I have a variety of 301s. I leave one set up with a large quilt on it, another for smaller quilts, one for piecing. I use an all metal darning foot because of the great visibility. I use Isacord thread. They work phenomenal. I am partial to the LBOW ( light brown, oyster white) models. My 401 matches (use for zig zag). They are all steel gears, no belt, slant needle gives great visibility.
Linda