I agree that needle-threader on some of the brother machines streamlines that process so well you could do it blind-folded and it works every time. There are some brother/babylock dealer models that have all or most of the features you want but hover bumps you up to the higher cost models. Hover (auto pivot) is nice, but if the machine has a knee-lift, you accomplish the same thing. The Juki mentioned above might work very well for you also but just a straight-stitcher...even tho it does have knee lift and auto thread cutter. Brother/Babylock tho really simplifies your threading enough that you might just want to narrow the field within that brand and if you're able to accept a knee-lift to raise/lower the presser foot, you will have many more options.