I have the BL Spirit and really like it. I am a fan of separate machines. I had the combined and found I used it for embroidery then sewed on a lesser machine. That wasn't good because the combined machine had extraordinary features for sewing that weren't being used.
Everyone has their favorite and every brand has exceptional machines. For me it was the location of the dealer and the ease of purchasing accessories, etc for my machine along with the reviews on the machines. In my area the most common machines are Baby Lock, Brother, Pfaff and Bernina.
One of the local dealers had an anniversary event and lots of embroidery machines were used. The machines were sold for a large discount.
Let us know what you decide.