I've had my Pfaff 7570 (with the embroidery unit) for about 8 years. I've never had to have it repaired for anything electronic. I do use surge protectors on all my machines, and take the further caution of unplugging them completely if we're having one of our famous thunderstorms. I think the only repair I had to have done on the Pfaff was when I taught a quilting class to some 10-y-o's. One of them fiddled around with a thread guide, and managed to pop it off and drop it down into the machine. I couldn't find the tiny thing, so I took it in. That repair fell under the 5 year/100% everything covered part of the warranty, and Bob fixed it on the spot. 10 minutes, no charge. The trip was still expensive, though. They have really nice fabrics. I do take it in for it's yearly check-up, but it's not all that expensive. It's about the same as getting the oil changed in my car, LOL, and I wouldn't neglect that! BTW, your homeowner's insurance will cover one of these expensive machines ONLY if you use a surge protector. Not such a big deal for some machines, but a really big deal for the long-arm machine!

Jeri...I felt the same way initially. When I joined a company that gave us all laptops rather than desktops, I initially resisted and would either hook my laptop to a traditional keyboard & monitor or I would do all my work on the Gov't-provided desktop & copy all my updated files to my laptop later. However, when I moved to a contract where they did not provide a desktop, it forced me to use my laptop more...and I eventually got used to it. At first I at least hooked my keyboard from home to it, but as time went on I gradually used it less & less. It did help that I had a Sony Vaio w/a large screen. I just got new laptop (Dell) w/a much smaller screen & lower resolutions and I'm having a tough time of it since I usually have 2 or 3 documents/files open at once and move among them constantly...I'm lobbying for a larger screen w/hopefully, finer resolution! In reality, desktops are becoming a thing of the past as laptops take over; and a laptop can be located any where (you don't even need a plug b/c most also have long-life batteries now). With wireless networks in more and more homes, even the printer can be located in one place and accessed from any where. For us, putting the desktop in the kitchen would have taken up too much valuable cabinet & counter space. We have a small office/library (9'x13') that houses our desktop computer, printer, modems, & router. To be honest, I'd like to reclaim the room taken up by the computer & its peripherals for book space, but right now there's no where else to put them.

Please keep in mind that for appliances purchases, the clock starts ticking on the warranty upon delivery, not installation. So if you buy something now cause it's "on sale", but you're not ready to install it for months, you will lose those months of warranty, which will cost more if you need repairs than what you saved by the sale. Not to mention needing to store the stuff until it's installed which carries risks of damage, getting wet, even theft. Also, there is ALWAYS another sale. There's pre-Christmas sales, post-Christmas sales, new year's sales, president's day sales, spring sales, and on and on.

I am on the fence on a lot of electronics. For slow-cookers, it is the crock that gets broken. I would be happy to replace just the crock but after shipping, it costs more than a new set up all together. On my hand-mixer that is not very old, the beater broke. Oster never seems to have the replacements in stock. I had an instant-pot like device that my mother was getting rid of. I used it for several years. The electronics worked fine on it but the bowl was coated in Teflon that had been scratched and I was not comfortable using it any more. I would have no problem replacing it with an instapot since the instapot has a stainless bowl and I live at an altitude of 6500 and thus can appreciate the quicker cooking times for mashed potatoes. I think some people are replacing skill with gadgetry, but I think many of those people who have no desire to develop the skill. I also have to wonder though if sometimes the gadgetry allows a different level of efficiency, too. For instance, electric kettles heat water quicker, using less fuel than a kettle on the cooktop. Trade offs, I suppose.