Ok - I've read three pages of posts. I'll stop now and respond. I love my little 1936 Featherweight. It was my grandmother's machine. I have been sewing on it for over thirty years. I have another machine that has a zigzag stitch and other bells and whistles, but basically all it does is collect dust. I machine quilt smaller things on it only occasionally. I AM a hand quilter. I take it with me rarely as I don't do classes, etc. I piece everything on it. I could thread it, and change the bobbin in my sleep. I do the maintenance myself. And why, oh why??? is there a problem is you ding it up a bit? It's a machine! If you are buying it, thinking of of it as an investment - don't BUY IT! The thing is - for me, it does just exactly what I want - time after time after time. I will not part with it till my dying day. I would not be who I am without it. Have fun with your new machine - whichever you choose.