I'm new to the 301 scene, but so far love the one I purchased. Actually, I think it will replace my Featherweight as it is very light to carry around, but the larger harp size and the superior light makes it easier to use. It is also a bit faster than the FW, but for piecing, that really doesn't make much difference. I haven't figured out how to drop the feed dogs yet, but I doubt I will use it much for FMQing as I have both a Brother 1500 and a new Janome 8900 (which I need to practice more on).