Greetings from CA. I find shopping for sewing machines a lot of fun and do a lot of research on the internet. One of my machines was a low-end Brother and I passed it on to a friend who loves it. Decide what is important as far as features go. I find needle up/down very important as well as good lighting. It needs to be relatively easy to thread and not too fickle. Test drive test drive test drive and see what you like. Wishing you luck!