I've purchased 3 of those green button makers you see here on Amazon, only to have them break on me, being mostly plastic. But it was the machine I learned on and so I'd always replace it with another just like it. But this time I said NO, I'm tired of shelling out money for a machine I know will break on me so when I spotted this one, on sale I decided to give it a try and am glade I did. Metal not plastic, easy to assemble and operate and very sturdy. I've already made over 300 buttons and not a problem with the machine at all. I'd definitely recommend this one!