Originally Posted by slbram17

I have some older Kenmores...not that quiet but heavy. Just my experience. Also, they are the super high shank (makes finding compatible feet an issue), and the needle is not centered (resides on the left, making it a little tricky for me to get a decent quarter inch seam).

I was not familiar with those characteristics when I purchased the used Kenmores, and I might have still bought them then. But now, I don't think so. I just want low shank, centered needle machines. I kind of like the top loading bobbin cases too, seems easier than messing around with the front loading cases when they need refills and/or unjamming.

My quiet machine is an older Bernina with none of the above issues, except it has the front loading bobbin case. But it was way too expensive for a used machine.