xxxxxx, agree! I've heard those coffee grinders are more trouble than they're worth and people really charge $$ for them. I like embroidery stitching (although I don't really do any) but if it's going to be that much of a pain, I won't bother. Like you say, there are only several patterns, unlike a nice large set of Kenmore cams where you can get up to 60 unique patterns, then change the lengths and widths for variety.
I do like the spoked Pfaff wheel, though; it looks really cool. But I was reading that the plastic hand wheel actually provides more control over starting, stopping, and speed due to its low mass and relative lack of inertia when, say, stopping from a high speed. And you can forward the needle from the pedal stitch by stitch -- difficult to do with a large, heavy steel wheel.
I guess I was fantasizing about the bent veneer cases. I would probably just make them for myself and friends but it would be great to be able to finally get rid of some of these old sewing cabinets and put these machines into cases that are more portable.