I have a Janome 350E and love it. I started out with a Brother 900 sewing/embroidery combo and within a week knew that I wanted to do more than what it was capable of doing. I moved to the Janome 350E because it was embroidery only, it uses up to 5"x 7" hoop. Most of the patterns are 4"x 4" and up. I liked having the larger hoop area. It has the USB port and makes it easier to import designs. I purchased a separate hard drive to use with my machine so that I wouldn't tie my computer up timewise. It is very easy to operate with the touch screen. I love the thread cutter and the warning for your bobbin when the thread is getting low. I know that there are all kinds of machines out there that even have their screens in color. You can purchase too many bells and whistles that you will never use or you can stick with what is really important to you.
Try out any machine that interests you as well as those that don't. You will find what you like. If you know what kinda of fabric you will be using the most to work with, take several swatches with you and try the machine out. I can also say that I have had no issues with thread. I like a machine who isn't too selective about what they will and will not use.