Austinite, you know that I've only had my 2000 for about 10 days, and I've never driven the 2010. I'm also new to quilting and sewing so what do I know. That said, I'll say that I was a little worried that the 2000 machine, without speed regulator, would be too fast and/or too hard for me to control. I needn't have worried. I am in the middle of piecing a quilt top and find that the speed of the 2000 is very precise, consistent, and easy to control. I really love sewing with it -- feels so solid and capable of anything. I sewed a sample sandwich and it was totally fun and looked great. I know zip about the extra tensioner, but so far I have no complaints or concerns about the 2000's tensioner or anything else.