for low price range, I strongly recommend getting a good used machine..often $25-50 at a garage sale, rather than a low end new machine. I am not a fan of Bernina in any case, as my high end one was a total lemon. My son refused to return my wonderful Viking, so what I now use in Janome, which I like very much. Our dealer took apart a recent high end Bernina and Janome and showed us the difference in construction. No comparison. The reason singer Feathers are so popular among quilters is their very durable construction.