I have very bad back issues, so sitting in a chair for any length of time is torture, so just recently I got out a Brother machine I have with a Start/Stop button that's not too heavy, and laid down on my soft bed and tried using the start-stop button. Trying to use a foot pedal while lying in bed is not a fun thing to do. This doesn't allow me to zip right through things as I could with both hands guiding my material, but I am working on getting better at it. My other machines that have this feature are just too heavy to have on my lap.
I really like the smoothness of the Viking machines, but don't want another 40 pounder, so I have just started searching for a newer one that is lighter. I need another machine like a hole in the head. I think I have about 12 at this point. The only brand I don't have is a Janome, but I don't think anything sews a smoothly as a HV.