I have a Bernina Artista 630 that is about 2 years old and I truly love it.....it is so much better than the Singer that I had before it. One of the things you need is ask is "are the parts made of metal or plastic? what about the feet?( metal is what you want!)Also ask about replacing parts that might break or wear out..the Bernina has metal parts, and you only replace the ONE part that needs it..the BabyLock I looked at had to have whole sections replaced if something broke. I havent done any embroidery work yet either, but I do intend to..I just havent had time to retake the class on how-to-do-it. I have put a lot of miles on this machine since I got it, and it is wonderful..I haven't had any problems at all. Also, the shop owner I got it from is nice as can be. Her hubby is the guy who does the work on the machines and he is nice too.Oh - the BSR is something I was interested in..the Bernina Stitch Regulator...when you do free hand quilting, it helps you keep the stitches even, as you move around on the quilt.Makes stipple so much easier to do. Good luck on whichever you decide on. Has anyone looked at what Consumers Digest or any of those magazines say is the best record on them?