Consider autos: Ford, Mercury and Lincoln all by the same company but with a few more bells, whistles and higher quality material with the higher priced vehicles. Same kind of thing with sewing machines. Babylock and Brother are made by the same company, just offer different features. It all boils down to what are you comfortable with. I personally wouldn't have a Bernina if you gave it to me since I have had really bad experience with the 440 and the new "it can do it all" 830. Others swear by them. I feel the same way about Viking as the Designer Diamond I've used frequently is a high priced lemon!