I absolutely love my Singer ce250. I just recentlytried out the xl400 and am very impressed with the ease of multihoop projects and the larger size. I plan on buying it this fall as my retirement gift to myself. So far I have not heard of any problems with them. The Brother is also a fine machine but it has a smaller embroidery field. The xl400 needs to be connected to a computer to do embroidery so if you don't have room for a laptop or computer in your sewing space then it wouldn't be a good choice. You will need to decide what you plan on doing with the machine and how much dealer service help may need and if there is one close to you that you would feel comfortable dealing with in order to make your choice.