I am not a very experienced with sewing but am very crafty and DIY motivated so this mending machine is a wonderful edition to my craft room! It is very light and easy to set up- the manual gives very clear and easy to read instructions I was able to follow without any trouble. My only complaint would be the stitch dial. At first I was trying to turn it to get to the zip zag stitches and the dial wouldn't move past the straight stitches. I had to have my husband help me and eventually it began to turn but for some reason it requires a little bit of strength to get to those stitches. After turning it a few times it seems to move more easily and I was able to use a zig zag stitch to repair a pocket for my husband! This machine may be small but it has enough power for small repairs and crafts!