I have the second of three price level Brother machines that Walmart carried at the time of purchase 14 years ago, and it has been a work horse machine, travelled cross country under a greyhound, and still works as well as the day I bought it. I also have a high end Brother from an authorized dealer, and use it daily. The biggest difference is the Walmart model has a rougher sound and vibrates more, but putting it on two mouse pads solved that problem. I was also told to stay away from the Walmart machines, but that was thirteen years after I bought one. If you don't have a big budget, start with what you can afford. I did, and have never been disappointed with a Brother machine. Walmart also has a good return policy, but you probably won't need to know that. Just remember NEVER buy a sewing machine in a box that is not perfect, it may have been dropped, and that is never good for any kind of machine.