Choosing a sewing machine is a personal journey for the end user. My husband and I went to a dealer and test drove several before deciding on a Janome 6600. He would never have known the the needle threader, thread cutter, needle down and accufeed system were important to me. Being that your wife is a novice sewer, she may not know what she wants either! There are so many different manufacturers and options out there, I don't know how you could choose without some guidance. I would suggest taking an experienced sewer with you to help with the process. And stay away from the very cheap ones at Walmart and similar stores...won't hold up ( I went through two before deciding to get a good one). I don't think a featherweight is the machine for a beginner as they only straight stitch. I use so many of the decorative stitches, buttonholer, free motion quilting, etc. that you just can't do with a featherweight.