About a year ago I attended a seminar taught by a Brother Trainer/Employee. This question came up during class and her answer was that Brother owns Babylock and the machines are built on the same line, using the same parts. What makes one Babylock vs Brother is the cover color they put on the machine and the colors and graphics used in the software loaded. Each brand includes different embroidery designs but the machines are identical. When asked if Babylock was the superior machine her response was "think about it - the name of the Company is Brother. Why would they manufacture another machine (Babylock) that was superior to the one that carries the Brother name? The answer is they wouldn't do that; it doesn't make good business sense!"