Hi, Karen. I think the machine is a good machine, and yes, affordable. People seem to love Ernie, and he's very accessible. However, I bought mine from Husqvarna and the techs didn't have all the training that the Tin Lizzie people did. So, with the many issues I had the support wasn't satisfactory. I was using a QBOT with it, which I had bought at the same time and loved. But the support with Husqvarna and QBOT doesn't exist any more. Finally, I was sent a brand new Tin Lizzie ] right out of the box (after so many repairs on my other) with a Shirley Stitcher because it is supposed to be more compatible. I wasn't happy with the Shirley Stitcher. The software wasn't what I wanted and the designs that came with it weren't as nice. I like to draw my own and let the machine stitch them out. It was a lot more difficult and expensive to do. QBOT had spoiled me. I loved their software. I'm selling my machine and hope to get something that's a better match for me.