For heavy duty sewing you need to buy a higher end machine from a reputable dealer, the cheaper machines are not meant for such use. The higher end machines have more metal. If you love your brother, I would go with the brother, they are just as good as the janomes and you are already comfortable with the brand, any lower end machines of any brand will give you the same amount of lasting time because of the plastic parts, which is what makes them so lightweight and great for classes and occasional use. Most low end machines are made of more plastic than even 20 years ago. A few weeks ago I used my first machine ever at my MIL which I got almost 20 years ago, which is also a brother and it was incredibly heavy compared to my 2 brothers now. Granted I like my machines a lot more, its no doubt in my mind that my 20 year old brother will outlast both of them.