I've had my Janome 350E for just over a year, and I love love love it!! Not a single complaint. I definitely would not get a machine that only does the little designs. My 5x7 hoop is perfect. I'm glad I got a dedicated embroidery machine, rather than a combination machine, because I can be using my Janome 6600 sewing machine while my 350E is embroidering a design. I love the convenience of downloading designs from the internet onto my computer, and then copying them onto a flash drive for the 350E.
I paid $1399 for it, and it is worth every penny!