My Sapphire is a keeper. It has every thing I need and more. It has a 10 in throat and needle down, both are necessities for me. I love the auto foot lift especialy when using needle down since it pops us just a little so you can turn your fabric.
I also have a Baby Lock Jane on a frame for quilting. Dont like this primitive machine but had to have a strait stitch in order to get a stitch regulator. Am saving up for a long arm since this machine is just not easy to use on a frame. It is the same as a Brother 1500.
If this is to be your first machine I would recommend a cheap Brother with needle down function and as big of a throat as you can afford. Later you can upgrade but always have this machine as a backup.