I have that exact Brother machine and love love, did I say love it. I have had the opprotunity to sew on some of my friends Berninas, Janomes, and a Pfaff. Yes, they make you giddy since they are some of the upper end machines. Even after trying those out I still prefer the CS 6000i. The only problems I have had with her has been due to my own error and not the machines. They are great. I too was a newbie and looking for a resonable priced machine to start off with. Now that I have this one I dont think I will upgrade as I initially thought. This machine does everything I want for quilting except embroidery but that is a different story. So with that said get what youre comfortable with and dont worry about it.