I bought a Babylock Espire this year, and I love, love, love this machine. It's just so much smarter than I am! It does tricks I didn't know sewing machines could do. I especially like the feature where you can stop sewing with the needle down, but when you stop the foot raises up--great for pivoting. and I love the thread cutter, which is a button on the face of the machine. It has a bunch of decorative stitches, some of which I actually use. I'm learning FMQ on it--slow progress there, but it's not the machine's fault. I can't imagine ever outgrowing this machine, and I bless it every single time I use it! (By the way, I got a show special on it--$1200!)