Mine was a Sears Kenmore flatbed in a cabinet--I was 10 and that baby sewed everything.I got a wild hare when I was 13 and wanted a Singer like crazy, so we traded in the Kenmore and bought a Singer. Big Mistage, Big, Huge. The Singer never worked right. When I got married, and my DD was 6 months old, my DH took me to Sears and got me a new free arm Kenmore. Still have her and she still works. Use her for denim, and heavier fabric sewing. She is one of the last all metal ones.
I have a Viking 500 that I use now and love her too.