I was lucky to pick up a Horn quilting cabinet on Craigslist some years ago - It has a manual lift, but I don't change machines or even close up the table so not a big deal at all for me. If you sew a lot, I think it is worth the money (or expertise if you have it ) to have your machine set at table height. I have had this table 3 machines ago, so will just order new acrylic inserts when I change machines.