save a bit of money, I bought a warehouse deal—twice. That’s on me. Unfortunately, both machines arrived with the same issue: they powered on, the motor whirred, but nothing moved when I pressed the foot pedal.With the first machine, I opened the case and saw the belt had slipped during shipping. A simple fix, but the motor housing was also cracked, so I returned it. Hoping it was a fluke, I tried again with another warehouse unit. Same exact issue—this time I didn’t even thread it before confirming the malfunction and boxing it right back up.If you're comfortable with minor repairs, the warehouse deal might be worth it for you. But after two duds, I’ve decided to spend the extra $50 for a brand-new machine and avoid the hassle.I'll update this review once I've had a chance to try the new one.