Having had a very irritating experience recently while making Christmas gifts for my friends I will offer my two cents. I have been a big Bernina fan eversince I worked for a dealer more than 20 years ago. I literaly wore out my Bernina 1260. As a quilter and crafter my biggest advise is to "not" get a machine that is capable of making a 9 mil wide stitch. I thought I would love the ability to stitch out motifs that required that ability. I discovered to my frustration this past weekend that sewing small items that need top stitching for example are very hard to do if they are to small to properly fit under the "feed dogs". For piecing and other basic sewing the wider stitch ability causes a less stable basic stitch. The little Singer Featherweights are a perfect example of a wonderful straight stitch.