I asked the same question to the guy that works on my older Singer machines. He told me that the Juki was a better machine. He said the inside parts are all metal, not plastic. He also said that he has rarely seen a Juki for repairs and that he has had issues getting parts for Brother when they do need service. Between his recommendation and the great reviews, I went with the Juki. I love mine!!! There are people who have the Brother and are very happy with it though. I waited for my tax refund to buy the Juki...but if I didn't have that money coming, I may have taken a chance on the Brother. There is a Yahoo group for the Juki...I wouldn't be surprised if there is one for Brother. It might be worth a shot to go there and read what they say about it.