Up until last week (when it was stolen, whole 'nother post) I used a Freestyle exclusively. Since then I've been borrowing a friend's PISA after a really bad time with a single pump (she has a 4 month old, we're passing it back and forth between us until I can get mine replaced) and there's NO COMPARISON. I have to use the PISA on the highest setting, whereas with the Freestyle I use 4 and 5 (out of 10). I've used the handsfree all.the.time. It's actually what I'm having the hardest time not having. I pump 3-4 times a day on a typical workday. I pump at work while working, so the need for the handsfree is pretty obvious. I also pump first thing every morning on one side while S nurses the other, and it's way harder having to hold the horn on - he's a kicker.
The battery-pack is great - other pumps have a battery use, but they're 'regular' batteries and the suction isn't as good, whereas the Freestyle is made for using the battery, and it's some crazy giant one that you just plug in once in a while to recharge - maybe every 2 weeks or so.
I bought mine from addalittlelove.com - I want to say I paid around $300 after shipping and insurance - they sell at a discounted rate, I think you have to email them to get the actual price or something like that.
Medela is my new favorite company - I called them after my Freestyle got stolen to see about some sort of handsfree attachment and they offered me a brand new Freestyle for $100
Their customer service has always been stellar, so that tops the cake for me.
Oh, and about the motor dying out - I use mine around 6-8 hours in a normal workweek, and my Freestyle had the same suction that it had the day I bought it. Now, I never went above a 5 power, so maybe using it at a higher setting is different, but I didn't have that experience.