I have always owned Singers.(51+years). Before I bought this one, I tried all of the top brands. I came back to singer because I LOVE this machine. It has every bell and whistle you could want. Quiet, doesn't skip stitches, LOOKS pricey, helps me pick out right attachments for my project, easy to thread, easy to fill bobbin, great buttonholes. I LOve the drop feed. My last machine, that I still use, along with two others, didn't have this feature, but above all, I love the amount of stitches available without having to go to embroidery machine.