Originally Posted by Lostn51
Okay its no secret why I dont do modern machines but if I were you just take a look at a Singer 500A. To me this is a modern machine because you have to plug it in the wall......but its a vintage machine!
This was the top of the line machine in 1962 and the machine can hang with any of the new ones on the market in my opinion. It has a plethora of built in stitches and you can pick up the cams and have a huge selection of decorative stitches. You can have the needle set and the left, right or center position, if you have a hoop you can get the monogram letters and do your own monograming. It will do embroidery work but it is FM and you can run a twin needle on it.
The average price for one is around $200 to $300 depending on the amount of accessories and the cabinet, but you can not kill it and the parts are readily available. Also it can be used as a portable like the FW's.
Billy
I have a Singer 328 K with the cams that will do all the above. I've put many a mile on it before upgrading to newer machines. I still have it and it works great. I bought it new in 1962 or 1963.