I learned to sew as a child, first by hand and then on my mother's singer which was older than me by at least a decade, making it circa 1960 or so. I was fairly proficient using it for many years, as well as being able to hand embroider and sew extremely complex stitches, patterns, etc...however, I have been wanting a machine for a long time now, but lack of money was a major issue. So when the opportunity arose to be able to purchase a machine, I wanted as much bang for my buck, but I also was seeking a machine with some of the features I liked about my mother's old machine...like the ability to raise and lower the needle at will, sew "freehand", more control of speed, able to take on almost whatever I could throw at it, mechanically sound, but I also wanted more stitches and utility stitches (lol, hers had forward, reverse, zig zag), some embroidery if possible, and as many accessories and feet, since buying them later as add ons was not too great an option as I am working with a very fixed income...I did a bunch of research and in the end settled on the CS6000i...I am very happy with it, especially because I was't expecting to be able to purchase a machine as nice as this on my budget. Due to there being plenty of other more comprehensive reviews already written with detailed descriptions and comparisons, I will forgo attempting that, however I would recommend this machine for practically everyone, especially for people used to older types of machines who want to transition to a newer, computerized type, but still have some of the older abilities...as well as beginners, or anyone needing a travel machine that isn't bare basic...I love the ability to go between 1 of 3 speed settings, and to control each speed as well, on the pedal, or just control stop and start from the button on the machine. I had no trouble threading the machine both by hand or with the automatic threader(which is so much easier), or loading the drop in bobbin...I mention this because I read some reviews where the people had issues....but I found this extremely simple, Nor did I have issues with thread tension, etc...In fact so far, the only "hitch" I experienced was a tiny bit of shock when I totally underestimated how fast the top end of the medium speed was, and floored the pedal...I got a good laugh, but it made me wonder if I will ever need all three speeds. I was pleased as well with how quiet the machine seemed to me, of course the one I used to use shouldn't even count in comparing as it was raucous....All in all I am extremely satisfied and very happy, and look forward to many more years of use.
