ASK 100 people the same question and you will get 100 different answers,,,IMHO,,,, I have 3 brother machines that are 12 to 15 yrs old...I have made thousands of $$$$$$ doing window treatments and bedspreads to complete room make overs in homes ( some yrs up to 20 complete homes in one yr)...I love my Brother machines...I have taught many people how to sew...I don t care what make their machine is...the first thing i tell them is to bring their manual with them......I teach them what their machine is capible of and how to take care of it so it will last longer.....I have had many to ask for guidence on what to buy in a sewing machine......I try to advise them as best I can by what they will use the machine for and tell them all the options that they can choose from....not the brand to choose.....I have found too that over the years,,women have looked down their nose at a brand that is not their "choice"....To me that is a lack of confidence for a person to be that judmental....have they ever had or tried ALL the other brands ??? ...I also have a singer....a kemore and 2 Babylocks.......I love and use them all.....and I just purchased 4 inexpencesive Brother 3125 machines to use in teaching beginner sewing classes.....They sew like a charm too......!!!! Happy sewing to everybody.....there's more in life to be concerned about than "brands" of anything !!!!!