SMD for £200 are cheapies, you just can't say it out loud with out someone telling you how wonderful they are. For the price it's a fantastic machine; considering what's actually invested in the materials and build of the machine. Most of the money we pay by far is for seller, transport and distribution, etc; wages to workers assembling them are minimal, and even less in the actual parts. I'm not saying these machines are impossible and I haven't tried every machine out there, but I would not consider any of the brand new machines I have seen under £400-500. Maybe I'm picky, but I hardly get any improvement or feature I'm looking for when comparing to the machines I already have. What type of machines have you sewn on before? If you have the chance to try a good vintage machine or new ones in a shop then you sort of get the idea of this game. A big part of it is to have something to offer in any price range, for any type of use. For the pedal, it's probably Janome made (its' almost like most brand have been owned by Janome at some point) and you should get someone to take a look at it or find a better one. You know best how your SMD machine works and manage for the jobs you do, but it's always a good idea to have relevant points of referance.