I bought my Voyager and Hinterberg Stretch frame five or 6 years ago and have really enjoyed using it. There should be a lot of them on the market since Nolting isn't going to make any more of them, but it would be a great starter machine. It is heavy...about 70 lbs...but it is easy to use. I bought mine with a stitch regulator, but it's not a necessity. The quilt in my avatar was done with the Voyager. My DH (who is NOT handy!) and I put the frame together in an evening. You might also want to check out the Tin Lizzie, which is not as expensive as some of the other machines and it's owners seem to really like it.