I had a Brother CS6000i that was my portable & free-arm machine but I recently gave it away and decided I wanted a nicer machine - I settled on a Janome 3160QDC. I picked that machine MOSTLY because it has the scissor cut button, which I have come to regard as a NECESSARY feature. It wasn't cheap, but it was totally worth it.
I love it, it sews like a dream. I took it on vacation recently and it was absolutely marvelous. Plus my main machine is a Janome so now my machines can share bobbins and some of the feet.
It's a full-size machine but only weighs 12 pounds.