Janome is getting pretty great reviews by alot of quilters. There is a group that will tell you Bernina is the only way to go. My experience is the add on specialty feet are alot more expensive for a Bernina. No matter what test drive the exact model you are interested in purchasing. Bring your own fabrics the types you will be sewing . Make a small quilt sandwich to test the machine. It really is to only way to know how it will perform.
Ask about how much plastic is in the machine, Light weight typically means more plastic , which does not handle long term use as well as metal.
I consider myself an extreme sewer, long hours , and some pretty high speeds at times. I like "metal guts" in my machine.
As about how often it will require a "tune -up" some computer machines are very maintience intensive in comparison to the older non - compertized that if we oiled them and cleaned the lint out we were good to go for years with out ever taking them in for service.
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