When I first bought a sewing machine I was looking at Pfaff or Bernina. I decided for the Pfaff due to the IDT. 15 years later I am a Pfaff lover and would not trade it for any other brand. I have upgraded and kept the first one. Just recently I bought a used Creative Vision and was only embroidering with it until I used for free motion. I couldn't believe the difference. It is like overnight I acquired a skill that didn't have.
Good luck. I think that the only opinions you should value are those coming from people that have both machines because test driving a machine for 10 minutes doesn't really show you the potential.
I think the best advise is to ensure you have a good customer service for the machine you buy.
andrea