I have the Janome 3160QDC and I love it! I have a larger Janome (7700) as my stay at home machine and use the 3160 to take to classes and retreats and such. It's not too heavy - only 12 lbs. but it feels a lot sturdier than the Janome Jems and the throat is larger. It's also got needle up/down and the thread cutter, which were important to me. I've never had any trouble with my Janomes, and I've had six over the years.