I've purchased 4 of the inexpensive machines from Walmart, all Brothers. I love them, and they are reliable.
My first one cost me $89 and lasted 6 years. Alas, it fell to it's death while DH and I were traveling. I thought about getting it fixed, but figured that would cost me more than the machine cost originally.
My granddaughter has been sewing pot holders on my 'cheapest' one, which is a basic mechanical. She puts the pedal to the metal, as the saying goes, but the machine is doing fine. That machine has 17 stitches, and we're using it to quilt the sandwich for the potholders - no walking foot involved - and it's doing a nice job of that, much to my surprise.
It cost less than $100 and is lightweight enough to cart around. Plus, if you drop it and break it, you aren't out a lot of money.
My latest Brother is the sewing and quilting model and has a larger throat. I use it to piece and to quilt doll quilts. I've found that having the larger throat is also visually helpful, as it's easier to see what's happening at the needle. It has crossed my mind that I'm imagining that, though.
Walmart also carries a few Singers, but I can't tell you anything about them.
Happy hunting!
Last edited by cathyvv; 12-25-2013 at 08:20 PM.