When I was looking to "upgrade", I wound up buying the low end Pfaff Classic Style Quilt machine. It isn't fancy, and as it is a mechanical machine my DBF can fix it for me (although in three years nothing has gone wrong. I also bought the Janome 1600P for quilting, but I haven't spent enough time with it to give it a vote. I love my Pfaff, but I know that Janome also makes good quality machines at a more affordable price. I've never used a Bernina, but several at UFO night have them and love them. I can say that they all have a similar whining sound when working. A good quilting friend has a 20 year old Olna that she absolutely loves. If I were you, I would recommend going to a shop that sells more than one brand and trying them to see what YOU like. Everyone has different preferences. Sorry if I have only added to the confusion.