I've been slowly getting into sewing, mainly with the goal of making cosplay, but for now mostly repairing and altering clothing by hand sewing. Since I've stuck with it for some time now I am thinking of getting a sewing machine, since hand sewing larger things is a bit of a pain.

So now I am looking at some sewing machines and I have a few questions: Is buying a cheaper machine a waste of money? I've read some older topics here on Tildes and saw that Singer machines have a terrible reputation, so I probably should avoid those? What kind of features should a machine definitely have? For example I am looking at something like the Janome Juno J15, is this still basically a toy or would it be enough for most things?

I am very confused. I want to buy my wife her first ever sewing machine (she seems quite dedicated on learning it, and she has done basic repairs on clothing before).

The problem is that I see that lots of people on Reddit that don't recommend too many newer models due to lack of reliability or using poor quality materials (plastic housing/gears, etc.), but at the same time many people are saying don't pay too much for an older machine (like even $50 USD seems to be too much for some people lol) which does not have these problems because you don't know how they maintained the machine, but any of the machines that seem to be decently cared for (with my very limited knowledge) are at least $100 CAD.

So does anyone have a recommendation for a decent sewing machine? For reference, I was eyeing a Kenmore 158.13200 I found locally for $150 CAD, which seems to include lots of accessories and the carrying case.