I disagree about the Singer stitch quality. I posted before a picture of straight stitches made with my Bernina, my high end Brother and my Singer Quantum. The Quantum had the best stitch of all three, it's quieter then the Bernina and Brother. A high end Singer is nothing like the cheap ones sold at discount stores. I think that has hurt Brother and Singer reputations. I have a Singer 301 and I would grab it if I had to save one machine.