My opinion is buy the machine that does what you want. If you paper piece a lot then a thread cutter is nice etc. I am definitely in favor of technology. I used to tease my grandchildren when I did them a favor saying "when I'm old you will have to drive me to quilt stores to pay me back" but now with safety protections in autos, uber and future driverless cars, I will be able to keep doing what I love.