I have a TOL Bernina, a cheapee Singer & my workhorse Juki 98TL. I have to say, when I use my "cheaper" machines I really notice the difference between them & my Bernina. As much as I love my "cheapee" machines, there is no comparison between them & my Bernina. Having said that, I did not start with a Bernina. I bought one for my 65th birthday as my gift to me & in Canada it ran almost $8,000. after taxes (of course). I sewed for years on Singers & gradually upgraded over the years & having Singers TOL machine, it doesn't hold a candle to my Bernina. Unfortunately, a lot of the companies that make different price points in machines have switched to having them made in China & the quality is just not there anymore. One important point when looking at machines is having a local retailer who will support you AFTER the sale & looking at used machines from dealers who have taken them in as trade ins. Buy what you can afford & when you upgrade to a better machine you will see the difference yourself. Test drive, test drive, test drive & do lots & lots of research.