Review on JUKI MO654DE Portable Thread Machine by Summer Hendricks

I have been sewing and quilting for over 15 years. One of my first machines was a Juki and I used it as a tabletop quilting machine - it was a workhorse! I sold it when I switched to longarm. I really didn't want to sell it, but long arms are expensive so it helped offset the cost. I knew this serger would be of amazing quality and after reading several reviews saying it was the best choice for sergers under $500 I confirmed it. I ordered it and it arrived in less than 24 hours. When I took it out of the box and unwrapped the plastic bag, I immediately felt oil around the base and sides of the machine. I put the car on a towel and then wiped it thoroughly with a damp cloth. Just a word of caution: be careful not to put it on anything that might leave an oil stain. I watched an online video about setting up Juki on YouTube. It wasn't difficult at all using the video as a guide. I will say that the tweezers that came with it didn't help to hold the thread! Luckily I have the best tweezers. The hardest part for me was threading the needle - my old eyes couldn't see such a small hole without a magnifying glass. I ended up using the included needle threader which is a little tricky to insert because of the needle. Hoping to find a better method for the future. I honestly didn't know anything about sergers when I bought them but I got them working with no problems and the stitches look great with the factory settings. I want to use an overlocker to make reusable household clothes and who knows, maybe one day I'll sew clothes! My sewing machine overlocks, but it takes at least 5 minutes to overlock 8" x 8" fabric. Juki Serger lasted maybe 30 seconds! I still have to work on the stitching, but Juki has an online video for that as well.