Bernette b42 Funlock Coverstitch Machine

I just got this as a replacement for another brand that failed to work well even after 3 months of fighting it. This Bernette f42 was easy to use right out of the box. I spent a couple of hours trying different fabrics out, and it sewed smoothly and cleanly over all of them- from the stretchiest spandex to the thickest crepe. I tried out all 4 stitches, and it looked great on all of them. Then I set it up for the wide 2-needle coverstitch and hemmed a stretch satin bridal gown. LOVE IT. The lift-to-lower, drop-to-raise presser foot lever is a little weird, but it's livable. The looper threading is easy and the instructions diagrams were clear, although it did take me a couple of minutes to figure out the last step. The on-board tool storage is genius. And, lastly, the super bright light is Amazing! I can see what I'm doing!

It came very quick from the dealer. Thank you. FINALLY I have a coverstitch machine. Honestly it was a random purchase for this brand and afterwards I found out the brand line it came from. Bernina sewing products are top notch and I was extremely happy to know I now had a product in my arsenal of sewing machines from them.I already own a Brother serger 1034D which is a common brand. It does what I need it to do but owning this coverstitch is the cherry on top of the cake.I tested it with a swatch then finally hemmed a dress I made in March. I often fret hemming any knit material garments I make. NOT NO MORE. I am now looking around my sewing room for additional projects to hem or re-hem.And lastly, by the sound of the motor, its powerful. Its a smooth sew. Oh and btw they changed the light which in my opinion is now too bright, but certainly not a deal breaker.

it was fairly easy to thread. sews fine on thin fabric. the presser foot will only raise a tiny bit. i couldn’t see a double layer of fleece so it wasn’t useful for my purpose

I had to watch a few videos to make sure that I used it correctly and found some tips and tricks for tying off at the end. So far it’s been great. Starting a stitch can be difficult, but I’m still learning.

I had impulse purchased a Brother 2340CV a few years back, and as a beginner to intermediate sewist, it did the job. When it started acting up, I figured I would upgrade to a better machine rather than spend much on repairs or service for it. I decided on the Bernette because I have a b38 sewing machine that I like well enough. BUT - I should have paid attention to the reviews. The LIGHT on this thing is UNBEARABLE. You cannot see to thread the looper because the light is too bright. And you cannot really see how you are lining up your work under the presser foot because the light is BLINDING. I put two heavy post it notes over the light and still had enough light to sew. The presser foot lever is also hard to get past. The opposite to most machines, it's down to lift the presser foot, and up to lower the presser foot, and there's not enough room in the throat to slide your right hand through to operate it. So it's very counterintuitive, and hard to situate fabric just so, then operate that lever without fabric moving on you. I did give it a try, and after adjusting several tension settings, I got close to a nice stitch, but the looper stitches were still unpredictable - it would look fine for several inches, then there would be a loose bit. And not due to any change in garment thickness in that area. The other thing I had hoped for was reliable stitching on thicker items, and this is no better than the Brother - Still very low clearance to get item under the presser foot, even with lifting up on the presser foot lever for additional clearance, and the machine did jam up and chew a hole in a turtleneck while I was coverstitching around the neck seam - it did this while going over the shouler seam, which was your standard serged shoulder seam, so I didn't expect that problem. I did find that the one I got was very difficult to keep fabric moving straight through without veering, which is something I struggled with on the Brother when I first got it, so that's likely a learning curve thing. So, I would say that it stitches as well as or possibly better than the Brother, but the Brother is much easier to thread, and to start/stop stitches with locking ability so it doesn't unravel. The manual instructions have you turn the handwheel toward you, then away from you, then release the item, but that does not appear to lock the stitches 100% of the time. I didn't spend much time on it, as I am returning it. I did find that if you pull the needle threads out to the front of the machine, then pull sewn item toward back of machine, then cut the threads on top of sewn item, and release the item from the machine, it will pull the needle threads to the back and lock your stitches at the end. Hope this helps. I've opted for a Janome Coverpro 3000, which is a GIANT hike in price, but it will do more than this machine or my old Brother. I had expected a bigger difference in quality with this Bernette over the Brother, and other than how quiet it is, I didn't see a positive difference.

I was hesitant to purchase this machine sight unseen. I have been using Phaff (older German made machine) or Bernina (770QE) for over 20 years. I normally buy my machines at my local dealer. My Bernina dealer does not carry the Bernette line so I was hesitant to purchase this online. I decided to purchase a cover stitch machine to make figure skating dresses that look more professional than using a zig zag stitch to attach the elastic at the openings. I looked at the new Bernina L890 which would have run $7k! Until I know how much I'm going to use a cover stitch machine (I already have an overlock) I hesitated to spend that much money. The Bernette line is made by Bernina but it is a more basic mechanical machine. It is not the same quality as my Bernina (I didn't expect that for only $500). I will say this is a decently made little machine and stitches well. It is good for a cover stitch beginner and/or light use. If I like it and start making a lot of figure skating dresses, I will probably purchase the Bernina L890 down the road if I start making enough money off of dresses to justify the expense. This one may not hold up to long term heavy use but it will be a good start.

I just unboxed my machine I can’t even get started because it’s missing the thread stand.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a great machine! It is really easy to use, great stitches, does the job well. BUT the led light, please turn that thing off!!! It was seriously making me blind. I did fix it sticking a piece of fabric under the light so it wasn’t so bright.The other thing (a tiny thing really) a but so annoying: the presser foot... it lifts as you pull the lever down and it comes down when you lift the lever. The opposite!! I don’t know if is a BERNINA thing, but it takes some getting used to...

J ai réussi à l enfiler hier et essayer, c est sur il faut se pratiquer avec les ajustements pour voir les différence mais ça en vaut la peine, j ai telecharger le livre en français pour mieux comprendre