I have one and love it. I have had mine for 12 years and it still sews like a dream. The only time I have had it serviced was to have the timing fixed that I messed up myself. I stuck my finger in to knock some dust off while it was running. It bent something. My repairman fixed it quickly and I'm back in business. I use mine for piecing and quilting all the time. I have two more expensive machines, but this is the one I use most. It has needle down, push button scissors, wide harp, pin feed, and makes a beautiful consistent stitch. It uses any thread I throw on it. It sews very fast too. It does only do a straight stitch, so if you want zigzag or specialty stitches then this is not the machine for you. It is great for garment sewing as well. I just love my Brother 1500 and I think you would too.