hi texas sunshine
i have a babylock jane which i purchased in December. it has been a real pleasure to use. making the decision to make that investment was tough - but i certainly don't regret it. i wanted a straight stitch machine with a large harp and a strong and fast enough motor that would make it possible for me to learn to fmq. my 40 yr old golden touch and sew is a nice little machine - but i felt that adding the burden of machine quilting to it was just not a good idea. up until now i have mostly done hand quilting and a little straight stitch quilting on my treadle and old singer. i cannot address the issue of bl vs brother 1500. for me, personally, it was a better decision to deal with a human dealer, who coincidentally sold other machine parts that i needed - reasonable prices and good advice. doing the math - i paid 725 for a floor model (with feet ex,table and what appears to be included with all janes) vs 600 on line. for me, it was worth it just to get the other parts i needed at reasonable prices.
lfty298