Brother ST4031HD Strong and Tough Serger

Tougher Machine for Tougher Work

Text, photos and video by Tom Hintz

Posted – 8-7-2018

My typical sewing projects evolved to use multiple layers of canvas, padding and linings, virtually every day. It was time to increase my serger capacity to better match its capabilities to the materials I work with most. My Brother 1034D Serger had been working great and handled everything I threw at it. However, I was concerned that trend towards heavier material combinations along with an ever-increasing project list would put semi-industrial demands on the serger. After a good bit of researching the available sergers I decided on the Brother ST4031HD Strong and Tough 3 and 4 thread serger. I have learned the hard way (say expensive) that trying to save money by putting off buying a machine I know I will need only costs more when “I need it quick!” inevitably comes around.

The Basics

The Brother Strong and Tough Serger is advertised as a high-performance, 3 or 4 thread serger. Brother’s Strong and Tough Serger was designed to handle “multiple layers of denim with ease”. In my experience, Brother typically under-states the real-world capabilities of their machines so the Brother Strong and Tough Serger quickly became the focus of my serger upgrade.

An important feature of the Brother Strong and Tough Serger was the high durability carbon steel, industrial-level cutting blade that trims the fabric just prior to the threads binding the edge. The Brother Strong and Tough Serger blade is made from a very hard steel to make it cut more smoothly and last longer. Combined with a tough, metal chassis, strong motor and a well-engineered mechanism the Brother Strong and Tough Serger embodies virtually everything I was looking for in a serger. If speed is your thing, the Brother Strong and Tough Serger can crank out 1,300 stitches per minute!

The Brother Strong and Tough Serger has a footprint of 13 by 14.4 by 17 inches and weighs just a tick under 17 1/2lbs. The additional support of the included 4 ¾” by 8” extension table makes working with large projects easier. Key to the stability of your mood is the 25-year warranty that shows the level of confidence Brother has in this machine and its long-term durability.

Included with the Brother Strong and Tough Serger are large spools of serger thread, sewing feet, a soft cover, an accessory bag with a needle set, 4 thread spool caps, 4 thread nets, tweezers, a cleaning brush, a hexagonal driver, a trim trap, a foot controller pedal, instructional DVD, and an instruction manual.

Threading

The Brother Strong and Tough Serger has four, high-capacity spool holders across the back of the machine. Virtually any common-sized spools can be used without modification. An extendable (up) guide bar keeps the threads separated and delivered smoothly into the thread paths.

Threading the Brother Strong and Tough Serger is typical Brother simple. All four paths are clearly marked on the case with graphical depictions clearly showing their path through the mechanism. Of all the sergers I have tried, none are as easy to thread as those from Brother.

As with all sergers, Brother shows the sequence in which the Brother Strong and Tough Serger must always be threaded. Follow that sequence and threading the Brother Strong and Tough Serger is quick and easy. Try to skip ahead or re-thread one thread and there is lots of frustration in your future, and all of it your own making.

In the Shop

I lucked out in that I got the Brother Strong and Tough Serger in my shop just before the anticipated larger projects hit the bench, so I had a little time to “explore” its capabilities. At this writing, having used the Brother Strong and Tough Serger on these larger, tougher projects I am happy (relieved?) to say that it cruises through them without a whimper, grunt or groan. “Strong and Tough” may be another example of Brother’s under-stated depiction of their products capabilities.

Setting the Brother Strong and Tough Serger up for use, including threading, is faster and easier than many will suspect. Sergers have a reputation for being hard to thread and then maintain without frequent breaking of one or more threads. Brother seems to have this figured out and uses similar-looking mechanisms across their serger line. The easiest way to cause yourself problems is to not follow the threading sequence or the instruction manual. Adhere to those and the Brother Strong and Tough Serger can handle the rest.

The Brother Strong and Tough Serger is remarkably smooth running throughout the stitch-per-minute range. I’m not talented enough on a serger, nor do I have the need to run the Brother Strong and Tough Serger at its fastest stitch-per-minute but I find myself completing projects faster.

The thread tensioners work well and produce wanted changes predictably without constantly breaking threads. In fact, I can count on one hand how many times a thread has broken for no apparent reason. My confidence in the Brother Strong and Tough Serger tensioning system allows me to tweak individual threads to see if that produces the change I wanted. With previous sergers that I used (before my Brother 1034D Serger) the self-imposed “leave well enough alone” plan of adjusting thread tensions was firmly in place.

The only problems I have encountered with the Brother Strong and Tough Serger came when I tried to serge through a “knot” of fabric, where a couple of my typical canvas, padding and flannel sandwiches intersect, essentially doubling or tripling the number of layers of fabric. My bad all the way. I have since learned that I was assembling the projects wrong and that was creating these over-sized stacks of fabric.

Since getting the Brother Strong and Tough Serger my production rate has increased because I am not stopping to fix anything. Rather, I am cruising along serging the edges of my projects and then moving on to the next project. I think I am stepping on the foot speed control a little more than with earlier sergers because I am confident that the Brother Strong and Tough Serger can handle those speeds over long edges. I frequently serge edges of FlyingRC.net Protector Sets (for giant scale radio control airplanes) that often include wing bags that can be over 7-feet long on two edges. The Brother Strong and Tough Serger hums along without an issue if I am paying attention to being more accurate when feeding the fabric into the machine correctly.

Conclusions

The Brother Strong and Tough Serger is a great serger for the home sewing shop. It is very easy to operate, actually is “Strong and Tough” and runs remarkably smoothly for a machine with a sizable reciprocating mass. All the parts and pieces appear to be well made and designed for a very long life. Brother puts a 25-year limited warranty on the Brother Strong and Tough Serger which shows their level of confidence in this machine.

The street price of $299.99 (7-2-2018) surprised me. After reading the list of features and a bunch of very positive reviews I thought the price tag would be over $400. In today’s fast-paced on-line shopping world prices fluctuate but not so much on a popular machine like the Brother Strong and Tough Serger.

If you are looking for your first serger, or to upgrade, check out the Brother Strong and Tough Serger. This is a very well-made machine that is remarkably simple to operate. If you have been fighting a lesser serger, buying a Brother Strong and Tough Serger will enhance your attitude as much as it improves your sewing.

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