Brother 1034D Serger/Overlocker/Sewing Machine Review

The Best Budget Machine for Making Seams

While Brother sewing machines have always been affordable with great quality for the price, they’ve always suffered slightly from lacking a bit of variety in their product lineup.

Well, the 1034D aims to change that – it’s a ¾ serger machine with a lot of great functions which you can’t miss out on, and it’s still affordable.

But what exactly can it do?

Keep reading to find that out and get my full Brother 1034D review as well in order to see if it’s the right machine for you!

What are Sergers?

I know that lots of beginners read my blog, so I feel that I need to give you a bit of a primer before I start talking about this machine.

So, what is a serger anyway?

Well, it’s a sewing machine made specifically for making seams and similar stitches, and they use multiple lines of thread at the same time. Depending on the type of serger they use anywhere from two up to five threads.

Sergers are also called overlocking sewing machines in some circles.

However, sergers have limited functionality outside of their specific use, and they are not a replacement for a regular sewing machine. Sergers can’t do things like make buttonholes, zippers, facings, topstitches and so on.

The Brother 1034D Serger at a Glance

For a quick look at all the specs of the Brother 1034D serger machine, take a look at this handy chart.

If you want to get more info about the machine, keep reading to get my full Brother 1034D review.

The Main Features of The Brother 1034D Serger

Machines like this have tons of features, and it’s difficult to parse through them all so I’ll just go over some of the most important ones here and tell you what they do.

4 Thread Feeds

This is a ¾ thread serger, meaning that it has 4 different threads and the ability to use either 4 or 3 threads for making seams. The threading system is color-coded and easy to use.

22 Built-in Stitch Functions

While 22 stitches might not seem like a huge number, considering that some machines boast of having over a 100, this is more than enough for a serger machine.

This includes stitches like 4-thread overlock, 3-thread overlock, rolled hem, narrow, ribbon lock, and a specialty stitch function. There are also heirloom, crafts, reinforced tape, and bridal wear applications.

Differential Fabric Feed

The adjustable fabric feed on this machine allows you to customize it to fit the fabric you’re currently working with. The differential feed ratio ranges from 0.7 to 2.0.

Adjustable Stitch Width

This machine comes with the ability to adjust the stitch width to anywhere between 5 and 7 millimeters, allowing you to customize any stitch type for your particular project.

Removable Free Arm

The free arm is useful for stitching certain things, but it can also easily be removed if you want to stitch cylindrical items like collars or sleeves.

Lots of Accessories

You get more than a few decent accessories packaged in with this machine. This includes a multi-purpose guide foot, a gathering foot, one detachable foot controller, a soft cover, a needle set, tweezers, a cleaning brush, 4 spool nets, one hex wrench, and a trim tarp.

The Other Features that Brother 1034D Offers

Besides those larger, more important features, this machine also offers a few lesser features which are still important:

• LED lighting for the work area
• Adjustable on/off knife
• Speed adjustment
• Removable stitch finger
• Adjustable foot pressure
• 25-year warranty

My Full Brother 1034D Serger Review

While serger sewing machines are more specialized, they still have a surprisingly wide array of uses, and having a machine that caters to all of them is great. This is definitely the case here.

You get a lot of room for adjustment with the Brother 1034D, and that doesn’t just include expected features, like speed adjustment.

The ability to adjust the differential on the fabric feed is just great, and it allows you to work better with different types of fabric. If you’re using something thin and want to try a complicated seam, you won’t risk ruining it.

You can also adjust the stitch width, which is more helpful than you might think. Having just one size to choose from is something you get used to and stop thinking about until it becomes a problem – this takes care of that issue.

There’s a lot to like about the built-in stitches too, and they’re quite versatile, even though it might seem like there aren’t a lot of options here.

While you only get two extra sewing feet with the machine, you can buy more if you want to, from the Brother shop, and they will easily fit this machine.

Another great thing is that regular needles are used for this machine instead of specialized ones, which will cut down on the cost significantly, and you won’t have to buy two sets of needles if you also use a regular machine.

Even though the layout of the machine might look confusing at first with all the different threads, it’s relatively easy to use. Threading starts to come naturally after a few tries, and the controls are color-coded for convenience.

The instructions you get with the machine are not the best at explaining it, but if you search up a few instructional videos, you’ll get the hang of it soon enough.

Despite how small this machine is, it’s surprisingly strong and fast as well – reaching speeds of up to 1300 spm – and the speed is easy to control. It won’t waste your time, and you can slow it down for more delicate fabrics. It’s easily comparable to a heavy-duty sewing machine.

The removable free arm is also great since it allows you to work with different types of seams than you would if it was non-removable.

While the machine does work great, it also makes a ton of noise while sewing. If you live in an apartment building, you might get some complaints from the neighbors – yes, it is that loud. There’s no good way of fixing this, sadly. It does make a bit less noise if you use some sewing machine oil regularly.

The machine is also a bit flimsy. I expected that at this price point but it is a bit of a disappointment since I hoped I’d have it for a long time. As it stands, it seems like it will last for a couple of years before it goes bust.

The price is more than fair, though, and you get a lot of accessories with the machine too. You’re also covered by a 25-year warranty – a standard for all Brother machines – and you might be able to claim it if the machine fails.

Overall, this is just a great serger machine, and I love it a lot, despite some problems it might have. The noise is the largest one, but if you can deal with that, it’s an awesome choice for beginners and veterans alike.

The Pros and Cons of The Brother 1034D

To sum it all up, here are all the major pros and cons of this machine:

The Final Word

So, with all of this said, is the Brother 1034D machine worth getting?

Well, I’d definitely say that it is, especially at this price range. While it does have some faults, it’s an incredibly versatile serger sewing machine, and it is great for both beginners and those with more experience on their hands.

In the end, though, it’s up to you to weigh all the pros and cons and see if it’s the right fit. I can only offer my opinion, though, and I think it’s a good fit for almost anyone.

I hope I managed to be of some help to you and that you enjoyed reading – if I left anything unclear, ask me about it in the comments, and I’ll get to it as soon as possible.

Until next time, have fun sewing!