I have the 201-3 which is the Canadian version with a belt driven motor instead of the potted one. Make sure that your cords are not broken, cracked or really rubbery. I had to have my wires replaced as I was afraid ancient wiring could give the stitcher a shock. My machine is fast and powerful. I got it to sew in zippers in heavy denim and duck coveralls and now love it for FM quilting and just plain stitching. It powers through everything and does not balk or growl or veer off the stitching line at seam junctions like my Janome 6500. To drop the feed dogs, you need to tip the head back, loosen a huge screw, slide the bolt over and tighten the same big screw. Simple and quick. The bobbin holds twice as much thread as my Janome and I love the longer stitch length. You'll like this machine.