Oh, that's a tough one. But of course, I do have an opinion. Please keep in mind that this is only based on MY experience. Yours (any of you) may differ.

I have owned a couple of Juki products, but not a sewing machine (and I've owned quite a few sewing machines). In my opinion, at least for older machines, they left a letter out of the Juki name. I was often frustrated and called them "Junki".

Brother may not be top of the line, but I really like my present Brother sewing machine, even though it does have lots of plastic parts.

If those are your only two choices, I would go with the Brother, especially since it is an older one with mostly metal parts.

Just a thought - could you have either of them looked at by a repair place so they could give you an opinion as to whether either is in fairly good shape and/or approximately how much it would cost to bring them up to par?

Good luck!

I'm not sure if the sellers would be ok with me taking it somewhere since they're being sold on Craigslist. Thank you for your input, it really helps. I've never used a serger & am still not sure exactly the different between it & traditional sewing machines...despite hours of Googling. I only thought to consider the serger since it has so many threads & heavy looking ones at that, & since I'm doing upholstery I want the seam to be durable. I may be way off in my thinking. I'm just confused & overwhelmed with all my options, lol.

You should also consider the differences/pros and cons of using a serger vs a sewing machine. They aren't exactly the same thing. I'm sure you've done your research. Why not check out this site that discusses the differences? serger vs sewing machine

I thought Walmart carried Brothers for $100-125 good for an amateur. And it would be new. Any reason you're not considering a new one?

You're right BossyVossy. I bought my Brother CS6000i on Amazon a couple of years ago for about $150. Nothing like me missing the obvious. I never thought to suggest that. But why buy a machine that you may have to add money to for a tuneup, when you could buy new?

Well this used machine is made of metal rather than the plastic newer machines are composed. After reading the link, I'm leaning more towards the serger...but I suppose that I'm hesitant due to my lack of experience.

They're two different kinds of machines. A serger is a nice compliment to a sewing machine. I love mine, but I can't see having just a serger. I can't do everything with just a serger, but guess it depends what your plans are.

However, if you do decide to just get a serger, you'll need at least a 4 thread. The 4 thread will sew a seam line in addition to overlocking. The 3 thread, that you show above, will only overlock. It may come undone with stress over time.

As for new or old, I favor the old ones, unless you're paying a lot of money for a new one. Unless they're very old, even tho they're made of metal on the outside, some or all of the parts on the inside may be plastic.

Oh, how I miss my old White (brand) sewing machine. Didn't even do zig zag, but man, it was a workhorse.

I would start with Consumer Reports for machine reviews and then go to the Salvation Army and interview people who reupholster furniture. (The Salvation Army hires people who normally have problems obtaining and maintaing employment.)

mThe supervisors should be very helpful. (This is from past work experience when it my was job to check on some of the employees.) If I were going to undertake this project, this is what I would do.

Look around for a working Singer 237 - they do straight and zigzag very well, and are totally manual. No software, no electronics.

A serger will not do what you need for upholstery.

I am a free-lance apparel designer and I sew ( and design sometimes) nearly everyday of the week. My general advice for home sewers, especially those who want to do heavier weight fabric projects, is to find an all-metal vintage (1940-1960) sewing machine; the three brands that are the best are Pfaff (German,my favorite), Singer (mostly US made, I had one), and Bernina (Swiss designed and made). My own domestic workhorse is a Pfaff 260, but I also have a Pfaff 130 blackhead. These machines are older than I am (just turned 64), but they will outperform any other machine ever made, or those presently on the shelves. Don't buy any home machine made of plastic, they simply are underpowered and will eventually break if you are doing a lot of heavy duty sewing. Expect to pay up to $300 for a Pfaff 130 on Craigslist, maybe $50 for a tune-up by a professional mechanic, and a few dollars for extra feet if needed. The same metal vs. plastic advice goes for sergers, the metal ones will last longer and just be more solidly built. The best home sergers are probably Berninas (at $1000 new), but they are extremely versatile, well engineered and solidly built.

If you want to take the next step up to industrial sewing machines, look at Juki single needle machines (I have a DLN-5410 which I use for fast production); they go for $800 to $1200 on Craigslist. A Juki five thread industrial serger will cost about $1000 used. These machines will set you up for more sophisticated sewing projects, and maybe even your own sewing business.

I bought a new Singer, thinking it was a good brand. All made of plastic, not for any serious or heavy sewing at all. I'm now scouring garage and estate sales for an older one, made of metal parts