My wonderful DH just about me a Janome 6600P also. I love it. I haven't gotten a lot of free time to use it but what I have done so far has been simple to use and a great heavy duty machine. I would highly recommend trying one out. It is within your price range. I love all the different features (which I have never had before) like the thread cutter, built in walking foot for quilting, and all the different stitches including letters and numbers.