I own the Janome 6500 for 11 years. I like to free motion quilt smaller quilts on it but before my long arm have done Cal King quilts on it. I really like the machine. It was a gift to me and surprise so I did not pick it out. A good and way less expensive option is those cast iron singer machines like the Singer 15. They have very large and tall openings and are very strong. Another option would be a Juki straight stitch.