They both have their pluses and minuses. The Juki has the speed control which is a great feature, and the thread cutter in the foot control. The foot control is very expensive to replace if something bad happens ( Dog chewing the cord comes to mind)
The Brother (My machine) has the pin feed which is wonderful I never turn it off, and the foot control is a lot less expensive to replace. The pin for the pin feed can be a trick to replace and it is not a common part so can be a bit hard to find. All the controls for both machines are easy to reach.
I got a Pfaff Performance 5.0 at Christmas and although it is a lovely machine I am using the Brother for quilting because it and the Juki just 'work'. No muss, no fuss, just perfect stitches and plenty of room to maneuver your project. The arm is about 2 inches taller than the Pfaff. The Pfaff bed is about an inch longer. I would rather have the height than the extra inch of bed.
I have had my Brother apart and I don't know what parts would be plastic on it and not the Juki. I saw nothing that raised a flag. Both machines have electronic boards in them - they are not 100% mechanical. As Dolphyngyrl said, both machines come from the same factory. Which one, Brother or Juki, has yet to be discovered. You really can't go wrong with either one it comes down to money and features you can't live without. BTW - They both have the same needle threader.
Last edited by Mitch's mom; 01-30-2015 at 03:31 AM.