I had a Kenmore that I bought in 1973...it was a workhorse and never gave me a bit of trouble. I was good at taking it into the service guy once a year for cleaning and that was it. I wanted bells and whistles so bought a NEW HOME 8000 Memory Craft in 1990...LOVE IT and take it in once a year for cleaning and service, too. Gave the 73 Kenmore to our daughter who has used it alot since and she loves it. On all my machines, I use the brush and tweezers to clean out the lint after each use plus I do alot of "blowing". Have to DO something with all the hot air I have in me!! ;)
I bought a Brother X6500 at WalMart about 5 years ago and LOVE it,, also. It's the machine I drag around to classes and retreats and I've found it to be a real work horse, too. Only problem I've had with it was a broken thread spindle which I replaced for $3.95. Again, I take it in once a year for servicing and cleaning. I truly do think the servicing is key to getting hood, long, efficient use of your machine. I do the same with my 2 FW's.