I have had Brother commercial embroidery machines, they were wonderful. For personal home use, I'm a Viking fan. I had a Designer 1 previously and just 3 weeks ago or so I bought a Designer SE for $700. That machine was probably pushing $7000 new. I also had a Singer XL 5000 that I bought off Craigslist too. I think I paid $500 for that and she gave me $1000's worth of extras to go with it. She was moving to Hawaii and giving up her sewing business and I lucked out. It was a nice machine and embroidered perfectly. I just wanted a Viking again. (I'm a foot addict and have a suitcase full of feet that I missed using.) I always watch Craigslist - probably every day I look at it. And it is true, you have to be careful buying used, these machines require software. The Singer, I got the software with it. The Viking, I had the software but if not, it is pricey. If you just keep looking, you will find something used. Good Luck.