Thanks Candice. You make sense. And as you say, you are not hooked into one brand. I too would not say goodbye to my German built Pfaff 2144. As for the old tredle machines..... er not in use anymore! It really begins to sound like the Bernina 820. Now I have to find a way to get the dealer's price down!!! Hopefully he has a demo model for this one too. I'll keep you all posted.