Why not kill two birds with one stone if you can. I bought the PQ 1500 from All Brands for 599.00 which included shipping and no tax. It does have an auto thread cutter, pretty basic machine. No fancy stitches, just a straight stitch but has a 9" throat. It is used for piecing and quilting. Thats why I bought it. I needed more room for the quilting. I do still use my other machine for piecing too but the 1500 can be used for both.