I have a Babylock Espire and a Janome 8900. Both are great machines but have different features that stand out. The Babylock has a great threading mechanism and tells you when you are about to run out of thread. I bought the Janome for the 11 inch harp and the walking foot is much better than the Babylock's. I think the Janome is the more solid machine with more metal than the Babylock and seems like it goes through thicker layers of fabrics with more ease. I have a Kenmore that was built by Janome that is about 14 years old and I have never had any problems with it. It is the machine that I use for classes and travel. Before you buy, you should test out each brand and then decide what features are most important for you.