A few years ago I bought my Janome MC 6600P and told the sales rep that I was never going to do any fancy work, all I needed was a good sturdy quilting machine. And I love my Janome. Two years later I am taking my first FW in to be serviced at my local Sew/Vac repair shop. I was taking it to my sister up in WA so wanted to be sure everything was in order. The repair shop is a Husqvarna/Viking dealer. He asked to show me an embroidery machine and I said I don't have $4K to spend on one, he said he had a floor model he would sell with full the warranty for under $2K. Mine is a sewing/embroidery machine and I cannot begin to tell you how much fun I have had with it. But it is true - the cost of the machine is the beginning, I was so much happier once I got the bigger computer program and instead of buying the thread one at a time, I bought kits. Luckily from QB I have found more places to buy thread at a much more reasonable cost than I can buy it locally. Oh, then the websites and the designs - so fun.
I have done hand embroidery since I was 8 yrs old - now I am 61 and I still like to do it. But my machine embroidery is something altogether different.