Sewnoma I actually like Touch & Sews. If you can find a 600 or 603, they have metal gears. The Touch & Sews are descended from the 400 and 500 series machines and are pretty similar inside. The one big thing about them is keep an owner's manual handy. They're capable of a lot but are not intuitive to use.
Cabinet quality took a huge hit sometime in the 1960s or 70s when they started being made from wonderful things like particle board and plastic laminate. I don't even bother with those ones. I strip the hardware and burn them. Older cabinets OTOH are worth the effort to refinish when needed.
Rodney