Some good food for thought MiraB ... I think when I haven't had the other options and the deluxe features, I didn't know about them .... so didn;t miss them!!!
I believe the 7700 does have the free arm.
ITA it would be nice to have more things stored as part of the machine .. and I "think" the 7700 has that too.
Because of all the odds and ends, I have a set of drawers right next to my machine. Also for storing my thread stash!
Yes, weight of the machine can be wicked when taking it on road trips!! And worse still are some of the even bigger machines. I see some of the ladies who bring them into the sewing machine store and I am turned right off!! I can set mine right into the back being that I have an SUV/truck, not down into a trunk/boot. However, it's not as much of an issue for me as the only time I expect it to leave home would be for servicing. Though even then, carrying it up the stairs and back down, I am always nervous! I kept my previous machine, so it gives me a nice back up as well as one to take to classes etc.