They are often bought for birthdays and Christmases because people know how much I love to sew… and if it make their gift giving easier, then who am I to object? This means that I have a few machines and they all work well – I often have two or three projects on the go at once, so I use several machines.
Some of the machines have been around for at least twenty years and still work perfectly, I treat them well, clean them and never push them beyond their capabilities.
One older machine is a Brother, about twenty years old, it doesn’t have any fancy bits, but is electronic and has heirloom stitches and a one-step buttonhole, it’s still as good as new, another is an Elna, ten or twelve years old and still sews beautifully, has a lock stitch and up/down needle button, variable speed and drop in bobbin.
I’ve never had a machine serviced, it’s very expensive and unless I had a top range machine, it’s not worth it, so I’ll continue to respect my machines, treat them well and hope they last.
The newest machine in my stable is a Singer Confidence Quilter – that’s its name in this country but probably a different name in the US and Europe. This is the ultimate machine for me, it has power and will go through heavy seams without a complaint – it has needle up/down and all the necessities, it’s big and heavy and I love it. Like most machines these days, it comes with a large detachable quilting table, also several feet, including a small, easy to use walking foot. It has a lot of fancy stitches which I’ll never use.
It was bought half price which made it a bargain, I’d coveted it for a while but couldn’t justify spending so much, so the sale price was great.
Lost Irishman 
I’v been sewing for a couple of years, and I have only used a decorative stitch once. I find that most items that do everything, do nothing real well. I’m glad to hear that you are pleased with your purchase.
I sew on a 1950 Singer 201 Centennial, mainly. Straight stitch with reverse. The reverse lever stays in reverse position until you change it’s position, leaving both hands free to work the fabric.
My cabinet has the pedal mounted at floor level. Easy to operate, and never shifting position like a portable machine. I get frustrated when a pedal moves freely on a bare floor.
I only wish for more power, as I sew many projects using Cordura nylon. Passing size 20 needle through six layers of this fabric is a tough job.
Mike
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I’ve had the machine sew on its own when the pedal became stuck on the sewing table so I know what you mean about the free moving pedal, I’ve put a heavy mat down it’s solved the problem, my very old machine (which isn’t working yet) has a leg lever instead of a pedal, I’ve used them before and they work well. A cheap mechanical Singer I bought new for $50 can handle heavy sewing very well – not like yours of course but it works well on several layers of denim without complaining. I think I may well use the 1950s dome-top portable more often once it’s been serviced.
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