Thank you for posting this, Good information. I will take it a step farther. I have several different brands of machine and most are the top of the line. I find the Bernina a very good machine, stitch quality very good, but the embroidery part a little hard to use and the format limited. My Pfaff is only a sewing machine, so can't tell you about the embroidery part, love the built in walking foot, stitch quality good and everything very easy to use. Baby Lock and Brother machines are very similar, embroidery part very easy to use and format easy to find lots of designs, stitch quality good. Singer, very poor, except the old feather weight have great stitch quality. I find that each machine has some good and bad. So, decide what you really need and the price you can afford. Then go test drive the machine, take the same kind of fabric and thread to each machine, make a straight stitch and similar patterns, mark the sample with the type of machine that made it. See if all the button, dials, etc is in a handy place for you. Does it have what you need or want, etc. Now you are ready to buy a new machine. Also, if you can only afford the bottom line, you may be better getting a good used machine for the same price. If the machine is a closet machine, it doesn't have to be too good, but if you are going to sew, get the best you can afford as it will save money on repairs.