I think what brand of sewing machine you think is best is determined by each individual. we all like different things. I have owned a bernina, a viking , a kenmore ect. right now I have two brothers one is an embroidery machine -sewing machine and two pfaffs. I would not trade my pfaffs for any of the above. I think the best way to determine what you want is to try it out. two hundred dollars is a very good price for a bernina and if you try it out and you like it then I would say go ahead and buy it. if you decide later to make a larger investment go from place to place and try each machine out. that is what I did and was very surprised at the difference between machines.