About the horizontal vs. vertical bobbin. I have about 17 vintage machines and maybe 6 are drop in, horizontal bobbins. If you compare ease of stitching, the feel and the quality of the stitches during FMQ, it is clear the horizontal machines give a better end product and win out. And that's why they have a better reputation for FMQing. I'm certainly not the only one who believes this is the case. Now, I'm talking FMQ only. There is an extra turn in the drop in bobbins that makes them not as great FMQing machines. The stitches tend to be not as even as nice and have more tension issues. If you don't have other vertical bobbin machines to compare to or don't have the experience with a huge amount of machines to refer to, then you probably won't notice a difference. I have a hoard of machines and many years of sewing experience to draw from. I love my Janomes and Elnas with drop in bobbins for piecing, but always go to the vertical bobbin machines for FMQing.