As others have said, it really depends on what features YOU want/need in a machine AND the type of sewing YOU do. Me, I piece quilts, do home dec and crafting and every once in a while think about garments again. I don't machine quilt, don't have a desire to - I like hand quilting. I'm a spreadsheet queen. When I was looking for a new machine about 10-12 years ago, I made a list of my 'needs'; 'wants'; 'must-haves' and let my fingers do the walking on the internet for machines with those features. Then went test driving and pricing. Came home with my Viking Platinum and am extremely happy with it. Got it for a great price at the time and the repair guy at the local dealer is awesome. I had experience with him before that so knew what I was getting there. Some of my dealer's employees can be annoying but the repair guy is great so it's worth some attitude on occasion.