A great value for the money! I find this machine to be very sturdy and so far, very efficient - and you can't beat the price. Just.Can't.Beat.The.Price!After many years of not sewing, I was introduced to quilting, which led to me purchasing a small BROTHER machine (CX155LA 199.00) machine and i returned to sewing. After a couple of quilts, because I'm difficult to fit (36" inseam and long arms) - I decided it was time to start sewing garments. However, as I'm no longer in my 20s (LOL) no more "home made" stuff like I made in my 20s... TNow my things must have superb finishes. I knew I needed a serger.I signed up for CRAFTSY UNLIMITED (now called BLUPRINT) - and a well spent 15.00/month to refresh my sewing skills, improve my quilting skills, and learn some fine tailoring tricks. To my delight, there was also an abundance of lessons for sergers as well - so this helped immensely.All I'd heard re: sergers was a) they're awesome for finishing, and b)they're a nightmare to thread. I had to question how true this threading issue could be, as sergers are hot sellers! In spite of all this, I knew I needed a serger. Ready to (possibly) throw my sanity out the window, i did a LOT of homework. Critics raved about the 1034, however, no longer made, the DX was the new model. I couldn't argue the price - a small investment, and if I didn't enjoy/use it, I'd sell and cut my losses.I'm very pleased with this machine. So far, in the week I've had it, I've made a few small projects (blouse/pouches/purse) to begin mastering my machine. I appreciate the machine arrives pre-threaded, so I was able to look at the manual and follow the threads, understanding how it worked. I was still very intimidated re: threading the machine (sometimes you CAN read too much! lol)Two days into sewing, my lower looper thread got off the track, and suddenly my machine wasn't sewing. No answers online, so I went back to the manual (duh!), and realized it was a very simple place the thread had come away from, but it was time to learn to thread the machine, so I removed all the threads. On my first try, I had the whole thing threaded in 10 min. It was a piece of cake! I couldn't help but wonder why so many had such difficult/nightmare-ish experiences! It can't get any easier!I'll say there are two tools I purchased as a result of my online serger classes, that have made threading/changing needles much easier. Neither of these tools are included, but both are about 5.00 ea at a local craft store.1. Machine needle inserter & threader.It's not rocket science to insert the needle, but this threader has a mechanism that allows replacing the needle much easier - esp. if you don't have teeny tiny hands... lol Your serger uses two needles. This threader - omword, where has this been all my life?Dritz 253 Machine Needle Inserter and Threader2. Serger Needle/Looper threaderThe looper has a small hole which many might find a tad difficult to thread. This tool makes your looper threading SUPER easy. It's very long, allowing you to reach spots that might be tough with larger hands or less than great vision.Dritz Serger Needle ThreaderI feel these two tools are a little expensive on Amazon. I'd get a coupon from the craft store and buy them for several dollars less.Your machine needs to be lubricated prior to use, and I recommend watching a youtube video, because I don't feel the manual makes it obvious for one of the two recommended spots to lube. I highly recommend ZOOM SPOUT oiler because it has a long thin tube which allows you to reach into the hard to reach places for oiling. :)Sewing Machine Zoom Spout Oiler 4 oz.Sergers create a lot of fluff while cutting. Just like you'll find a lot of fluff in your bobbin area of a regular machine, when you open up the front of the serger to expose the threading areas, and where thh looper arms are, you'll see "fabric/thread lint" (see photo). I recommend using good thread, don't buy cheap crap. The cheap thread fuzzes and will create more stuff to clear out of your serger. I bought Toldi-Lock (Guittermann) thread b/c I've had good luck w/their regular sewing thread. The lint shown in the photo is from some red batik fabric, this thread hasn't shown any signs of "fuzzing" so I'm very happy with it so far! Again, use your craft store coupons, a cone is ~3.59 each, but on sale, much less... You'll need 4 cones of thread. I found it helpful to use the four threads that came with the machine to sew scrap fabrics so I could become familiar with the different roles each thread plays in the stitching. This helped me determine if I really needed to change ALL FOUR to a matching color, or maybe I only needed to change the upper/lower looper threads...I'm really happy with this purchase, and excited to learn more about the machine. It's a magnificent complement to my sewing machine, as the two each serve different purposes.