Every time I use this machine, something about it impresses me. It's simple, it's sturdy, and it's wonderfully precise. If you're old enough to remember when you could expect your entry-level tools or appliances or whatever to last at least a few years, you'll really appreciate this machine. So, super high marks for quality and utility. Also, we're kinda old now, huh?What really makes this a standout purchase to me, though, are lots of little things:There's a removable spool pin that you can set into a slot on top of the machine. You can wind a bobbin without unthreading the machine, then just pop it off and drop it in the accessory tray so it's out of your way.The little accessory tray flips out, has a little ruler on its front, and has a wee shelf where I keep a couple empty bobbins so I don't have to dig for them. If I leave them on my table, I'm liable to miss them as they're clear.The free-arm is only as wide as the needle plate; when you pull the accessory tray off, it removes the platform from both in front of AND behind it. You can actually get a human-scale sleeve cuff around it! This is a big deal to me, as only the front comes off for most machines' free-arm, and you can't get anything smaller than Godzilla's pant leg over it.And that's just what I've noticed so far! I honestly feel like I should send Janome a thank you note or something. Think about it: when was the last time you bought something that didn't have 75 "features" you'll never use and didn't want in the first place, but actually did the 5 or 6 things you bought it to do reliably and perfectly -every- time? How about the last time you bought an entry-level anything that didn't feel cheap and flimsy? Or break on day 3? I couldn't honestly remember.I don't know how or why, but this company appears to have missed the everything-is-disposable-now thing. Somebody very obviously cared about this machine's design and performance, and I couldn't be happier with the result.