I bought a Brother XR9000 online for around $250 a little over a year ago when I decided that I was going to learn how to machine quilt. It has the drop feed and that's what I was looking for to learn FMQ. Plus, it has a lot of decorative stitches and has letters & numbers. Although, the letters & numbers are quite small & you can't change the size. I love my machine! It has operated perfectly and I sew with it 4 - 5 days a week. The one flaw is the small throat space...5 1/2 to 6 inches. It makes it hard for a large quilt. Recently I bought an older Singer machine (a 15-125 that's green) off Craiglist that has the drop feed with a 7" throat space. I had it cleaned & serviced, but I still go back to the Brother. It's what I learned on & maybe it's my comfort zone. I guess I should push myself to learn the Singer, but I feel out of control with it. It's powerful and I think the computerized Brother has spoiled me.