I've mentioned it a couple times on this board before but I have a Magnolia 7318 and it's the only machine I've ever owned. I'm a new sewist and bought it at the beginning of last year not knowing how to sew or quilt (or thread a machine), but really wanting to learn to quilt. It has a 4.5in throat, can lower feed dogs, free arm, and just about everything I thought I needed to learn. It's not picky about thread and FMQ has been easy for me to pick up. In short - I love it! I've FMQ'd a queen size quilt on it and I didn't hate it
Easy to thread, seems pretty sturdy, stitches straight, weighs roughly 15lbs?