what you are saying makes a lot of sense to me. I understand the quality of the FW straight stitch but remember, our mothers and grandmothers upgraded for a reason-they wanted something that could do more. I worked and saved for a long, long time to get my TOL machine-it's the first and last one i will ever have. I still have my old Kenmore(40 y.o.) for a backup and while it sews great, it cannot compare to my "new" machine.