I have 4 Berninas and a featherweight. I prefer that each machine has it's own speciality. I have a Deco 650 which is a machine that does only embroidery. It only makes a 4 inch motif but I can have it running while I am doing regular sewing or quilting on my Sewing machine. I also have a serger. My main machine is an older model a 1260 and I have had it for almost 15 years. I had to replace the computer a while back but I love that machine. It is rather heavy as it is mainly made of metal. This past year I purchased a lower model Bernina a 220. It is lighter weight so it is easier to take to retreats and workshops etc. It still has as many built in decorative stitches as my older machine but I had to pay extra for the knee lift and I intend to trade up on my foot pedal. I discovered at the retreat that while that machine has the needle down feature the standard foot pedal for it does not allow you to kick it to raise the needle. I personally am lazy in some ways. I dont' want to have to disasemble and reasemble parts of my machine to make it do other things. I purchased the more expensive serger because it changed from regular serging to a rolled hem with the flick of a switch. For some reason changing throat plates etc. bugs me. I also am not crazy about the selfthreading feature on all of the newer machines. To each his own. I would purchase the most expensive machine I could buy with the features I truly wanted. It will give you pleasure for years to come. I highly recommend the knee lift feature. At this point I couldn't sew without it. Have fun shopping.