I am on my second Brother machine, have the top of the line Quantro and am extremely happy with it. I do think with any machine one thing to consider is service and repair, as we all know it will be needed at some point in time. I currently have to travel almost a hundred miles for factory service (which is the only way to repair your machine) In my very large town, there is just not any reliable sewing machine service people....I am sorry to say this is becoming a thing of the past and I am sorry to see that.... For my Bernina I do only have to travel 25 miles. But one thing I do like about Brother is that you can order Brother feet directly from them, Bernina you do have to go to a Dealer.
Do not be afraid of a Brother, decent machine....