I had a Nelco for years and used it a lot, but it was not my favorite machine and I did have tension problems and had to have it adjusted regularly. It had trouble sewing through anything but reg. weight fabric. Skipped stitches with very light weight or heavier fabric. Wish I had gotten rid of it sooner. I would not recommend it. I now have an old Bernina 930 and only have it serviced to keep it clean so it will have a long life. I LOVE it. It never misses a stitch no matter what I'm sewing and I'm determined it will live as long as I do. Thus my yearly visits for cleaning and oil. (I'm turning 56 tomorrow. So we should have many more happy years of sewing together.) You'll spend more on an old Bernina, but you will have a workhorse of a machine.