Yes its well worth the $$$ , I have its sister the 306W .. its one tough machine. Mine used to be my Mom's and has seen decades of hard use ... and it keeps on running like a champ. Give it a good oiling and it should be less noisy. Do you have the owners manual to show all the places for oiling?
The bobbin .. is not loaded so funky ... but it might just be different than what you are used to. You tilt up the machine to access the bobbin. Mine is cabinet mounted and not a big deal.
Yes the needles are a shorter size than most machines. Just an FYI Shemtz does make needles for this machine. It took me awhile to find them.. but they are available.
Last edited by Lori S; 12-19-2012 at 08:19 AM.