I'll tell you what I use in my classrooms - I have 2 Bernina Deco 600's and one Bernina Deco 650. I paid $300 for the 600 and $350 for the 650, all used. Never had a any problems with any of them and my kids mastered them in no time. They have several built in designs and fonts that are really good quality. They do not have USB but they will take the PED Basic software. Check out reviews on them on www.patternreview.com. You can also check them out on Ebay.