Good luck, Barnbum. I am a Janome junkie, ever since I bought my first one (previously owned) in 1993. I went to my local dealer then with my heart set on a Viking only to find that he had stopped being a Viking dealer (temporarily); he bragged on the New Home 6000 that he had just gotten in a trade-in, so I bought it. It's been a wonderful machine and I have since bought a New Home serger and 3 more Janome machines. All but one (+ the serger) are computerized. There is virtually no learning curve between Janome models I think. Although some are low- and some high-shank, for the most part I can use the same feet (bobbins are the same) on all of them... a selling point for me. For no specific reason, I have never had any interest in owning a Bernina.