I think they are fine but substantially overpriced. You can buy a good one on E-bay for a lot less, unless you want a custom paint job. Most of the ones in the quilt magazines are purchased from an auction site in bad shape and then refurbished with new decals and bright colors. Doesn't make any difference to the sewing ability. These little machines are basically indestructible and there are plenty of repairs available so I have purchased four of them from e-bay and had one repainted and new decals put on it. The others just needed cleaning and adjustment.