I have a Janome 6600 and it works well for me. I'm not in love with it, as I had a Viking before, and it finally died....I loved that machine!! I had a little trouble with my Janome, but things are good, now. The foot pedal gave out, and it was still under warranty. I sew about 5 hours every day. My tension knob was also very loose. It wouldn't stay in place. I actually had to tape the knob so it wouldn't move! They fixed it, but it still moves a little. I need to keep checking it. I bought it for the knee lift and the accufeed foot. I love the accufeed, but the knee lift is set too far away for it to work for me. I'm going to try taping some Styrofoam to make it closer.... I used to do a lot of sewing with garments, and an open arm would be nice, but I can certainly live without it. The old machines didn't have such a thing, and I sewed many sleeves without the open arm. Be sure that whatever you buy, you have a dealer who is helpful. When I took my Janome in for repairs, I wasn't happy with the results. The woman who helped knew what I wanted and would send the machine back to the repairman herself. And, as the others have said, be sure to test drive, and bring the kind of material you'll be sewing on. The shops all have that heavy junk that none of us EVER use.