There are so many things I love about my big machine. Until you own one its hard to understand what its all about because you can get by with small machines just fine and they do an excellent job. The feature on a more pricey machine make the job easier and more efficient, and sometimes they will give you less headaches. Yes I can live without my needle threader, thread cutter, pivoting function, dual feed, laser but the thing is it makes sewing so much more enjoyable. I still use my walmart brother all the time and it does an awesome job I just enjoy my big machine, so much better. It is a personal decision to decide wether you feel it is worth the extra money. Some people feel they don't need or want to spend the extra money on bells and whistles and that is perfectly fine, but if you have never tried a machine with these features you don't know what you are missing. I suggest if you are thinking of a nicer machine to just try out as many as you can of different brands. There are so many nice machines in different ranges on the market and everyones preferences are different. I can tell you what I love about my machine but that won't necessarily help you on your machine choice. For quilting to me the must haves are needle down, pivoting, large harp, bobbin sensor with off/on ability, adjustable height and pressure setting. Everything else is just an added bonus. I do love my adjustable dual feed muvit foot but walking feet built in or not can get the job done as it is what makes my machine very expensive as it has its own motor. Some people find the built in dualfeed necessary but I have made quilts for 15 years just fine without it so again its a choice to have it and there are pros and cons to each. A nice sewing machine can run from 500 to 4k for just basic sewing and really you are buying the features on it and most 500 to 1k range with have most of the necessary features for a quilter