Cherokeequilter

I just bought a lightweight Janome machine with needle up/down, needle threader, table extension and 60 stitches so I could use it at our quilt guild meetings and classes. I had a light weight Pfaff/Smart which I had used for 5 years but needed the up/down needle and the extension table. When I got it there was a funny sound which turned out just needing oil after being shipped in a hot truck. While I was having it serviced I asked about several other brands so the shop owner/repair person showed me the insides of these machines. The reason the Brother sounds hollow is that all the medal parts are actually mounted to the plastic frame. Singer is like this too. The Janome is a medal frame which can stand alone and then the plastic covers it. Also he told me that the same company makes Pfaff, Janome and BabyLock and they are very similar inside. If you get a new model be aware that although the lights are LED you will notice that the work area may not be as bright as you would expect. I found that many of the front case designs may make it harder to see the needle as clearly as earlier models. The needle area seems to be mounted farther back than the larger, heavier models. I hate to part with money quickly so it has taken me nearly a year to change my travel machine. Good luck!