There are so many good points in this "thread". I have had my 4-thread Singer for about 22 years; cost $200 @ the time. I like that it takes the same needles as many of my old singers, so nothing special needed there. Love it the most for sewing fleece & knits for kids, as well as home dec. items. I've never used it for quilting, but saw a nice blue jean throw quilt with no backing that someone made for a car or picnic blanket & I'd like to try that sometime. I would like a newer 5 thread, but won't jump in for a few more years, as mine is running with no trouble ever. I might like to try a self-threader next time as well, but found 2 books to be especially helpful at adjusting my thread tension: "The complete Serger book" by Chris James & "The Ultimate serger answer guide" by Gail Brown. The first book has a lot of photographs (great close-ups of what a "good" stitch should look like. The 2nd has more sketches, but even so the 2nd saved me @ understanding the order of which thread must go first at the final threading to "Form a stitch"; unlike my machine's own book! BTW, both of these books were @ my library, but I referred to them so often, I got them on ebay for a couple dollars each & love having them handy. Sergers are not a good choice for the less mechanically inclined; IMHO. Absolutely make sure they teach you how to thread it BEFORE you buy it, & better if they offer free classes.