I have the Janome 6600 and love her dearly. She has a lot of bells and whistles, some I use, some not.....and I do use the deco stitches as they can add a bit of pizzazz to most any quilted item.....I would hate to see you buy a machine without trying it out first, but I do understand your dilemma....do take some time and research all kinds of machines here on the board and using google....everyone will have a differing opinion, but make sure there aren't issues with your choice (i.e. parts breaking easily, tension problems, warranty issues).....it is great fun looking and comparing machines, but take your time!