I have had the SE400 for a couple of years and LOVE it. Before that I had the SE270. Although, I have to admit I've used it mainly for embroidery work. I also have made about 75 of the Craft Apple Patchfolois and have had no issues. I did want to take it in to have a good cleaning and the one big place that used to service Brother machines actually moved out of state for personal reasons. I visited one of the other local shops and inquired about a cleaning and the oh so professional lady told me "Honey we don't service those low end things. We only sell and service good machines." Not kidding, those were her exact words as she literally snurled her nose. Haven't set foot in the Bernina place since and probably won't. The other place I refuse to shop is one of the largest quilt shops in the area. The first time I shopped there, a lady kept following me around. First floor, second floor, back to first floor. Made me very nervous because she wasn't looking at any fabric, just watching me. I finally got some nerve and asked her if I could help her. She said to me "We have to keep an eye out for shop lifters".
What tha? Yep she was an employee and basically told me she thought I looked like a thief! Needless to say I was absolutely livid and told her exactly what I thought before leaving. I don't care if it is the largest fabric shop in 50 miles. They will NOT get my business, ever.
I finally found a good local shop. First time I went in they were extremely friendly, helpful, and not the least bit snobbish. I told the owner about the machine I had and asked if they offered classes to those with Brother machines. She actually giggled and said that a teacher worth their salt can teach on any brand of machine, even a manual model. Explained to me that quilting is the skill of the person, not the machine. Said she knows a woman that makes absolutely awful quilts on a top of the line machine and another woman that makes perfect quilts on a machine older than I am. This is my new favorite shop.
I recently decided to purchase a machine just for sewing and quilting and keep my SE400 for embroidering. Did I look at the popular expensive machines? Yes. Did I buy one? Nope! Went with another Brother and bought it at Wal-Mart. I could afford one of those fancy machine with all the bells and whistles but I prefer to look at it like I look at my car: I could afford to purchase a new car but I prefer to keep my 13 year old car with 250k miles on it. It runs just as well as when I bought it and still gets over 35 mpg. And the seat is molded to my rear! It may not be the prettiest thing or have all the bells and whistles of the new models but it does exactly what it is supposed to do and I am extremely comfortable with it.