I totally agree with you. My grandaughter is going to learn on an old Domestic machine. Her mom, my DD got it from a house that was going to be sold from bancruptcy--it has the bottom wood base but no top---it is electric and am in process of getting new motor and plug ins for it. All it does is straight stitch. I pulled the old paper off the base as it was peeling from moisture where it was stored. Cleaned up the wood and applied wood grain contact paper to it. How can you ask for a better learning machine that is sturdy, sews one stitch and obviously will last? And the best part was it was free.