I learned on my Mom's White Rotary. By the time the rapairman had a hard time getting parts for it we upgraded to a Singer Slantomatic 500. People have said that it was the best machine Singer ever made....ours was a lemon. When I married I bought a Kenmore, it was a workhorse. I did so much sewing that it became a hassle to change cams just to overcast etc. The next was a Singer Athena 2000. After having to replace the gears I swore not another Singer. I now have a Pfaff, love that machine, it does what it is supposed to do, no hassle, or tweeking.