I did quite a bit of research last year before I bought mine. If I was going to buy a Brother I'd buy the PE770 or the Designio 820, which is a dressed up 770 and comes with more hoops and stuff. my BFF bought the 820 and loves it. I ended up buying a Janome MC200e because it has a 5x5 hoop which I thought was big enough for me at the time. Not too long after I got a great deal on a used Janome MC350e. I love both my Janomes.
Cari