What you decide to purchase depends on your comfort level with sewing and spending money on your hobby. I've had a few issues with my Bernina 830 but all of them were fixed promptly and covered under warranty. Ive had no issues at all with my Janome MC11K SE. In my 40+ years of sewing, purchased a few low end machines, many years ago. I learned quickly that I could only sew as good as my machine allowed me to sew; the tech saw my machine more than I did. Since then, I started buying top of the line(TOL) machines and never regretted it. TOL machines have allowed me to grow into several different types of sewing. Sure, I did not always use every feature of the machine right away but when I was ready to learn something new, I had a machine with the functionality to support my growth. Sewing what I do, everyday, all day long. I have kept almost every machine that I purchased and regretted selling two of them online. I only purchase vintage machines from eBay, Craigslist, and garage sales as these machines can usually be repaired and restored for minimal cost. Only buy higher end machines at a dealer where the warranty will be honored. Many used high end machines sold by individuals do not have transferable warranties. The lower prices on eBay, Craigslist, and garage sales are extremely enticing but they come without a warranty. You owe it to yourself to thoroughly test every machine that interests you before buying and buy where they offer no interest financing, whenever possible. IMHO, every machine company has a 'special feature' not found on other brands. Even though a sales person says their machine is the 'do all-be all' machine, it's really not. Find the best dealer support, then find your best machine that dealer sells.