I'm not a big fan of the foot with a guide. I have a seam guide that I just stick on my machine bed that works really well and that is what I use on my straight stitch machines. I *love* knee lifts. Ever since I got my first Bernina, I've been hooked. One of the pleasant surprises about my Juki 2200 mini was that it had a knee lift. I use my left foot on the foot control and right for the knee lift. I've been using my left foot on the foot control so long that I do it even on machines without a knee lift. I have to say that the thread cutter on the Juki is really handy but I don't consider it something I couldn't live without.