I will also be watching this thread as my 19 year old daighter recently expressed an interest in learning to quilt so I would like to get her a machine of her own if she wants one--but don't want to go overboard on price in case she decides it is "not her thing" right now. But I also am a believer in buying one that is NOT mechanical as most 19 year olds are into technology and I think she will show more interest in it if the machine is computerized.