I had a basic machine that I absolutely hated. It was very difficult to get the needle threaded right, and it wouldn't sew a straight seam. By that I mean that the stitches weren't nice and straight--they kind of went every which way. It was very tempermental and even when everything was set up right, I'd still sometimes get a big mess on the bottom side--some problem with the bobbin. It drove me crazy. I replaced it with a Bernina last summer, and now I'm in love.