I have had a generic walking foot for my 1970's era Viking and also my Featherweight and they have worked just fine for a lot of miles sewn. I did have to replace one a few years back because the plastic part where the screw goes to affix it on to the machine cracked but the foot mechanism still operated like it should. I do find that you have to be careful how it's aligned and so when I'm putting it on I use the wheel on the side of the machine to slowly lower the needle to make sure it goes through the foot with plenty of clearance. The ones I have purchased have been in the $25 range. I have never tried to sew backwards with it and don't know why I would ever want to. I tie and pull my thread ends into the quilt bat with a needle which I prefer the look of over backstitching to secure the ends.