I love my brother machine. I really think Bernina name has been to big and people just buy because they think its great. I love the brother as I can take it a class for sewing and doing the embroidery.

Very pretty

love my babylock elissimo

Be sure to make sure you have the hoop size you want. Also make sure if the updates are free or cost. I have 2 husqvarna vikings and LOVE the quality but hate that you have to pay for the updates. I have had excellent customer service from them.
Good luck.

I have had embroidery machines for quite a few years. I started with a Janome MC9000 and then bought the Janome MC10000. I still have the Janome 10000 but since have purchased the Brother embroidery only PR620 and the Brother Quattro 6000D. I have had no problems with any of these machines and they are all well used. I like the user friendliness of the Janome and Brother brands and I have good service agents for both brands.

If you have not previously owned an embroidery machine
you should search out a good dealer near you who will give good backup service. Also the other thing is that the machine embroidery hole is a huge one. The costs only begin with the machine. After the machine comes, thread, bobbin fil, stabilizers, software and designs, also extra attachments not included with the machine.

I have justified my sewing / quilting / machine embroidery habit with the fact that I don't drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes, but my husband thinks it may be cheaper if I did.

Here's something to think about. Local sewing machine store told me that Kenmores sold by Sears were made by Janome. Almost identical but without all the fancy "eye candy" and at a much lower price. You can get a higher grade Kenmore for the same price as a lower model Janome!

This is a common misconception here it seems. Janome and Sears are two different companies. Kenmore and Janome build similar machines with usually the same specs. at the same factory. You should consider which company you want to deal with for customer support and warranty issues.

Kenmore is a Sears brand, but Kenmore doesn't actually build anything. Just as my Kenmore Elite range was actually made by Electrolux, Janome has made the recent Kenmore sewing machines, though this may be changing in the near future. It is true, however, that one would have to deal with Sears for support for the Kenmores.

I,ve had two Brother, Disney machines and Two Babylock.
They look identical however, they are made by different compaines.
I would stick with the Babylock because the service is by far better that Brother.
I had problems with both Brothers and was costly to repair.
I still have one and do like it but woud buy another Babylock in a heartbeat.
I did machine embroidery for 12 years and this is MHO.

This is the one I'm considering buying. I have 2 other Brother machines (both purchased at Wal-Mart), the oldest one is 16 years old (my husband uses it) and the other one is about 4 years old. I love them both and haven't had any trouble from either of them.