Love my machine! For a self taught newbie I enjoy how quickly I was able to understand the machine and how I adapted to the different options this machine has. I wanted something a lit bit more than basic and I believe this machine has it. This sewing world is interesting to me and now a little fun for me during these tough times. I read lots of good and bad reviews on this model but I believe the bad reviews come from human error. If you're not paying attention to details or use the wrong thread yeah you will have issues. Much easier to just pay attention to detail and use the machine as instructed. I'm happy to report as I learned what I may be doing wrong over the first couple of days it took me to learn to use it my machine is working great as advertised. I use it for hours on end and have not had any problems. It took me a week to decide on it and so glad I did!