Sharon, thanks, that is a useful feature of needle down (besides the safety factor).
understand your financial restraints but even in your budget, you can aim for the best machine in that price range. Nowadays, even the low end machines have some bells and whistles.
Mad, I agree 100%. That's why I'm trying to get a sense of what's important to look for in a low-cost machine.
Mad and Prism, thanks for the tip about test driving. I hadn't known you could. I will never, ever sew stretchy material. I absolutely despise the stuff and one major reason I want to sew is because it's very hard to find anything these days that hasn't been made with the wretched stretchy stuff. But I'd like it to work for muslin, cotton, linen, denim, maybe thicker upholstery fabric.
Prism, I'm saving your helpful info. Some of it is far over my head. What are tension adjustments?
Skeat, thanks, you've given me even more to consider.
sewjoyce. thanks for the link. I'll check it, but I rarely shop online. Definitely won't buy a machine or electronics online.
mamaw, minstrel, anyone else I can't find, thanks for the recommends. This is all going to go into a Word doc, sorted through, etc. Seems like Sears Kenmore and Janome are the most frequently mentioned.
There's a store near me that sells Janome and Baby Lock. The salesman strongly prefers the Baby Lock, even among models at the same price. Any thoughts about Baby Lock?