I didn't want a combination sewing/embroidery machine, so I bought the Janome 350E embroidery-only machine. I have had it for more than 3 years; use it a lot; and have never had a minute's problem with it. I would not be happy with a machine that only had the small hoop--the large hoop on this machine is 5x7, which is big enough for what I want. It is very easy to get patterns off the internet for the machine, and it's an easy machine to use. If you have any questions, you can PM me, or ask them here. Happy Hunting!