Serger vs Coverstitch vs Sewing Machine: Which Does Which Job

The three machines at a glance

	Sewing machine	Serger	Coverstitch machine
Main job	Seams, zippers, buttonholes, topstitching, quilting	Seams and edge finishing on knits and wovens	Hems and topstitching on knits
Threads	2 (needle and bobbin)	2 to 4 (up to 5 on some)	2 to 4
Trims the edge	No	Yes, with a knife	No
Stretch	With stretch or zigzag stitches	Yes	Yes
Buttonholes, zippers	Yes	No	No
Example	Brother ST150HDH	Brother 1034D	Brother 2340CV

Sewing machine: the one you cannot skip

A sewing machine sews with a needle thread and a bobbin thread, so it can sew anywhere on the fabric, not only at an edge. That is why it handles the jobs the other two cannot: buttonholes, zippers, topstitching, appliqué and quilting. Brother's ST150HDH, for example, has 50 stitches including five one-step buttonholes, and comes with walking, zipper, overcasting, blind stitch and buttonhole feet.

It can sew knits too. Many machines have stretch stitches (Singer's 4552 listing includes them), and Brother packs ballpoint needles for knits and stretch fabrics with the ST150HDH. What it cannot do is trim and wrap an edge in the same pass, or sew a looper-backed hem. For thick fabrics, see our heavy-duty sewing machine guide.

Serger: seams and edges in one pass

A serger uses a knife to trim the fabric just ahead of the needles while loopers wrap thread over the edge. The result is a finished, stretchy seam in one pass, like the seams inside ready-made T-shirts. Brother's 1034D sews 4-thread and 3-thread overlock, narrow hem, rolled hem and ribbon lock stitches; Juki's 2/3/4 thread sergers add 2-thread stitches. Baby Lock describes 4-thread overlock as a strong finishing stitch.

For a knitwear line (T-shirts, leggings, baby clothes, activewear) a serger saves time on every seam. It also finishes the raw edges of woven fabric before a sewing machine seam. It cannot sew buttonholes, zippers or topstitching. Our best serger guide compares machines, and the air threading guide covers sergers that thread their loopers with air.

Coverstitch machine: the stretchy hem

A coverstitch machine does not trim the edge. It sews two or three parallel rows of needle stitches on top while a looper forms a chain underneath, so the hem stretches with the knit. Janome's CoverPro machines sew a 1-needle chain stitch, a 2-needle cover stitch (3 mm narrow or 6 mm standard) and a 3-needle triple cover stitch; Brother's 2340CV sews tri-cover, wide and narrow cover stitches from 3 to 6 mm, and chain stitch.

It does one job, but it is the job that makes a knit garment look shop-bought: the hem on sleeves, bottoms and necklines. A free arm, as on the Janome CoverPro models and Brother's CV3550, lets you hem those small tubes in the round. Our coverstitch machine guide compares the options.

Combination machines

Some machines serge and coverstitch. Juki's MO-735 is a 2/3/4/5 thread overlock with chainstitch and coverstitch, and Baby Lock's Triumph and Splendor are 8-thread overlock and coverstitch machines. A combination machine saves space and one purchase. Two separate machines can each stay threaded and set up for their own job, which saves changeover time when you sew in batches.

Which jobs need which machine

Job	Machine
Side seams on a T-shirt	Serger (or a sewing machine stretch stitch)
T-shirt sleeve and bottom hems	Coverstitch machine
Zipper on a pouch or bag	Sewing machine
Buttonholes on a shirt	Sewing machine
Finishing raw edges on woven fabric	Serger
Rolled hem on a scarf	Serger with rolled hem
Quilting and piecing	Sewing machine
Canvas tote straps	Heavy-duty sewing machine

What a three-machine setup costs

At the makers' own list prices, a full knitwear setup does not have to cost more than one premium machine. Prices change and dealers discount, so treat these as a starting point.

Machine	Entry pick (maker's price)	Step-up pick (maker's price)
Sewing machine	Brother ST150HDH, $339.99 list	Janome HD-3000 Black Edition, $599 MSRP
Serger	Brother 1034D, $319.99 list	Brother AIR1800 (air threading), $899.99 list
Coverstitch	Brother 2340CV, $579.99 list	Janome CoverPro 2000CPX, $1,099 MSRP
Total	$1,239.97	$2,597.99

For comparison, Juki's suggested retail price for the MO-1000 air threading serger alone is $2,299. Spending more buys conveniences (air threading, a free arm on the coverstitch, more stitches) rather than different kinds of seam.

The order to buy them in

1. A sewing machine. Every product needs one. A machine with a walking foot and buttonholes, like the Brother ST150HDH, covers most small-shop work.
2. A serger, once you sew knits regularly or want finished inside seams. The Brother 1034D has a Brother list price of $319.99.
3. A coverstitch machine, when you sell knit garments and want ready-to-wear hems. The Brother 2340CV has a Brother list price of $579.99.

If your products are bags, quilts or home goods rather than knitwear, you may never need the coverstitch machine; a heavy-duty or quilting sewing machine is the better second purchase.