I got into quilting about 11 years ago with a friend who taught me. I had a very old Universal brand sewing machine so I decided to buy a Kenmore which is what I could afford at the time. Only had it serviced about 3 times and never had a problem. I decided to upgrade to a Laura Ashley NX2000 this year and love it for the features. I still fall back on the Kenmore to sew flannel which is very fuzzy. The Kenmore is easier to clean.