My recommendation would be to let your wife pick it out. I know that may ruin the "surprise" but at least she'll have what she wants. My dad bought my mom a really nice sewing/quilting machine a few years ago...he was really trying to get buy her a machine she would love...and it is a really nice machine but... it has a side loading bobbin and my mom finds it too hard to load as compared to a top loading bobbin so she won't sew on it. Sad really.