I was told by my Viking dealer that the only thing that is different about Viking now, is that Singer owns the company. They are still made in the same factory, have the same people managing the business, etc.
Two of my QB friends were here for a quilting weekend this past weekend, and the one says now she knows what her next machine will be. She loves the features on the Vikings. She was using the D1, other gal was using DGDs little Viking without all the bells and whistles, but she still loves it. I have no experience with any other brands other than the older Singers, so I can't compare or run down any other machines. I may like them too, if I tried them, I just know I love my Vikings, and the service they provide is excellent.