Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I recently purchased this sewing machine because I got tired of having to go to my mom's to use hers. She has an old Singer machine (she wasn't sure of the model because she bought it from a school who was replacing all of theirs years ago) and I just loved it. It was straightforward to use and I could operate it without many hitches. I wanted to find a machine that was comparable to this old one. I'm not an expert sewer, so I didn't need anything extravagant; however, I do know enough of what I'm doing that I did want something that had some neat features. This one was not as good as the old one - it was MUCH better! It is so easy to use. Threading the machine is a breeze; all the directions are printed on the actual machine. Winding a bobbin is a cinch. I love that there is a built-in thread cutter. Changing stitch patterns is super easy, and you can see an example of what the stitch will look like easily because it is printed right below the keypad. There are a couple of features I really didn't think I would care too much about, but I have ended up loving--the speed control feature, and the needle position feature. The speed control allows you to go as fast or slow as you want. You can set the speed to slow when you have a lot of intricate work to go through and the machine won't "take off" on you because you've pushed the pedal down too far. The needle position feature was also great. With a simple push of a button, the needle will stop in the "down" position so you don't pull material out of line with where you want to be sewing. My husband walked by while I was working on something the other night and said, "Wow that thing is really quiet, aren't they usually a lot louder??" - the machine is SO quiet, and I love that. The only problem I have with the machine, and thus the 4-star rating (if I could have given it a 4 1/2 star I totally would have), is that it doesn't sew thick material very well. I was making a pair of sweat pants, and when I tried sewing down the waistband, it locked up and beeped. It was pretty dang thick though, and I really don't plan on sewing anything like that very often, so it's not a huge deal for me. All in all, this is a fantastic machine. I would recommend this for anyone looking for a high quality machine that's simple to use. UPDATE: I have used my machine so much over the past couple of months, and I still havent had a single problem with it! I still stand by my review that this is an AWESOME little machine!