I have machines that work well and ones that don't. Some of my "don'ts" probably just need a good cleaning and some TLC. I've learned a few things in the past couple years that give me hope that I might get them back in action again without too much headache. For awhile there I just got a 'new' machine every time one of my yard sale finds quit on me! Now I'm a bit more discriminating on which ones I get, but I'm still pretty much a sucker for any machine that is under $25 and appears to work...never know when someone will need one.