I bought a used Bernina Virtuosa 160 from a friend & have an older Pfaff 7550-both are great machines. My Pfaff is my workhorse. My next machine will be the Pfaff Quilters 4.0. That said, many I know have a Janome and LOVE them. An instructor has older Juki with automatic thread cutter and swears by it. Her machine gets major use. Everyone has an opinion, so you need to figure what features you want, what price range, warranty, local support and instruction. Do you live in an area that has a sewing Expo or similar show? Great place to trial many brands in one day. Best of luck with your search.