d'sm-- i have the brother se400. right now i'm using it while waiting to take my big brother in for his yearly check up. he does a good job of piecing and stretch stitch. i haven't used it for embroidery because i have the brother 7050 which does only embroidery ( and i don't know how to do it, but i will!! someday...) anyway, i am really happy with my brothers. i have the gray singer heavy duty and i could only make it do straight lines (coulda been me, it was early in the game.) it's a work horse but not much to write home about. i'll be making some drapes for my bedroom and i plan to use that machine. be sure to get the se400 at a store that services them. i've heard the big box version is all spaghetti inside, and like cadbury eggs, when they're gone, they're gone. on the other hand, i have 3 fw's and 2 are working great, the 3rd one is packed away someplace safe(?).....(shrug). last time i used it, it was super. that's my input. just thought you would like to know.