The Sewing Place

Necchi Overlocker - one to avoid

Ploshkin

Necchi Overlocker - one to avoid
« on: March 25, 2019, 18:23:23 PM »
After much online research, my neighbour bought a Necchi overlocker advertised, I believe, as 'easy to thread'.She did manage to get it threaded after about 3 hours and a nervous breakdown but the tension wasn't looking right so I went to have a look at it with her. 
I sorted out a couple of minor things and it was working ok until a looper thread broke and I went to rethread the loopers.
What a bastard!  The manual just has a smallish diagram with no step by step and there is a coloured thread path diagram in the front of the machine.  Nowhere does it tell you how to get to the lower looper which has a hook at the back that the thread needs to go into - it doesn't tell you that anywhere but my neighbour had discovered the hook via you tube in her 3 hour threading marathon.  I discovered that the hook on the back of the looper could be accessed reasonably easily by taking off the end piece of the machine and turning the handwheel until the looper was at its far left position (why couldn't it have mentioned that in the manual?)  The handwheel then needs to be turned again to take the looper to its far right position but it is nigh on impossible to get the thread end back through from the left side of the machine.  I ended up doing it by threading it into a needle and carefully poking the needle through and catching the end with tweezers.  For some reason the machine also has a hulking great bit of metal on the top alongside the foot which makes it extremely difficult to get the threads to the back of the machine to get them under the foot.
Once threaded it ran quietly but didn't go for long without a thread breaking so it would appear to be picky about thread.

I think the long and the short of it (my opinion) is don't touch Necchi with a bargepole.
« Last Edit: March 25, 2019, 18:24:58 PM by Ploshkin »
Life's too short for ironing.

coffeeandcake

Re: Necchi Overlocker - one to avoid
« Reply #1 on: March 25, 2019, 19:15:15 PM »
@Ploshkin That sounds like a nightmare machine!  Just a thought; I have a Janome and when you thread the lower looper in order to access the hook part you lift the guide just before it and it automatically moves the rest of the guides over so that you can finish threading.  You can also access it by turning the handwheel.   

Ohsewsimple

Re: Necchi Overlocker - one to avoid
« Reply #2 on: March 25, 2019, 19:30:24 PM »
@Ploshkin I have to agree with you.  I did a lesson on one of these machines some time ago and had real problems.  The instruction book photos were out of focus and too small.  The 'easy threading ' was definitely not.  I got it threaded and we did manage to sew a bit.  But at the end, the lady decided to put it on eBay and buy a decent one.  Definitely don’t touch with a barge pole!

Ploshkin

Re: Necchi Overlocker - one to avoid
« Reply #3 on: March 25, 2019, 21:54:41 PM »
@coffeeandcake it definitely has no mechanism to flip the looper into a threadable position (I have that on my Elna overlocker and coverlocker so knew to look for something). 
Life's too short for ironing.

coffeeandcake

Re: Necchi Overlocker - one to avoid
« Reply #4 on: March 26, 2019, 13:15:43 PM »
@Ploshkin   ahh, I just threw that out there just in case. 

b15erk

Re: Necchi Overlocker - one to avoid
« Reply #5 on: March 26, 2019, 15:33:38 PM »
Sounds like my very first O/Locker, and old Riccar which I bought about 30years ago, and has only recently given up the ghost...

It was a nightmare to thread, and I used to dread having to re-thread for whatever reason.  It did however, work beautifully for many years, and I definitely had my moneys worth!

Jessie
Jessie, who is very happy to be here!!  :),  but who has far too many sewing machines to be healthy, and a fabric stash which is becoming embarrassing.

Doriefish

Re: Necchi Overlocker - one to avoid
« Reply #6 on: August 19, 2019, 22:01:13 PM »
I second this, I bought a Necchi overlocker because it had a coverstitch. Had great trouble threading it and the technical help at the company I bought it from said lots had been returned. Then it misaligned so every needle broke. Sent back for repair then the motor ceased. All in all I used it for about 50 stitches.