I am ordering a janome 1050DC at sew'n-vac tomorrow -- it is 299.00 I tried out the floor model and it has more bells and whistles than my 2200 Bernina I bought back in 2000. It doesn't have a knee lift, but it does have a needle threader. and I would be lost without the needle up/down feature. And they offered classes on the machine which I will take advantage of. So many new features that I should know how to use.
I will be buying the metal foor and holder -- it comes with high impact plastic - but being of the old school, I like metal.
Mim
Good luck with your search
Mim