Originally Posted by Quilter7x

Back to the quilt show; the local quilt shop provided us all with brand new Bernina 440 machines. Some of our class was on free motion quilting and I was blown out of the water at how beautiful the FMQ was on the Bernina.

I have since talked to my local sewing machine shop's owner about my Janome's (that I bought from him) and the Bernina. He said Bernina is known for beautiful stitches and is an excellent machine for FMQ. He also said that my MC 9000 is one of the best machines Janome has made. He has a brand new Bernina 155 (a basic machine) for $750 right now that I'm thinking of buying. The MC 9000's go for around $1,000 or less now. The MC 9000 has the needle up/down and knee lift lever that you talked about as well as tons of other nice features. The knee lift lever was something I had never heard of before looking at this machine and was very much a selling point for me. I cannot imagine not having one now, it is that helpful!

I have been looking on eBay for Bernina machines and they do have them. Looking there might give you an idea of the going prices for all brands of machines.

I totally agree with the ladies who say you have to sit at a machine and and have someone show you how to use it and tell you what each machine's benefits are. You've done excellent research, but the machine has to feel right for you. No shop will be offended if you want to try the machines before deciding on what to buy.

Best of luck and please let us all know what you decide. :)