My parents gave me a sewing machine in a cabinet when I graduated from high school. Of course it had a knee control instead of a foot pedal. Twenty years ago I went to work for a Bernina dealer who made her bread and butter doing custom dressmaking and alterations. After using her machines in the shop I had to have my own Bernina. The rest is history. I learned to control the foot pedal with my left foot and also use it for my serger. I don't think I could sew without the knee lift. It is more than my third hand. The biggest problem I have with the knee bar is that I sew so fast that it tends to vibrate out of the machine on occassion. When I worked at the Bernina dealership the owner used to push the half speed on the machine I was using everytime she passed me by. Just another reason mpspeedy is my signature.